The small town of Sursee with its beautifully preserved old town was awarded the Swiss Heritage Protection Society’s Wakker Prize in 2003. Sursee’s location on the bank of the Sempachersee adds to its appeal. The <> is a well known town custom.

Sursee (Sorsi in local dialect) is situated at the north-western end of the Sempachersee and has a picturesque old town that has remained largely intact despite the several fires in its history. Worth seeing is the late-Gothic Rathaus, or town and market hall, built between 1539 and 1546. It is not only a proud landmark of the small town but also one of the grandest town halls of the late-Gothic architectural style.

The only preserved pillory in Switzerland can be found at the southern corner of the Rathaus, a vestige of the medieval judicial system. The thief and witch tower also recalls medieval justice: in the 16th and 17th centuries, no fewer than 34 women were convicted of witchcraft and burned at the stake here.

Further buildings of interest are the Haus Beck with intricate stone-masonry on its Renaissance façade and the Basel and Untertor gates as remains of the town fortifications. The parish church of St. Georg contains ecclesiastical treasures and the former Capuchin monastery which is now a museum of the order’s history in Switzerland lies on the road to Aarau.

Duke Leopold III of Austria rested with his army at the St. Urbanhof, erstwhile seat of the St. Urban Cistercian Monastery, on the evening before the 1386 battle at Sempach in which his army was subjected to a crushing defeat at the hands of the Swiss Confederates. At the end of town in the direction of Beromünster lies the pilgrimage site and chapel of Mariazell with its richly painted 17th century ceiling and spectacular views of the lake and Alps.

The shores of the Sempachersee are in many parts a nature reserve or privately owned land and therefore not easily accessible. Sursee has a lido in an idyllic location with views of the Alps and a large lawn area with trees that provide plentiful shade on hot days. Calida, the Swiss producer of lingerie and sleepwear, has a factory outlet at Sursee, a popular shopping destination for bargain hunters.

Highlights

• Sursee Old Town - Wakker Prize awarded old town with late-Gothic town hall with the last surviving pillory in Switzerland.
• Sursee Triengen Bahn – nine kilometre long normal-gauge railway that was never electrified and runs nostalgic steam compositions for groups through the Lucerne Surental valley.
• Mauensee – small lake of just half a square kilometre area with romantic lakeside castle in the immediate vicinity of Sursee.