Sursee offers a variety of cultural themes: architectural history from the late Middle Ages to the 17th century, collections on Capuchin history and a city theatre with a changing programme. The Old Town is ideal for a cultural walk of about an hour. When planning your trip, it helps to distinguish between historical themes and events with fixed or seasonal dates.
Old Town and Architectural History
The Late Gothic market and town hall was built from 1539 to 1546. The St. Martin ossuary chapel was built from 1495 to 1497 and is now used as a chapel space. Sursee’s present-day parish church was built from 1638 to 1641. These dates place three different buildings in context: the town hall, chapel and parish church represent building periods from the late 15th to the 17th century. If you are interested in historic architecture, you can use the dates as a guide and bear in mind the different functions of the buildings.
The Sure stream flows openly through the town’s historic centre. Together with the cultural walk of about an hour, this makes for a manageable itinerary when planning to focus on the Old Town during your stay.
Museums, Theatre and Tradition
The Sankturbanhof is used by the Sankturbanhof Foundation as a museum and cultural centre. The Swiss Capuchin Museum has a different focus: it presents the life and history of the Capuchins. Several thousand objects from across Switzerland have been brought together for the museum, including paintings, sculptures, photographs and books. The variety of objects offers different ways to explore the subject. Guided tours at the Swiss Capuchin Museum are available for groups by prior arrangement with the monastery caretaker.
The Sursee City Theatre’s annual cultural programme includes regular film screenings, drama, comedy, dance, concerts and original musical productions. The Sursee Music and Theatre Society was founded on 14 December 1800 and has continued uninterrupted ever since. For a specific stay, however, you should check the current programme, as individual events change.
The Gansabhauet also marks a recurring date in the annual calendar: it was reintroduced in 1864 and has taken place every year in front of Sursee Town Hall ever since. If you are choosing this tradition as a reason for your trip, take the event date into account when planning.
Seasonal Train Ride and Prehistoric Site
The Sursee-Triengen Railway offers steam train rides on the route between Sursee and Triengen. The operating days are seasonal, so check in advance whether a ride falls within your travel dates.
Another cultural and historical focus reaches back to prehistoric times. The prehistoric pile dwelling settlement at Halbinsel is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps”. The site was settled several times during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. At Zellmoos within the site, the lowest archaeological layer dates from the Cortaillod culture; several layers from the Late Bronze Age lie above it. Excavations at Bronze Age sites uncovered several houses with clay floors, as well as ceramic, bronze, bone, stone and flint objects. These finds also make the site interesting for travellers with a particular interest in early settlement history and archaeological traces.
Discover more destinations: Wolhusen, Winikon, Neudorf, Neuenkirch, Hildisrieden, BeromĂĽnster, Nottwil, Grosswangen
For the overview of the wider area: Sursee.
