Lucerne (English: /luːˈsɜːrn/ loo-SURN) or Luzern (Swiss Standard German: [luˈtsɛrn] ⓘ)[note 1] is a city in central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of the country.

After the fall of the Roman Empire beginning in the 6th century, Germanic Alemannic peoples increased their influence on this area of present-day Switzerland.

Around 750 the Benedictine Monastery of St. Leodegar was founded, which was later acquired by Murbach Abbey in Alsace in the middle of the 9th century, and by this time the area had become known as Luciaria.

[6] In 1178 Lucerne acquired its independence from the jurisdiction of Murbach Abbey, and the founding of the city proper probably occurred that same year.

The city gained importance as a strategically located gateway for the growing commerce from the Gotthard trade route.

About this time King Rudolph I von Habsburg gained authority over the Monastery of St. Leodegar and its lands, including Lucerne.

The populace was not content with the increasing Habsburg influence, and Lucerne allied with neighboring towns to seek independence from their rule.

Along with Lucerne, the three other forest cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden formed the "eternal" Swiss Confederacy, known as the Eidgenossenschaft, on November 7, 1332.

It was during this period that Jesuits first came to Lucerne in 1567, with their arrival given considerable backing by Cardinal Carlo Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan.

[9] The region, though, was destined to be dominated by Protestant cities such as Zürich, Bern and Basel, which defeated the Catholic forces in the 1712 Toggenburg War.

[10] Schiller himself had not been to Lucerne, but was inspired to write the play by his wife Lotte and his friend Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who had both personally visited the city and its surrounding canton.

[14] In 1892 Swiss poet and future Nobel laureate Carl Spitteler also established himself in Lucerne, living there until his death in 1924.

The city's suburbs climb the hills to the north-east and south-west, and stretch out along the river and lake banks, whilst the recently added area of Littau is to the north-west.

[23] Besides this contiguous city area, the municipality also includes an exclave on the south shore of Lake Lucerne some 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) away, comprising the northern slopes of the Bürgenstock.

[31] The last regular election of the Grand City Council was held on 29 March 2020 for the mandate period (German: Legislatur) from September 2020 to August 2024.

[45] The city grew up around Sankt Leodegar Abbey, founded in AD 840, and remained strongly Roman Catholic into the 21st century.

[45] Lucerne is home to a number of major Swiss companies, including AlpTransit Gotthard rail link, Schindler Group, Chronoswiss, Emmi, and the Luzerner Kantonalbank.

In a recent published study of BAK Basel Economics taxation index 2012, Lucerne made it to the 4th place with an only marginally 2% higher tax rate compared to the top canton in this comparison.

[49] Lucerne imported iron and steel and the cities blacksmiths produced scythes which were exported to western Switzerland and northern Italy.

Constructed in 1408, it features a series of medieval-style 17th century plague paintings by Kaspar Meglinger (de) titled Dance of Death (Totentanzzyklus).

The twin needle towers of the Church of St. Leodegar, which was named after the city's patron saint, sit on a small hill just above the lake front.

The carving commemorates the hundreds of Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when an armed mob stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris.

The established culture comprises the Lucerne Culture and Congress Centre (KKL), the city theater (Luzerner Theater) and, in a broader sense, smaller establishments such as the Kleintheater, founded by comedian Emil Steinberger, a Lucerne native, or Stadtkeller, a music restaurant in the city's old town.

[55] The exhibit consisted of an avatar Jesus who would have faith-based discussions with people via the use of Open AI's large language model, GPT-4o.

The report details findings from a total of 900 conversations that visitors to the chapel had with the exhibit, and subsequent exit surveys.

Strange characters in fantastic masks and costumes make their way through the alleyways, while Guggenmusiken (carnival bands) blow their instruments in joyful cacophony and thousands of bizarrely clad people sing and dance away the winter.

Lucerne Fasnacht [de], based on religious, Catholic backgrounds, starts every year on the Thursday before Aschermittwoch (Ash Wednesday) at 5 am with a detonation called Urknall (Big Bang), the signal to begin the Tagwache (wake-up procession).

From dusk till dawn on the evenings of Schmotzige Donnerstag, Güdismontag, and after the Monstercorso many bands wander through the historical part of the city playing typical Fasnacht tunes.

In February 1910 the countries first (and after the DELAG of Germany the second in the world[61]) air transport company was founded,[62] in July the same year then also the first airship hangar at Tribschenmoos.

Lucerne hosts the annual Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern track and field meeting, which attracts world class athletes such as Yohan Blake and Valerie Adams.