Kriens tower nearly sells out despite multimillion-franc prices

The Pilatus Tower in Kriens is almost fully sold despite high prices, with 156 of its 167 condominiums already purchased and all rental apartments taken, SRF reports.

A three-and-a-half-room apartment on the 34th floor, more than 100 metres above ground, costs between 3 million and 3.5 million Swiss francs. Halter development manager Andreas Campi said the spacious apartment was in a high price bracket for central Switzerland. Rents for three-and-a-half-room apartments range from 2,700 to 3,500 francs a month, depending on the floor and the view.

The 113-metre tower has 36 floors and is the tallest building in central Switzerland. The top five floors are marketed as the “Skylevel”.

Pia Engler, president of the Social Democratic Party in the canton of Lucerne, said the apartments were not the affordable housing her party had been calling for. She also warned that attracting wealthy residents could push up rents nearby, as she said had happened in other cities such as Zug.

Vacant apartments are scarce in Kriens: in June 2026, the vacancy rate was 0.41 per cent. Across the canton of Lucerne, it was 0.7 per cent.

Engler also fears the wider Mattenhof development, which includes the tower, could become lifeless because of high rents. Construction is under way or has taken place on six sites around the tower. Over the next 10 to 15 years, the development is expected to create a new urban district for around 20,000 people.

Kriens mayor Christine Kaufmann, a Centre Party politician, supports the project. She said many apartments were aimed at newcomers seeking higher-end housing, while other neighbourhoods in the city offered more affordable homes.