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VIEWS FROM A TRIP AROUND THE WORLD
#15 - LUZERNE, SWITZERLAND
Size: 3" x 5"
Copyrighted: 1891
Lithographer: Joseph P. Knapp
Illustrations: Mountain Guide; The Righi; Lion of Luzerne; Lake Luzerne;
View of Luzerne; Swiss Peasant
NOTE:
There appear to be 2 printing
varieties for this card, distinguishable by the
presence or absence of a comma in the caption at
the bottom center of the card. These varieties
were originally identified by Jerry Anderson. |
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Caption includes
an obvious comma between LUZERNE and SWITZERLAND.
(This is the variety shown on the full-size card,
above). |
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Caption does not
have a comma between LUZERNE and SWITZERLAND. |
Reverse - Text |
Left section:
GRIND
YOUR COFFEE AT HOME
Right section: |
LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND. |
Lucerne, on the most
beautiful of the Swiss lakes,
dates from the eighth century. It
is located on both banks of the
Reuss, at the point where that
river leaves the lake. There is
an ancient picturesque tower in
the middle of the river in which
the archives of the city are
kept. It was once a lighthouse;
from this circumstance the name
Lucerne is derived. |
The lake
is irregular in form, somewhat in
the shape of a cross, of which
the Bay of Lucerne represents the
head, the Gulfs of Alpnach and
Küssnacht the arms, and Uri the
foot. |
The
chief object of interest in
Lucerne is the colossal Lion, a
monument to the Swiss Guards who
died at Paris in defending the
cause of France at the beginning
of the Revolution in 1792. The
lion, cut from the face of a
solid sandstone rock, is 28 feet
long by 18 feet high, and
represents him holding the
fleur-de-lis in his paws while
his life is ebbing from a spear
wound in his side. The model was
sent from Rome by Thorwaldsen,
but its design and carrying out
were due to Col. Pfyffer, one of
the survivors of the massacre. It
stands in a lovely garden
belonging to his house. |
One
of the most notable excursions is
the famous Rigi. The Rigi Kulm in
its actual vertical height is
estimated at 5,900 feet above the
sea. The view from this mountain
is one of surpassing beauty. The
view from Mt. Pilatus is yet
finer, but the position of the
peak with reference to the storms
reaching Lucerne from the higher
Alpine region beyond, keeps
Pilatus constantly wrapped in
fog. It takes its name from a
legend describing Pontius Pilate
as taking refuge, upon banishment
from Galilee, in the top of this
mountain, and during a fit of
remorse, throwing himself into
its lake. |
Population, 20,314. |
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