Historisches Museum Luzern (Museum of Swiss History)

Originally conceived as an arsenal for the storage of weapons in the 1560s, this building was reconfigured as a showplace for medieval and Renaissance art and sculptures in 1983. Adjacent to the surging river that flows through the center of town, this museum celebrates the arts and crafts that emerged from central Switzerland between 1600 and 1900. One of the museum's centerpieces is the Gothic-style stone monument that once dominated the Wienerplatz, in the town center. (What you'll see there today is a copy.) Thanks to the solid wooden staircase that spirals its way around it, you'll get a close-up view of the stone-carved knights and cherubs that grace its pinnacle -- a view that previously was visible only to birds. Other exhibits trace the development of Lucerne beginning around 1300. The top floor of the museum is reserved for special (temporary) exhibits, such as an overview of the way 20th-century Swiss cartoons treat medieval and mystical themes.

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