About twenty minutes drive from Lucerne is a little market town, the capital of the half-canton of Nidwalden, called Stans. In the main square (Dorfplatz ) of this tiny picturesque old village is the parish church (Pfarrkirche St. Peter und Paul) which, from the Middle Ages onwards, was the sole house of worship in the canton (rebuilt in Baroque style 1641-47). The church remains crowned by a Romanesque bell tower. Inside the church, I listened to the beautiful music played from its exquisite organ. Outside the church is an 1865 fountain dedicated to Arnold von Winkelried, a native of the town, hero of the Battle of Sempach (1386). To the right of the church is a double chapel of 1482 (charnel-house); to the left, above the church, stands the Town Hall (1715) where can be seen an interesting collection of paintings of Swiss cantonal officials. Another notable landmark is the historical museum. The alleys surrounding Dorfplatz are worth a wander. Schmiedgasse to the east is a quiet and atmospheric back alley, while to the west is Altes Postplatz, and the Höfli, or Rosenburg House, a medieval turreted building with a rear courtyard overlooked by beautiful Italianate loggias.
Surrounded by orchards, Stans is a tourist center with a funicular railway to the summit of the beautiful Stanserhorn, the highest peak in the area, rising to 1900m above the village, south of the Lake of Lucerne (Vierwaldensee). This mountain is accessible via one of the oldest mountain railways in Switzerland, the Stanserhornbahn (1893). There is a revolving panorama restaurant (Rondorama) on the top which, from every angle, allows a fantastic view of the breathtaking panorama over 100 km of the Alpine range and ten Swiss lakes. Here, one can easily enjoy the typically Swiss atmosphere, and the wild-flower reserve on top of the Stanserhorn Mountain.
Our hotel, Hotel Hirschen, is located at Seehof in Fluelen, a municipality in the canton of Uri, the farthest point of the lake from Lucerne, a picturesque little place with the train station right beside the landing stage.
Surrounded by orchards, Stans is a tourist center with a funicular railway to the summit of the beautiful Stanserhorn, the highest peak in the area, rising to 1900m above the village, south of the Lake of Lucerne (Vierwaldensee). This mountain is accessible via one of the oldest mountain railways in Switzerland, the Stanserhornbahn (1893). There is a revolving panorama restaurant (Rondorama) on the top which, from every angle, allows a fantastic view of the breathtaking panorama over 100 km of the Alpine range and ten Swiss lakes. Here, one can easily enjoy the typically Swiss atmosphere, and the wild-flower reserve on top of the Stanserhorn Mountain.
Our hotel, Hotel Hirschen, is located at Seehof in Fluelen, a municipality in the canton of Uri, the farthest point of the lake from Lucerne, a picturesque little place with the train station right beside the landing stage.
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