History

The building was constructed in 1893 by the renowned Swiss architect Paul Segesser as a “residential and commercial palazzo for the businessman Wilhelm Weingartner”.

The property is located in Lucerne’s popular Hofquartier, the district that formed the old main route to Zurich and which was still sparsely populated in the early 19thcentury. The street construction only began in the 1870s as a response to growing tourism and the expansion of trade in the northeast of Switzerland. The first plan in 1865 was the basis for the development of the district, and large and stately residential and commercial buildings were created alongside high-class hotels, museums and the lake promenade. The opening of the Gletschergarten (glacier garden) in 1873 and the Bourbarki Panorama in 1881 as tourist attractions were also built in the early days of this district. Today the Hofquartier remains a central feature of the Lucerne cityscape and a magnet for visitors.

The architect of Löwenstrasse 11, Paul Segesser, was born in Lucerne in 1847, and studied architecture at the ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) in Zurich. Numerous members of the Segesser family became famous architects in the Lucerne region, including the builders of the Hotel Schweizerhof and the Hotel National.

Paul Segesser’s works include the hotel at Pilatus-Kulm and, as President of the municipal building commission for many years, he made an enormous contribution to the city.

Development plan 1865