25/08/2022
In 1792, a certain Officer Muller, along with many other mercenary soldiers from central Switzerland were commanded to serve the French King Louis XVI. It was the French Revolution, and when, on August 10, 1792, the revolutionary masses attacked the royal Tuileries castle in Paris, Officer Muller and his fellow soldiers had the daunting task of defending the royal family, ensuring their escape. Many of the mercenary troops died in the process, and in 1821, a monument was inaugurated in memory of these unfortunate soldiers. The monument, of course, is the Lion Monument in Luzern, Switzerland. And this is where we were headed today.
Luzern is yet another beautiful city on the shores of Lake Luzern, and is near the famous Mount Pilatus, the main reason for our visit to the area. From Alpnachstad, a small town near Luzern, the Pilatus Railway takes you to the restaurant and hotel near the Esel summit of Mount Pilatus. The railway line is the steepest rack railway in the world, with a maximum gradient of 48%, and an average gradient of 35%. In short – it’s very steep! And the views are spectacular.
We spent some time at the top of Mount Pilatus, before taking the cable cars back down to Kriens. More exquisite views, and, as we have found in Switzerland – absolute silence, except for the odd, beautiful clinging of the Swiss cowbells.
Back in Luzern, we visited the Lion monument, before returning to Mulhouse for a quiet evening. (We did say we were going to take it very easy this time around 🙂
