Lucerne - Luzern (English spelling)

The capital of the canton of Lucerne, Switzerland, and the central city of central Switzerland. Population 57,374 (2001). Located at the western end of Lake Vierwaldstätter Lake, where the Reuss River flows out, it is a tourist and resort city with a view of the Alps. The town originated as an 8th century Benedictine monastery, and began to develop in the 13th century when a trade route was opened between Italy and the Rhine basin through the St. Gothard Pass. The covered wooden Chapel Bridge (built around 1300) over the Reuss River is known as the oldest surviving wooden bridge in Europe, and many buildings built in the 16th and 17th centuries, such as the town hall and churches, remain in the old town on the right bank. The town's rapid development began after the opening of the Gothard Road in 1830 and the Gothard Railway in 1882. There are more than 60 hotels with 5,600 beds. It is a tourist town, with 70% of the workforce employed in the service industry. There is a promenade park on the northern shore of the lake, and mountain railways run to the nearby mountains such as Mount Rigi and Mount Pilatus, where you can enjoy great views.

[Ikuo Maejima]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

スイスのルツェルン州の州都で、中部スイスの中心都市。人口5万7374（2001）。フィアワルトシュテッター湖の西端、ロイス川の流出点にあり、アルプス連峰を展望できる観光・保養都市。8世紀のベネディクト派の僧院が町の起源で、13世紀にサン・ゴタルド峠を通ってイタリアとライン川流域を結ぶ通商路が開かれて発展が始まった。ロイス川に架かる屋根付き木造のカペル橋（1300ころ建造）はヨーロッパ最古の現存木橋として知られ、右岸の旧市街には市庁舎、教会など16～17世紀建造の建物が多く残る。町の急速な発展はゴタルド街道開通の1830年以降と、ゴタルド鉄道開通の1882年以降にみられる。ホテルの数は60を超え、ベッド数は5600を数える。市の就業人口の7割はサービス業という観光の町で、湖尻(こじり)北岸には遊歩公園があり、周りのリギ山やピラトゥス山などには登山鉄道が通じ、眺望を楽しむことができる。

［前島郁雄］

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