Bürgenstock

Mountain

A power place above the Lake of the Four Cantons

The 900-m high Bürgenstock mountain is reputed to have some of the best views in Switzerland and is the country’s best-known power place. The mountain peninsula juts spectacularly from the central Swiss canton of Nidwalden into Lake Lucerne. Near the summit, high above the picturesque Lake of the Four Cantons, lies the village of Bürgenstock – one of Switzerland’s holiday spa resorts with the richest traditions. Located in the midst of pristine nature, it overlooks five lakes, Central Switzerland and the huge area of the Swiss Plateau. The view stretches across the lake all the way to the snow-capped peaks of the Bernese Oberland.

In the 19^th century the village of Bürgenstock was turned into a hotel resort. During the 20^th century its fantastic location drew illustrious spa guests such as Konrad Adenauer, Pandit Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Kofi Annan, Clara Haskil, Georges Simenon, Sean Connery, Rod Stewart, Otto Preminger and Helena Rubinstein. The Bürgenstock with its many luxury hotels and famous cliff path became legendary.

People seeking a place to relax can still find an oasis of calm here today, away from everyday stress and the sound of traffic, with wonderful options for excursions and walking.

Chapel

Small but legendary

The cliff path starts at the historic 19^th-century Bürgenstock Chapel. Made famous as the place where the actress Audrey Hepburn married Mel Ferrer in 1954, today its atmosphere and acoustics for chamber music concerts arranged by the Bürgenstock Festival Foundation are unrivalled.

The chapel was built in 1897 for the Comtesse Tancrède de la Baume, née Pozzo di Borgo, who had a summer residence in the hotel village on the Bürgenstock. The chapel was a replica of the design of the St. Jost chapel in the parish of Ennetbürgen, the oldest Gothic place of worship in the Swiss canton of Nidwalden, among other things accurately reproducing its multi-coloured gothic wooden ceiling down to the last detail.

Next to the chapel is the “Totentanz” sculpture by the Swiss sculptor Hans Jörg Limbach (1928-1990).

The chapel is the privately owned by the non-profit-making Frey-Fürst-Bürgenstock Foundation.

Capacity: around 70 seats

Getting there

How to get there

Bürgenstock Chapel / Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne:

By car:
To reach the venue by car, take the A2 motorway and exit at Stansstad, followed by a 10–15-minute drive uphill. Follow the signs for ‘Bürgenstock’. Parking in the underground car park of the Bürgenstock Hotel & Alpine Spa is free for guests attending the summer concerts (tickets will be distributed after the concert).

Public transport:
The journey from Lucerne railway station is a real experience: take the MS Bürgenstock across Lake Lucerne to Kehrsiten, then the Bürgenstock Railway up to the resort. Alternatively, travel comfortably by train and «Postauto» via Stans to the Bürgenstock. Timetables and tickets via sbb.ch