Fritschi Fountain

As you arrive in front of St. Peter’s Chapel, you’ll face one of Lucerne’s most colourful landmarks: the Fritschibrunnen fountain. Built in 1918 to replace an older fountain, it’s dedicated to Fritschi, a legendary figure from Lucerne’s Carnival tradition. Take a moment to admire the carnival masks on the fountain’s column. According to legend, Brother Fritschi was a cheerful soul, always ready to celebrate. When he died, he left money for drinks to be served to the poor during Carnival. It’s said he’s buried beneath this fountain, which stands on the site of a former medieval cemetery. Carnival is one of Lucerne’s major cultural events, and has been celebrated for centuries under the watchful eye of Brother Fritschi and his “family”, who first appeared in the 14th century. They’re closely associated with the city’s oldest guild, called the Saffron Guild. Each year, the Fritschi family arrives on the lake by boat at 5 a.m., launching the festivities with a loud explosion often followed by fireworks. Crowds soon gather on Chapel Square for one of the most anticipated events: the famous confetti blast, where colourful paper showers down on the crowd. You might witness (or join in) an orange-throwing battle around the fountain. In the afternoon, the parade takes centre stage, featuring around 80 floats satirically reflecting current events making their way through the city. Lucerne’s Carnival usually runs from Fat Thursday to the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday — the start of Lent in Christian tradition. The word Carnival comes from the Latin carnelevarium, meaning “to remove meat”, symbolising a time of indulgence before 40 days of fasting, prayer, and abstinence. If you’re lucky enough to be here in February, make sure to join the celebration. If not, at least you’ve still had the pleasure of meeting Brother Fritschi.