Sempach

On 9 July 1386, the Swiss Confederates faced Duke Leopold III of Austria at Meiersholz near Sempach. The Austrian knights had dismounted and formed a dense wall of pikes that the Swiss could not break. According to legend, Arnold von Winkelried of Nidwalden cried 'I will open a passage into the line; protect, dear countrymen and confederates, my wife and children!' and threw himself onto the Austrian pikes, gathering as many lance points into his body as he could. His sacrifice opened a breach through which the Swiss halberdiers poured, winning the battle. Duke Leopold III was killed along with 676 Austrian dead. The name Winkelried first appears in 16th-century sources; his historicity remains debated but plausible.

At the Battle of Sempach on 9 July 1386, Duke Leopold III of Austria assembled roughly 4,000 men including heavily armored knights against about 1,500 Swiss infantry. The terrain was unsuitable for mounted combat, so the Austrian knights dismounted. According to chroniclers, they had to cut off the long tips of their poulaines -- fashionable pointed shoes with absurdly elongated toes -- because the extended tips hindered movement on foot. Despite this adaptation, the Austrians were defeated and the duke was killed, along with a margrave, 3 counts, 5 barons, 7 bannerets, and 63 knights.

The Sempacher Gedenkfeier (Battle Commemoration) is one of Switzerland's oldest continuous civic traditions, held annually since the late 15th century. The day begins at 8:45 AM with the Morgenbrot (morning bread): women in medieval dress distribute roughly 1,100 bags containing bread, cheese, butter, and jam -- echoing the tradition that the Confederates ate their morning meal in the Meiersholz forest before the battle on 9 July 1386. A ceremonial procession of warriors, flag bearers, and musicians marches through the town, followed by an ecumenical service in St. Stefan church. Each year, a different canton is invited as guest canton.

The Swiss Ornithological Institute (Vogelwarte Sempach) was founded on 6 April 1924 by Alfred Schifferli Sr., a local accountant and passionate amateur ornithologist who had been observing birds in the region since 1902. It grew from a one-man volunteer operation into an internationally recognized research center with over 130 employees and more than 2,000 volunteers, ringing over 110,000 birds annually from more than 170 species. In 2015, a striking visitor center designed by architecture firm :mlzd opened on the lakeshore -- Switzerland's first three-story rammed-earth building. Lake Sempach and its reed beds are an important habitat for waterbirds.

The Schlachtkapelle (Battle Chapel) near Sempach was originally built by the Habsburgs to mourn their dead after the battle. A memorial was erected one year after the 1386 battle at the spot where Duke Leopold III was killed. The chapel was built in 1472/73 and renovated multiple times. In the mid-16th century, a prominent battle fresco was painted on the interior walls. In 1594, an ossuary was built to preserve bones recovered from the battlefield. After Sempach came under Lucerne's control in 1415, the chapel became a Swiss place of worship. It sits along the Sempach-Hildisrieden road on the actual battlefield, surrounded by three stone crosses.

The Luzernertor (Lucerne Gate) is Sempach's most recognizable landmark -- a medieval gate tower with a striking pointed spire that dominates the southern view of the old town. The original stone gatehouse was built in the 13th century, standing about 7.5 meters high. In the first half of the 17th century, the roof was replaced with the current pyramidal tower design and a town clock was installed. In 1911, painter Seraphin Weingartner added a fresco to the gate's facade. The gate was originally reached by a bridge over the town moat -- the southern entrance to the walled Habsburg town founded in the 13th century.

Lake Sempach (Sempachersee) has a surface area of 14.5 km2 and a maximum depth of 87 meters, formed by the retreating Reuss Glacier about 12,000 years ago. A small 50-meter island called Gamma Insel sits in the lake east of Sursee -- the lake's only island. In 1806, the lake level was artificially lowered by about 1.7 meters, severing Sempach's direct connection to the shore. The town was originally founded by the Habsburgs in the 13th century to control the lakeshore and the Gotthard route. The medieval Hexenturm (Witches' Tower) and the Kirchbuhl church of St. Martin, with frescoes dating from around 1300, are among the town's most important historic sites.

The Swiss Ornithological Institute was founded on 6 April 1924 by Alfred Schifferli Sr., a local accountant and passionate amateur ornithologist who had been observing birds near Sempach since 1902. It began as a modest bird ringing station with an observation tower. Schifferli was known for his dedication to bird study over more than two decades before the institute was formally established. The institute has grown into an internationally recognized research center with over 130 employees and more than 2,000 volunteers. It is unique in being a private foundation -- in most other countries, national ornithological institutes are state-run.