The former medieval fortification, the northern city wall of Musegg, is one of the symbols of the city of Lucerne. Lucerne's city fortifications were first mentioned in documents from 1226 and 1238, but they referred to an inner ring of walls surrounding the city. Scholars believe that the construction of the Musegg wall began in 1370. Work continued intermittently until 1442, when the Tsit Tower was built, which in 1535 received an original decoration - a large clock, which also shows a slightly different time than all the other dials in the city. The clock on the Cit Tower is one minute faster than the clock on the Town Hall.
Between 1833 and 1856, part of the city wall was dismantled because it prevented the city from growing. In addition, the city council of the time felt that Lucerne looked much better without the nine-metre high walls that bound it. The Musegg Wall, except for its eastern 40-metre-long section, has survived to this day because it bounded the city from the north, where no new quarters or roads were to be built. Behind the wall you can still see a field belonging to a farmer.
The Muzuegg wall is 870 metres long and 1.5 metres thick. Nowadays you can walk along it and enjoy the panorama of Lucerne. A wooden staircase leads to the top. Only 3 towers out of 9 are open for inspection: the already mentioned Clock Tower (Zit), Schirmer and Manley. It should be said that each tower has a "speaking" name. For example, the Shirmer tower, whose name means "Protective", was used for observation of the neighbourhood, the Pulver (Powder) tower was used for storing gunpowder and ammunition, etc.
