Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

LUCERNE, LAKE OF

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V17, Page 97 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

See also:

LUCERNE, See also:LAKE OF , the name usually given by foreigners to the See also:principal lake of Central See also:Switzerland. In See also:French it is called the See also:Lac See also:des Quatre Cantons, and in See also:German the Vierwaldstdttersee, this See also:term being often wrongly translated " Lake of the Four See also:Forest Cantons," whereas it means the " Lake of the Four Valleys "—valles—which See also:form the four Cantons of Lucerne, See also:Unterwalden, See also:Uri and See also:Schwyz. It takes its name from the See also:town of Lucerne, which is situated at its See also:west end, just where the See also:Reuss issues from the lake, after having entered it at Fluelen at the See also:east end and so practically formed it; the Muota enters the lake at Brunnen (See also:northern See also:shore) and the two See also:mountain streams called the See also:Engelberg and the See also:Sarnen Aa at Buochs and Alpnachstad respectively (S.). The lake is generally supposed to be, on the whole, the most beautiful in Switzerland. This is partly due to the steep See also:limestone mountains between which it lies, the best known being the Rigi (5906 ft.) to the N., and See also:Pilatus (6995 ft.) to the S.W., and to the See also:great promontories that thrust themselves into its See also:waters, such as those of Horw (S.), of Burgenstock (S.), of Meggenhorn (N.) and of Seelisberg (S.), and partly constitution See also:dates in its See also:main features from 1875. The legislature or Grossrath consists of members elected in 55 electoral circles, in the proportion of r to every r000 souls (or fraction over 500) of the Swiss See also:population, and lasts for 4 years. On the 4th of See also:April 1909 proportional See also:representation was adopted for elections of members of the Grossrath. Since 1905 the executive of 7 members is elected by a popular See also:vote for 4 years, as are the 2 members of the federal Standerath and the 7 members of the federal Nationalrath. Five thousand citizens can demand a facultative See also:referendum as to all legislative projects and important See also:financial decrees, or as to the revision of the cantonal constitution, while the same number can also revoke the See also:mandate of the cantonal legislature before its proper term of See also:office has ended, though this revocation does not affect the executive. Four thousand citizens have the right of " initiative " as to constitutional amendments or legislative projects. The See also:canton is composed of the various districts which the town acquired, the dates being those at which the particular region was finally secured—Weggis (1380), Rothenburg, Kriens, Horw, See also:Sempach and Hochdorf (all in 1394), Wolhusen and the Entlebuch (1405), the so-called " Habsburger region " to the N.E. of the town of Lucerne (1406), Willisau (1407), Sursee and Beromunster (1415), Malters (1477) and Littau (1481), while in 1803, in See also:exchange for Hitzkirch, Merenschwand (held since 1397) was given up. (W.

A. B.

End of Article: LUCERNE, LAKE OF

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
LUCERNE (Ger. Luzern; Ital. Lucerne) 		[next]
LUCERNE, PURPLE MEDICK

Site © 2006 - Net Industries