Lucerne Station & the Old Arch

The story

Welcome to Lucerne! Your walk begins at the stone arch standing on its own on the station square. It is the old main entrance of the railway station that opened in 1896, a grand building with a glass dome designed by Hans Wilhelm Auer. On 5 February 1971 the station burned; within an hour the dome had collapsed. The arch was the only part to survive. The new station opened on 5 February 1991, exactly 20 years after the fire, and its bright concourse was designed by the architect Santiago Calatrava. Look up: the bronze group on top of the arch, called "Zeitgeist" (spirit of the age), is by the Swiss sculptor Richard Kissling.

Key facts

• The arch is the main portal of the 1896 station; it survived the fire of 5 February 1971.
• The new station opened on 5 February 1991, 20 years to the day after the fire.
• About 108,800 passengers a day: the third-busiest station in Switzerland.

Good to know

Free, open day and night. Toilets, lockers and the tourist information are inside the station. Next: the KKL, two minutes away on the lakefront.