Sobre este lugar
Spanning the fast waters of the Reuss where the river leaves the old town, the Spreuer Bridge is one of Lucerne's most evocative medieval survivals. First raised in the thirteenth century to link the riverside mills, and extended to the far bank around 1408, it took its humble name from Spreu, the chaff of milled grain that townsfolk were permitted to sweep into the river only from this lowest crossing. A flood destroyed it in 1566, after which it was rebuilt together with a granary at its head. Overhead hangs its treasure: sixty seven Dance of Death panels painted by Kaspar Meglinger between 1616 and 1637, of which forty five survive, forming the largest known Totentanz cycle in the world. From its middle you can see the nineteenth century Needle Dam that still regulates the level of Lake Lucerne by hand.
Datos clave
- 45 paintings — Surviving Dance of Death panels, of an original 67, hang from the rafters
- 1616 year — Kaspar Meglinger began the Totentanz cycle, finishing it in 1637
- 1566 year — A flood swept the bridge away before it was rebuilt with a granary
📍 Spreuerbrücke, 6000, Luzern