Lucerne - Kapellbrücke and Wasserturm

The Kapellbrücke (from German 'Chapel Bridge') is a covered wooden footbridge spanning the river Reuss diagonally in the city of Lucerne in central Switzerland. Named after the nearby St. Peter's Chapel, the bridge is unique in containing a number of interior paintings dating back to the 17th century, although many of them were destroyed along with a larger part of the centuries-old bridge in a 1993 fire. Subsequently restored, the Kapellbrücke is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe, as well as the world's oldest surviving truss bridge. It serves as the city's symbol and as one of Switzerland's main tourist attractions. The Water Tower, the Wasserturm, is an octagonal stone tower standing in the Reuss river, attached to the Chapel Bridge. Its characteristic is its design: an octagonal-plan base that rises in height. A former element of the fortifications of the city, it served over the centuries as a watchtower, a prison, an archive room and a treasure chamber. With the bridge, it forms the emblematic image of Lucerne, known worldwide.