Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland, with a population of some 364,500 in the city
proper and close to 1 million in the greater metropolitan area. Zurich is on Lake Zurich,
where the lake meets the Limmat River, in the north of Switzerland. It will be one of the
eight host cities in the 2008 European Football Championships.
The city is Switzerland's main commercial and cultural centre (the political capital of
Switzerland being Bern), and is widely considered to be one of the world's global cities.
According to several surveys in 2006 and 2007, Zürich was named the city with the "best
quality of life" in the world.
The earliest known form of the city's name is Turīcum, attested on a tombstone of the late
2nd century AD in the form STA(tio) TURICEN(sis) ("taxation post of Turīcum"). Neither the
name's linguistic origin (most likely Rhaetic or Celtic) nor its meaning can be determined
with certainty; it is generally considered a derivation from a personal name Turo(s), i.e.
"Turo's place". A first development towards its later, Germanic form is attested as early as
the 6th century AD with the form Ziurichi. From the 10th century onward, the name has
more or less clearly been established as Zürich (963 Zürihc). Note that in modern Zürich
dialect, the name has lost its final ch [x]
In Roman times, Turicum was a tax-collecting point at the border of Gallia Belgica (from
AD 90 Germania superior) and Raetia for goods trafficked on the Limmat river. A
Carolingian castle, built on the site of the Roman castle by the grandson of
Charlemagne, Louis the German, is mentioned in 835 ("in castro Turicino iuxta fluvium
Lindemaci"). Louis also founded the Fraumünster abbey in 853 for his daughter
Hildegard. He endowed the Benedictine convent with the lands of Zürich, Uri, and the
Albis forest, and granted the convent immunity, placing it under his direct authority.
In 1045 , King Henry III granted the convent the right to hold markets, collect tolls, and
mint coins, and thus effectively made the abbess the ruler of the city.
Zürich became reichsunmittelbar in 1218 with the extinction of the main line of the
Zähringer family. A city wall was built during the 1230s, enclosing 38 hectares.
Emperor Frederick II promoted the abbess of the Fraumünster to the rank of a duchess in
1234 . The abbess assigned the mayor, and she frequently delegated the minting of
coins to citizens of the city. However, the political power of the convent slowly waned in the
14th century, beginning with the establishment of the Zunftordnung (guild laws) in 1336
by Rudolf Brun, who also became the first independent mayor, i.e. not assigned by the
abbess.
The famous illuminated manuscript known as The Manesse Codex, now in Heidelberg -
described as "the most beautifully illumined German manuscript in centuries;" - was
commissioned by the Manesse family of Zürich, copied and illustrated in the city at some
time between 1304 and 1340. Producing such a work was a highly expensive prestige
project, requiring several years work by highly skilled scribes [5] and miniature painters,
and it clearly testifies to the increasing wealth and pride of Zürich citizens in this period.
Zürich joined the Swiss confederation (which at that time was a loose confederation of de
facto independent states) as the fifth member in 1351 but was expelled in 1440 due to a
war with the other member states over the territory of Toggenburg (the Old Zürich War).
Zürich was defeated in 1446, and re-admitted to the confederation in 1450.
Zwingli started the Swiss Reformation at the time when he was the main preacher in
Zürich. He lived there from 1484 until his death in 1531.
In 1839 , the city had to yield to the demands of its urban subjects, following the
Züriputsch of 6 September. Most of the ramparts built in the 17th century were torn down,
without ever having been besieged, to allay rural concerns over the city's hegemony. The
Treaty of Zurich between Austria, France, and Sardinia was signed in 1859 .
GENERAL INFORMATION
Country Switzerland
Canton Zürich
District Zürich
Population 371,767 (March 2007)
Density 4,046 /km² (1,562 /sq.mi.)
