The Spreuer Bridge (german: Spreuerbrücke, formerly also ''Mühlenbrücke'') is one of two extant covered wooden footbridges in the city of
Lucerne,
Switzerland. Besides the other preserved bridge, the
Kapellbrücke
The Kapellbrücke (literally, 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 ...
, a third bridge of this type – the ''Hofbrücke'' – existed in Lucerne, but was demolished in the 19th century.
History
The first bridge was constructed in the 13th century to connect the ''Mühlenplatz'' (Mill Place) on the right bank of the
Reuss Reuss may refer to:
*Reuss (surname)
*Reuss (river) in Switzerland
*Reuss (state) or Reuß, several former states or countries in present-day Germany, and the Republic of Reuss
*Reuss Elder Line and Reuss Younger Line (House of Reuss), members incl ...
with the mills in the middle of the river. The extension of the bridge to the left bank was completed only in c. 1408. This was the only bridge in Lucerne where it was allowed to dump
chaff (in German: ''Spreu'', therefore the name ''Spreuerbrücke'') and
leaves into the river, as it was the bridge farthest downriver. The bridge was destroyed by a flood in 1566 and then rebuilt, together with a granary as the bridge head, called the ''Herrenkeller''.
Totentanz
The pediments of the Spreuer Bridge contain paintings in the interior triangular frames, which is a feature unique to the wooden bridges of Lucerne. In the case of the Spreuer Bridge, the paintings form a ''
Danse Macabre
The ''Danse Macabre'' (; ) (from the French language), also called the Dance of Death, is an artistic genre of allegory of the Late Middle Ages on the universality of death.
The ''Danse Macabre'' consists of the dead, or a personification of ...
'', known as ''Totentanz'' in German, which was created from 1616 to 1637 under the direction of painter Kaspar Meglinger. It is the largest known example of a ''Totentanz'' cycle. Of the 67 original paintings, 45 are still in existence. Most of the paintings contain the coat of arms of the donor in the lower left corner and to the right the coat of arms of the donor's wife. The black wooden frames bear explanations in verse and the names of the donors. The paintings also contain portraits of the donors and other exponents of Lucerne society. The painters of Lucerne knew the
woodcuts by Hans Holbein the Younger but were more advanced in their painting technique. The images and texts of the Lucerne Danse Macabre are intended to highlight that there's no place in the city, in the country or at sea where death isn't present.
[Hans Georg Wehrens: ''Der Totentanz im alemannischen Sprachraum. "Muos ich doch dran – und weis nit wan"''. Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2012. . p. 191ff.]
References
Further reading
* Josef Brülisauer et al.: ''Die Spreuerbrücke in Luzern. Ein barocker Totentanz von europäischer Bedeutung.'' Raeber, Luzern 1996. .
* Rolf Paul Dreier: ''Der Totentanz – ein Motiv der kirchlichen Kunst als Projektionsfläche für profane Botschaften (1425–1650)''. Leiden 2010. . p. 179-216.
* Caspar Meglinger: ''Der Todtentanz. Gemälde auf der Mühlenbrücke in Luzern''. Eglin, Luzern 1881
digitized editionat University and State Library Düsseldorf
* ''The dance of death on the Muhlenbruke at Lucerne''. Eglin, Luzern 189
digitized editionat University and State Library Düsseldorf
External links
{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in Lucerne
Pedestrian bridges in Switzerland
Bridges completed in 1408
Covered bridges in Switzerland
Tourist attractions in the canton of Lucerne
Monuments and memorials in Switzerland
Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Lucerne
Wooden bridges in Switzerland