The popular summer resort of Brunnen has a magnificent situation at the right-angled bend in Lake Lucerne formed by the Urner See (Lake Uri) and the Gersauer Becken (Gersau basin), at the beginning of the Axenstrasse (opened 1865), on the road over the St Gotthard. Since the construction of a bypass road it is a pleasantly quiet resort, with splendid views of the lake, the Seelisberg (with the Rütli Meadow) and the Bürgenstock. Above the wide Muota valley rise the two characteristically shaped horns of the Mythen; above the deep rocky trough of the Urner See towers the massive Urirotstock, almost 3,000 m/9,843ft high; and to the rear of the Gersau basin is Pilatus, rising to over 2,000 m/6,562ft. The first reference to the town is in the Einsiedeln chronicles in 1217, but its traditions go much further back.
Brunnen's historic Bundeskapelle (Federal Chapel) was built in 1632 by Landamman Heinrich von Reding. It has an altarpiece by Justus van Egmont (1642), a pupil of Rubens.
Brunnen's sights include the late Baroque parish church of St Leonhard (1661, restored 1978) in Ingenbohl; memorial to the composer Othmar Schoeck, a native of Brunnen (1959); crypt dedicated to the foundress of the convent of the Sisters of Charity of the Holy Cross (1975).
From the Axenstrasse in Brunnen a steep road runs up to the natural terrace at the foot of the Fronalpstock (1,922 m/6,396ft). 3km/2mi: Morschach (alt. 645 m/2,116ft: pop. 550) has a superb view of the lake and the mountains, concerts, a forest park and a swimming pool.
On the occasion of the 700th anniversary in 1991 of the foundation of the Swiss Confederation the 35km/22mi-long "Swiss Way" was laid out around Lake Uri from the Rütli to Brunnen. According to population each canton was awarded a section which it had to construct with due regard to the environment. Zurich, with the largest population received 6,089 m/6,658yd while Appenzell had to be content with 71 m/78yd.
Read More
Read Less
Brunnen