Area 91.88 km² (35.5 sq mi)
Elevation 408 m (1,339 ft)
PLACE TO VISIT
Grossmünster - Zwingliplatz, old Romanesque church, symbol of reformed Zurich,
where reformer Huldrych Zwingli was appointed the people's priest in 1519. For 2 CHF
you can climb one of the towers for amazing views over the city
Fraumünster - (our lady's minster) first church built before 874; the Romanesque
choir dates from 1250-70; Marc Chagall stained glass choir windows; (on the opposite
side of the Limmat). During 2004 the Fraumünster was fully renovated. During this period
the installed scaffolding went above the tip of the tower allowing a unique and exceptional
360° panoramic view of Zürich.
Landesmuseum - also open on most public holidays including those on Mondays.
The biggest Swiss history museum. You can also learn about the various traditions of the
cantons comprising Switzerland. It's currently undergoing major refurbishment works
until 2009 though many exhibitions are still open.
Kunsthaus - One of the major Swiss art museums. Its specialities are modern
sculpturer Giacometti and the surrealist 18th Century painter Fuesli, both Swiss.
Schanzengraben - a small canal that used to be part of the city fortifications
between Limmat and Sihl: From the main station, go to Gessnerallee, find the stairways
down to the tiny creek, and walk all the way to the lake.
Rietberg Museum - One of Europe's best collections of Asian art (mainly Indian
drawings).
Langstrasse - Red light district of Zürich, with more drug dealers and police than
usual, but interesting because even this most notorious spot in Switzerland is so clean
and safe. Expect some lewd comments when walking alone at night as a woman. This
busy night-life street is crowded by pubs and bars and you can find there about 10 strip
clubs.
Lake Promenade - Especially during summer a beautiful place to spend the
evening or the weekends. Starting from Bellevue, the boardwalk goes for about three
kilometers along the lake towards Tiefenbrunnen. About halfway there is a meadow
where you will find thousands of people on a sunny day.
Chinese Garden - This small but beautiful Chinese garden was offered to the city
of Zurich by the Chinese city of Kunming as symbol of gratitude after Zurich helped the
Kunming with technical knowledge.
Le Corbusier House - Near the Chinese Garden. A beautiful modern villa planned
by the famous Swiss architect.
Lindenhof - The hill in the heart of the old town. A beautiful view of the city.
Bahnhofstrasse - One of the busiest and best known shopping streets in the
world. Highly refined. Certainly a must-see for every tourist in Zurich.
Red Factory - An old silk factory converted to a center of youth culture and art at the
80's. The Red Factory became one of the most exciting parts of cultural life.
Cabaret Voltaire - was the name of a nightclub in Zürich, Switzerland. It was
founded by Hugo Ball, with his companion Emmy Hennings on February 5, 1916 as a
cabaret for artistic and political purposes. Other founding members were Marcel Janco,
Richard Huelsenbeck, Tristan Tzara and Jean Arp. Events at the cabaret proved pivotal in
the founding of the anarchic art movement known as Dada.
WHAT TO DO
Take the Polybahn, a 19th century funicular, up the steep hill for a fine view. Starts at
tram station Central and goes up to the ETH. Zone 10 ZVV ticket is valid. Nice terrace up
there. During the week, the student cafeteria below the terrace is also open to the public.
Go skiing by train - buy a snow'n'rail ticket (train & skipass) at the Hauptbahnhof during
winter months, train out in morning, back in evening. Flumserberg is the closest large ski-
resort, popular with people from Zurich, with a good range of runs for beginners and
experts.
Take a trip on the Zürichsee with one of the two old steam ships. There are a few
different routes you can choose from, which will vary mainly in the distance. Or rent a
small rowboat.
Go up Uetliberg, a hill overlooking Zurich. You can hike up, or take a train from the
main station. Enjoy the 360 degree view from a tall viewing tower (not for vertigo
suferrers!). This is also the start of the planetenweg (planetary walk), an 8 mile walk
along the ridge with models of the planets along the way. These are scaled down in true
porportion to the solar system. To look at Zürich from the other hills, go to the Irchel (Tram
station Milchbuck) or Käferberg (Bucheggplatz, walk up the hill and keep left of the forest).
