Weinmarkt

You’ve now arrived at Weinmarkt, or Wine Market Square. As the name suggests, wine was once sold here… but long before that, this square was the site of Lucerne’s fish market until the 16th century. Thanks to its location on the lake, Lucerne was a city of fishermen, and this commercial zone served as an important exchange hub. The fishermen and the butchers’ guild halls once lined the sides of the square. The square took on its current look in 1841, when the old two-storey medieval wooden market hall was torn down. Wine trading began here around the mid 16th-century. Merchants who travelled the Saint Gotthard trade route braved high mountains, bandits, and harsh conditions to transport Swiss salt and hard cheese to Italy, and returned with wine and spices to be sold at Weinmarkt. In the early 1900s, the city undertook a major restoration of the square, renovating older murals and adding new ones. At the far end of the square, you’ll see a large religious fresco, painted in 1928. It depicts the Wedding at Cana — the biblical story where Christ turns water into wine, considered his first public miracle. It’s a fitting tribute to both the wine market and the religious festivals once held here. For nearly 200 years, a Passion play was performed in the square every Easter, retracing the final days of Christ’s life. It’s now time to head towards the fountain in the centre. It’s dedicated to Saint Maurice, a 3rd-century martyr, a Roman army officer, and the patron saint of Lucerne and the Swiss army. The Swiss town of Saint Moritz takes its name from him. Like the other fountains in Lucerne’s Old Town, this one is fed by Mount Pilatus. In earlier centuries, it was a key source of drinking water for local residents. Today, the water is treated and the fountain is well maintained, so feel free to fill your water bottle and enjoy a taste of Mount Pilatus’s clear spring water.