The Rössli Inn and the Old Water Rights
The former Rössli Inn was the first luxury hotel in Lucerne with its own water fountain. In the early 16th century, it was the preferred accommodation for French ambassadors. The inn had around 20 beds, along with stables and fodder for horses and livestock — standard features of a hotel at that time. Its unique feature, however, was its own fountain.
The Rössli Inn in the Diebold Schilling Chronicle
In Folio 310v of the Diebold Schilling Chronicle, we see an illustration of the arrival of the French treasurer in Lucerne in 1509.
Diebold Schilling Chronicle of 1513,
Folio 310v, S.628.
Arrival of the French Treasurer in Lucerne with recruitment funds for Swiss mercenaries.
The Scene
The French treasurer brings pension funds to Lucerne to recruit mercenaries:
- In the background, three Musegg Towers can be seen: Mändli, Luegisland, and Wachturm.
- In the foreground, three stone buildings appear — all inns, as shown by their inn signs:
- On the right: the “Schwert” (Sword)
- In the center: the “Rössli” (Little Horse)
- On the left: the “Raben” (Raven)
- The weathervanes on the roof of the Rössli Inn display the coat of arms of its innkeeper, Peter Zumkäs.
- Next to the inn sign, a rack for hanging bridles can be seen. Below it, a horse is entering the stables, located where the entrance to Coop City is today.
- In the foreground, the French treasurer, wearing a blue cloak, rides into the city surrounded by armed men.
- To his right, a mule loaded with treasure chests belonging to the French crown is visible.
- Another mule carrying more chests follows behind.
Around 1514, the city of Lucerne built a fountain in the Rössli Inn. The inn was granted this fountain under one condition: anyone lacking or needing water could collect it from the Rössli fountain.
Today, the original Rössli Inn no longer exists. Instead, the Coop City building stands in its place. However, the old water rights still apply:
- The building still has its own fountain.
- It must provide water to everyone in order to maintain this historical right.
- This increases the property’s value, so the owner ensures that public access to water is always maintained.
How the Historical Water Right Is Preserved Today
The Coop supermarket has leased the entire building. Today:
- A decorative fountain in the self-service restaurant on the top floor always has running water.
- In front of the building, a modern drinking fountain is available.
These measures preserve the historical water right, ensuring the tradition continues.
P.S. In the
basement of the building, there is one of
three supermarkets in the historical center.
On the
top floor, there is a
good, budget self-service restaurant
(Weekdays 09:00–19:00, Saturdays 09:00–17:00, Sundays closed).
Mount Pilatus strongly stimulated the imagination of the people in Switzerland early on. This was because it seemingly rose gently from the flatlands, but then suddenly jutted steeply upwards in massive rock formations. The ancients called it "Fractus mons" (broken mountain) or Frakmont . They considered it nothing more than a split and broken-up mighty hill. Since the people of antiquity could not explain the elemental forces that once split the mountain, they saw in them the work of evil powers. Because fire, water, storms, and lightning had always terrified the residents, they believed that these forces were causing mischief on the mountain. In the ignorance of the Middle Ages, one thing was clear: spirits lived there. In the stories, one heard of dragons, ghosts, spirits, hobgoblins (Herdmännlein), and mischievous dwarves (Toggelis); even the Türst and the Sträggele caused trouble there.
Lucerne, 1758. The Golden Time of the Republic was coming to its autumn. Wars and bad harvests in Europe meant that the soldier contracts, which the city lived from, were paid slowly. This made the state treasury, the heart of the Lucerne Republic, even more important. It was stored in the safest place you could think of: in the upper room of the Water Tower. The Reuss river flowed around it, and you could only reach it over the Chapel Bridge or by boat.
A painting on the Chapel Bridge (panel Nr. 25) once showed a famous Lucerne legend: The Emperor Charlemagne giving special "Harsthörner" (war horns) to warriors from Lucerne to honor them. (Please note: This original painting was unfortunately destroyed in the 1993 Chapel Bridge fire and is no longer on the bridge.) The legend says that in 778, warriors from Lucerne joined Charlemagne’s army in Spain. They bravely saved his nephew, Roland, in a battle. As a "thank you" for their loyalty and courage, the emperor gave them the special war horns, a great privilege.
A famous painting on Lucerne's Chapel Bridge (Panel No. 1) shows an old city legend. It pictures a giant man with a tree trunk standing next to a normal-sized man.
Just like any good craftsman, the executioner tried to do a "clean" job. When it came to torture, he was only allowed to go as far as it was useful—he wasn't supposed to kill them. The executioner had to be extremely careful that the tortured prisoners didn't die, so they could still be brought to their "real" punishment.
In the beginning, as serfs of the Hofkloster (monastery), we got our judgement at the Marienbrunnen (Mary's fountain) by the stairs of today's Hofkirche. From the middle of the 13th century, the Habsburgs allowed us to hold court ourselves . This happened at the lower fish market (unterer Fischmarkt), by the court linden tree. Later, the first town hall of Lucerne (the building before today's Hotel Des Balances) became the court place. The executions happened at the Sentimatt execution place .
On the heights of Mount Pilatus, a ghostly figure roams—a creature that is part "wild man," part "spirit," part "warrior," and part "god." This being, called Türst , causes great trouble for the alpine herdsmen and torments their cattle in many ways. His power is strongest when the herdsmen stray from a godly life. He is a fearsome hunter from the underworld. At nightfall, Türst prepares for the hunt. He drives the poor cattle before him, scaring and confusing them so much that they run wildly in all directions. Sometimes, they even leap down into the valley, forcing the herdsmen to struggle to bring them back up. The cows remain without milk for a long time after such encounters. When Türst approaches, he blows a powerful hunting horn. Every animal that hears it must come and stand before him. He is often accompanied by a pack of hellish dogs , all of which have only three legs . Leading the pack is a massive dog with a single eye in the middle of its forehead . This dog jumps ahead, with the entire pack stumbling behind it, constantly falling over due to their missing legs. In the middle of it all is Türst , part hunter, part spirit, part ghost, and part warrior.
The Lucerne Visitor Card is a thoughtful welcome gift for overnight guests staying in a hotel in the city. Previously known as the "Guest Card," it offers great benefits to make your stay more enjoyable.
The purest and best-tasting water in Lucerne can be found in the fountains of the historic old town. Unlike the houses and hotels, which receive their water through pressure pipes, these fountains have their own independent water supply, dating back to the Middle Ages.
On Folio 3r of Diebold Schilling's Lucerne Chronicle, a treadwheel crane is depicted in the construction of the first monastery church at Hof in the 8th century.