Schwanenplatz & Hotel Schweizerhof

The story

In the 19th century travellers from all over Europe came to Lucerne, and this stretch of the lakefront is where its grand hotels grew. The Hotel Schweizerhof opened in 1845 and has been run by the same family, the Hausers, for five generations. Its guests made history: Richard Wagner lived here from March 1859 and finished his opera Tristan und Isolde on 6 August 1859. In July 1857 Leo Tolstoy watched rich hotel guests enjoy a street singer and then refuse him a coin; that same night he began his story "Lucerne", set right here. Mark Twain stayed in August 1878 and wrote about Lucerne in "A Tramp Abroad". Every room has a story: that is what great hospitality is made of.

Key facts

• Opened in 1845; run by the Hauser family for five generations.
• Richard Wagner finished Tristan und Isolde here on 6 August 1859.
• Tolstoy's story "Lucerne" (1857) is set at the Schweizerhof.

Good to know

A working hotel: photos from the promenade, please. Lake boats leave from the piers right in front.