Lucerne, the capital city that never was
Lucerne tried three times to become the Swiss capital. It nonetheless played a decisive role in the birth of Swiss democracy.
Three times Lucerne tried to be named the capital of Switzerland. Only the first attempt succeeded, short-lived as it was. None of this, however, can overshadow Lucerne’s decisive role in the birth of Swiss democracy. In 1798, the aristocrats of Lucerne took the unusual step of proclaiming their own...