Go club-hopping Zürich has proportionately the largest number of clubs per capita
in Europe. Pick up a free copy of the 20 Minuten (20 minutes) paper and start exploring.
Go for a bike ride You can get free bikes, skates or other fun transport at several
stops throughout town. Beware though that biking within the city is only for the
experienced, as trams and buses frequent the roads and tram tracks are a serious
hazard to inexperienced cyclists.
Explore the full and vast selection of foods and condiments available at any Swiss
supermarket, heavily influenced by cultures of all the countries around Switzerland.
Migros is everywhere and cheap for Swiss standards; Coop is slightly more expensive
but has a greater selection of high quality foods; Globus at Lowenplatz has a more
upscale supermarket in the basement which is worth at least a look at.
Streetparade - Currently the biggest open air techno rave in Europe. It happens one
day each year on the second Saturday of August, during which trucks which function as
mobile soundsystems ("Love mobiles") start driving along the lake side, starting from the
east at Utoquai and ending at the west at Hafen Enge. Every year this event attracts nearly
a million visitors who dance in the streets to the music which you can hear from
anywhere in the city. After the Streetparade the party doesn't stop, there are open air
parties along the route until midnight and club parties at various locations in town until
late the next day, to keep the party going. Don't be surprised if the city isn't so clean the
next day.
Swiss national day - on August 1st. Celebrations are carried out in many cities in
the evenings and fireworks are launched at night. Watch them over the lake, or if you're
experienced with safely launching fireworks yourself, you can buy them in the days
leading up to the national holiday and have fun. The display over the Rheinfall, one hour
away by S-Bahn, is also extremely popular.
Zuri Fascht - a triennial public festival featuring music, fireworks, and other
attractions throughout the old town. It is the largest public festival in Switzerland, attended
by up to 2 million visitors. The next Zürifäscht is scheduled for July 2 to 4, 2010
HOW TO REACH
By plane - Zurich Airport is Switzerland's largest and busiest airport, run with Swiss
efficiency. It is actually in the community of Kloten, 12 minutes by train to central Zurich,
about every 10-15 minutes. Several bus lines connect at the airport and provide access to
the Winterthur region. Most major airlines fly to Zurich but SWISS is still the Swiss
flagcarrier and covers the biggest part of the international traffic at the airport. Almost
every large hotel in Zurich provides bus service (shuttle buses) from airport to your hotel.
The stops for these buses are a short walk to the right from Terminal 1 arrivals. Easy Jet
resumed its flights to Zurich on 18 September 2007 after a three year absence.
By train - Regular trains to and from other Swiss and European cities leave from and
arrive at the Hauptbahnhof (main train station), conveniently located in the city centre at
the end of Bahnhofstrasse, with easy access to mass transit. The Zurich Hauptbahnhof
(HB) is served by the local S-Bahn commuter trains, InterCity (IC and ICN) connections
throughout Switzerland, Italy's Cisalpino , Germany's ICE, France's TGV , and various
other direct night train services to/from as far as Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Lecce,
Barcelona, Budapest, and Beograd. A rail pass may make your trip more inexpensive. For
more long-distance international journeys, visit Seat61 for more information.
The train station and the connecting underground mall has shops, restaurants, and a
grocery store which locals use when they need to do Sunday shopping, as it is not
subject to the closing hours laws otherwise in force in the city.
By car - Almost every highway leads straight into Zurich. This might be quite easy for
tourists, but is also really painful if you have to cross Zurich on a daily basis.
By bus - The main bus station is just next to the main train station, where the river Sihl
is flowing into the river Limmat. Many busses from and to other European cities, mainly
southern destinations like former Yugoslavia or Spain.
By boat - As Zurich is located at the end of lake Zurich, it can be reached by boat from
other lake villages, e.g. Rapperswil at the upper end of the lake.
