Zurich Travel Guide

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City Introduction

The metropolis of Zurich is cozy, elegant and a magnificent place for visitors to come with the beautiful natural surroundings all around the city. The center of Zurich is good starting point with its many sights, monuments, squares and the lovely maze of medieval streets.

Zurich has several interesting churches with the Großmünster Cathedral, St. Peter with the large clock and Fraumünster with Marc Chagall’s glass works at the forefront. There are also a large number of museums to enjoy, with everything from Swiss watches to toys and international art.

There is plenty of shopping in Zurich. The Bahnhofstraße main street and the many narrow streets and alleys in the neighborhoods around the central Limmat River are excellent places to hunt for good finds. You also find a nice choice of cafés and restaurants in this part of town.

When it comes to nature, Lake Zurich is an obvious excursion destination. From Bürkli Platz there are many choices of boat trips, all of which give a good view of the city skyline with the church towers as well as to the surrounding hills and mountains. The Alps stand as a backdrop on the horizon to the south with the many beautiful peaks.

Both the Alps and Zurich can also be admired in clear weather from the tower at Uetliberg or after a cable car ride to the top of Felsenegg; both at a short distance from the center of Zurich. A day trip can also go to equally beautifully located cities like Lucerne and to Winterthur with nice museums and architecture.

Top Attractions

Grossmünster, Zürich

  • Großmünster: Großmünster is a Romanesque-style Protestant cathedral. Today’s church building is constructed from around 1100, and it was consecrated around 1220. In the 16th century, Huldrych Zwingli preached in the church, whose twin tower is a famous silhouette in the Zurich skyline.
  • Swiss National Museum/Nationalmuseum Schweiz: The Swiss National Museum is beautifully situated next to the main train station between the two rivers Sihl and Limmat. The museum was built in 1898 in a historicist style. Here you can see the country’s largest collection of Swiss cultural history.

Polybahn, Zürich

  • Polybahn: The Polybahn funicular railway is a transport link that since 1889 has linked the central area around ​​the Limmat River and the main train station of Zurich with the high-lying streets to the east. The ride and the course itself is an enjoyable experience just like the view from the top.
  • Museum Rietberg: This museum exhibits a distinguished collection of primarily African, American and Asian art objects. The museum is worth seeing, and it is nicely located in the green area, Rieterpark.

Heidi Weber Haus, Zürich

  • Heidi Weber House/Heidi Weber Haus: The world-renowned architect Le Corbusier’s last work and the only one in his home country is Heidi Weber Haus, which was completed in 1967; two years after the architect’s death.

Other Attractions

Bahnhofstrasse, Zürich

  • Bahnhofstraße: Bahnhofstraße street is Zurich’s main shopping street. It runs between Bahnhofplatz square to the north and Bürkli Platz to the south, and you can enjoy shops, restaurants and many sights along the street.
  • Water Church/Wasserkirche: Wasserkirche was built in the middle of the 13th century; however, the first church on the site is believed to be from the 9th century. The church was located on an island in River Limmat until 1839, and through time the structure has been used as a library and a warehouse before becoming a church again in the 1900s.

City Hall, Zürich

  • Zurich City Hall/Zurich Rathaus: Zurich’s fine city hall building was literally built on the Limmat River itself, and it is still possible to sail under the house. You can see Zurich’s two golden lions as part of the decoration of the building.
  • Zürich Art Museum/Kunsthaus Zürich: This art museum houses one of Switzerland’s and Europe’s leading art collections. There are works by countless artists, and here you can see the largest Edvard Munch collection outside Norway and much more.

St Peter's Church, Zürich

  • St Peter’s Church/Kirch Sankt Peter: This church is Zurich’s oldest parish church with a history dating back to the 700-800s. The church is known for its large tower clock, which is easily recognizable from a long distance.
  • Schipfe: The street named Schipfe is located along the west bank of the river Limmat below Lindenhof. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Zurich, and you will find a cozy atmosphere in the streets here.

Polyterrasse, Zürich

  • Poly Terrace/Polyterrasse: Polyterrasse is a viewing terrace which is elevated above the city with a lovely view to Zurich’s Old Town. Polyterrasse is easiest reached from the center by the Polybahn funicular railway. From the terrace there is a nice view of the city, and in the area there are several sights such as the city university and the technical college.
  • Urania-Sternwarte: The 51-meter/167-feet-high Urania-Sternwarte was built in 1907 as an observatory. There is a telescope with 600 times magnification here, and there is a nice view of Zürich and to the sky from the tower.

Chinagarten, Zürich

  • Chinese Garden/Chinagarten: In 1993, the Chinese Garden opened at Zurichhorn. It was a gift from the Chinese friendship city of Kunming. and you can enjoy traditional parts with rocks and a Chinese pavilion in the garden.

Day Trips

Lake Zürich

  • Lake Zürich/Zürichsee: From Bürkli Platz square in central Zurich you can board various excursions on Lake Zurich, which is a beautiful extension of the river Limmat’s run through the city. The mountains are on the horizon and there are many cozy towns along the shores of the lake.
  • Felsenegg: Felsenegg is an 804 meter/2,638 feet high mountain southwest of Zurich. You come to the top with the cable car Luftseilbahn Adliswil-Felsenegg. and from the top there is a fine view of the valley Sihltal and Lake Zurich to the east, and to the south are the snow-capped peaks of the Alps.

Uetliberg, Zürich

  • Uetliberg: Uetliberg is an 873 meter/2,864 feet high mountain located immediately southwest of Zurich. It is easy to reach from Zurich with the Uetlibergbahn. From the top there is a magnificent view of both the Swiss city of Zürich and the countryside around Lake Zurich.
  • Winterthur: The town of Winterthur is a fine excursion destination from Zurich. The cozy center of the city is dominated by fine and long streets and the neighborhood around the church Stadtkirche Winterthur. At Kunstmuseum Winterthur you can see works by i.a. van Gogh, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Vasily Kandinsky and Paul Klee.

Schaffhausen, Switzerland

  • Schaffhausen: The town of Schaffhausen is located on the Rhine River and it was founded as a transhipment site for transports to pass the nearby waterfall, Rheinfall. Schaffhausen’s old town is well preserved, and you should of course also see the Rheinfall, which is an impressive experience in the forces of nature. 
  • Baden: Over the past 2000 years, the city of Baden has been known for the hot thermal baths that the Romans started to build. You can visit several interesting museums, see the castle ruins of Festung Stein or just take a walk in the cozy town.

Shopping

  • Globus, Schweizergasse 11 / Theaterstraße 12, www.globus.ch
  • Jelmoli, Seidengasse 1, www.jelmoli.ch
  • Manor, Bahnhofstraße 75, www.manor.ch
  • Shopping streets: Bahnhofstraße, Langstrasse, Löwenstraße, Storchengasse, Strehlgasse

With Kids

Practical Links

City History

The foundations
Remains of habitation have been found around Lake Zurich from the younger Stone Age and the Bronze Age. La Tène culture was also represented before the Celtic Hellies came into being. The Helvetias had settled most of the present Swiss territory, and at the northern tip of Lake Zurich, their settlement lay on the Lindenhof.

The Romans came to the place where they established the Turicum customs station for goods to and from Italy. The area belonged to the province of Germania Superior from the year 90, and after Emperor Constantine’s reform of the empire’s borders in 318, the border between Gaul and Italy was laid immediately east of Turicum, where the garrison was located and where, among other things, there was a Jupiter temple.

Christianity came to Turicum in the 20th century with the later martyrs of the city, Felix and Regula, who deserted from the Roman army and, according to legend, were executed in 286 at the site of the church of Wasserkirche.

The West Germanic Alemane tribe settled in the region from the 400s, while the castle of Turicum remained in place until the 600s. In the 600s, the settlement was also mentioned for the first time with a Germanic name, Ziurichi, which was reproduced by a geographer from Ravenna. The general manager of the time Uotila, by the way, gave his name to today’s Üetliberg.

The city grows and trades
From 746 the Alemans in Zurich came to the French Empire as the province of Alemannia. A new castle later replaced the old defenses of the Romans, and the city was expanded; among others with the Abbey of Fraumünster in 835. In the year 870, the Frankish kings placed the exercise of their power in Zurich with a bailiff. The city was further strengthened by the establishment of a city wall in the 9th century.

The oldest known coins of the city date from 972, and in 1045 the German-Roman emperor Henrik III Fraumünster granted the rights to hold markets, strike coins and levy taxes. With it, the monastery became an important factor for the development of the city.

In the 1000-1100s, the merchants, primarily dealing in textile products based on wool and silk, created a particularly thriving economy. