The Spreuer Bridge (german: Spreuerbrücke, formerly also ''Mühlenbrücke'') is one of two extant covered wooden footbridges in the city of

Lucerne Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking po ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. Besides the other preserved bridge, the Kapellbrücke, 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 Chaff (; ) is the dry, scaly protective casing of the seeds of cereal grains or similar fine, dry, scaly plant material (such as scaly parts of flowers or finely chopped straw). Chaff is indigestible by humans, but livestock can eat it. In agri ...

(in German: ''Spreu'', therefore the name ''Spreuerbrücke'') and

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

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'', 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

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

History

Totentanz

References

Further reading

External links