Kapellbrücke

Kapellbrücke
The Kapellbrücke in Lucerne with its Wasserturm (water tower) seen in the middle.
Coordinates47°03′06″N 8°18′27″E / 47.05167°N 8.30750°E / 47.05167; 8.30750
CarriedPedestrian
CrossedReuss
LocaleLucerne, Switzerland
BeganKapellplatz/Rosengart-Platz, Altstadt
EndedBahnhofstrasse/Theaterplatz
Other name(s)Chapel Bridge
Named forNamed after St. Peter's Chapel
OwnerCity of Lucerne
Heritage statusCultural Property of National Significance
Websitechapel-bridge.ch
Preceded bySeebrücke
Followed byRathaussteg
Characteristics
DesignCovered Wooden Footbridge
MaterialWood
Trough constructionWood
Pier constructionWood (20), stone (8)
Total length204.7 m (672 ft)
No. of spans27
Piers in water28
History
Builtc. 1360
RebuiltApril 14, 1994
DestroyedAugust 18, 1993
Statistics
Daily traffic13,800 (2017)
Location
One of the restored interior paintings; this one depicts a local slaying.
The 1993 fire damage is still evident in the reconstructed Kapellbrücke.

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.