Lucerne (Ger. Luzern), the capital of a Swiss canton, 59 miles SE. of Basel, 147 SSE. of Strasbourg, and 177 NNW. of Milan. It is very beautifully situated at the point where the Reuss issues from the north-west extremity of the Lake of Lucerne, and is partly surrounded (on the north) with medieval towers. Near the lake, rising from the middle of the Reuss, is an old tower, which is said to have been a lighthouse (lucerna) in Roman times, whence the name of the town. Outside one of the gates is the Lion of Lucerne, hewn (1821) out of the solid rock after a model by Thorwaldsen, a monument to the Swiss guard who perished at the Tuileries in 1792. Near by is the Glacier Garden, with rocks illustrating the action of ice. The town is a busy centre for tourists and summer visitors to Switzerland. Pop. (1894) 21,778.—The canton has an area of 579 sq. m. and a pop. (1894) of 135,813. The soil is fruitful in the valleys; in the more mountainous parts the rearing of cattle is carried on to a great extent, large quantities of cheese being made. The highest elevation in this canton is 6998 feet, a peak of Mount Pilatus. The inhabitants are mostly of German race and language, and belong to the Roman Catholic Church, except about 5650 Protestants, to whom the free exercise of their religion was first accorded in 1828. The canton threw off the yoke of Austria in 1332, and, joining Schwyz, Uri, and Unterwalden, formed the nucleus of the future Swiss Confederation. The constitution of Lucerne is a representative democracy. The legislative body is the Great Council, one member being elected by every 1000 citizens; the executive is vested in seven members, who are not of the council. See SWITZERLAND.
THE LAKE OF LUCERNE, called also Vierwaldstättersee ('Lake of the Four Forest Cantons'—Uri, Unterwalden, Schwyz, and Lucerne), is one of the most beautiful sheets of water in Europe. In shape it resembles roughly a cross with a crumpled stem; its shores are mostly steep and rocky. Length from Lucerne to Flüelen, 23 miles; average breadth, about 1½ mile; area, 44 sq. m. The chief places on its banks are Lucerne, Küssnacht, and Alpnach at the north-west, and Flüelen near its south-west extremity. It forms part of the St Gothard route, and is navigated by steamboats, but is liable to sudden and violent storms. The lake is rich in associations of William Tell (q.v.) and his story.