Lake Lucerne

Lake Lucerne, principal lake of central Switzerland, surrounded by the cantons of Lucerne, Nidwalden, Uri, and Schwyz. The lake is named after the city of Lucerne, which lies at its western end. The lake is most beautifully situated between steep limestone mountains, the best-known being the Rigi (north) and Pilatus (west), at an elevation of 1,424 feet (434 meters). The lake’s area is 44 square miles (114 square km); it is about 24 miles (39 km) long, with a maximum width of 2 miles (3 km) and a maximum depth of 702 feet (214 meters). Great promontories such as Horw (west), Bürgenstock (south), Meggenhorn (north), and Seelisberg (south) project into its waters, giving it an irregular shape. The Reuss River enters the lake near Flüelen (southeast) and leaves it at Lucerne, and the lake receives the rivers Muota (northeast) and the Engelberger Aa and the Sarner Aa (south).

Lake Lucerne is composed of four main basins (with two side basins), which represent four glaciated valleys, topographically distinct and connected only by narrow and tortuous channels. The most easterly basin, Lake Uri (Urner See), extends north from Flüelen to Brunnen, where it meets Lake Gersau (or Buochs), formed by the extension into the lake of the Muota Delta. Another narrow passage between the two “noses” (nasen) of the Bürgenstock and the Rigi leads west to the basin of Weggis. This expanse forms the eastern arm of the “Cross of Lucerne.” The western arm is Lake Lucerne, the northern arm is Lake Küssnacht, and the southern arm is that of Hergiswil, which is prolonged southwestward by Lake Alpnach, to which it is joined by a narrow channel.

Situated at the heart of the first four cantons of the Swiss Confederation, the lake has numerous historical associations. Lake Uri’s eastern shore is the site of the legendary Swiss patriot William Tell’s leap from the boat in which the bailiff Gessler was taking him to prison (marked by the Chapel of Tell). The legendary meeting place of the founders of the Confederation, the meadow of Rütli, is on the west bank. The Everlasting League of 1315 was formed at Brunnen, and the Hollow Way (Hohle Gasse), the scene of the legendary murder of Gessler by William Tell, runs south along Lake Küssnacht. Lucerne is the principal lakeside town in a region noted for its summer resorts.