Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Ringtones to replace church bells in Lucerne

Art students Klarissa Flückiger and Mahtola Wittmer in bell tower
Art students Klarissa Flückiger and Mahtola Wittmer installed a mixing desk in the bell tower to relay ringtones. © KEYSTONE / ALEXANDRA WEY

Mobile phone ringtones will temporarily replace the tolling of bells at St Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne. This is part of an art project that lasts until July 30. 

On Monday, a mixing desk was installed in the bell tower of the chapel, located next to the Chapel Bridge, one of Lucerne’s most popular tourist attractions. A loudspeaker near the bells will blast mobile phone ringtones at the whim of the artists involved in the project. 

The original bells have been out of action for the past few months due to renovation work in the chapel. 

The Catholic Church in Lucerne had decided to involve art students from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences in the renovation of the chapel. The idea of replacing the pealing of bells with mobile phone rings began as a joke but the project eventually became a reality. 

The two art students behind the idea will decide when and how long the mobile phone rings sound. However, no ringing is allowed at night. St Peter’s Chapel is the oldest church in Lucerne. It has been renovated and transformed many times but the exact date of construction is not known. The oldest document referring to the chapel dates from 1178.

More


News

Two Rothornbahn gondolas cross each other on Lenzerheide on Friday, April 3, 2009.

More

Swiss cable car activity rose in winter 2023-2024

This content was published on In the winter season up to April 2024, railway and cable car operators ferried 3% more visitors compared to the previous winter, and 5% more than the five-year average.

Read more: Swiss cable car activity rose in winter 2023-2024
flooding Rhine

More

Rhine flooding: Swiss to invest CHF1 billion with Austria

This content was published on As part of an international agreement with Austria, the Swiss government wants to pump CHF1 billion ($1.1 billion) into flood protection measures along the Rhine over the next three decades.

Read more: Rhine flooding: Swiss to invest CHF1 billion with Austria

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR