A paddle steamer across water so still it mirrors the mountains.
Rütli
Grass, lake wind, and the spot where three cantons once swore an oath.
Rütli is a meadow on the shore of Lake Lucerne, reached by boat from Brunnen or Flüelen, or on foot down a steep trail from Seelisberg above. Swiss tradition places the founding oath of the Confederation here in 1291, sworn by representatives of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden.
A private society bought the meadow in 1859 and handed it to the nation a year later. Every August 1st, the Rütli hosts part of the country's National Day commemorations, and since 1862 the Rütlischiessen shooting event has marked the Wednesday before St. Martin's Day. The Swiss Path, a 34-kilometre trail circling the Urnersee, begins here. A small restaurant sits beside a picnic area, and the view opens onto the cliffs of Uri and Schwyz across the water. Few places in Switzerland carry this much symbolic weight while remaining this quiet.
Usually visited together
More in Brunnen
High above the lake, the air smells of hay and quiet water.
The lake shrinks to a ribbon of light before the gondola even reaches the top.
Bells mark the hour above the rock where legend says Tell once leapt to shore.
In the glass cabin of the Hammetschwand lift, you ascend 153 meters vertically in less than a minute.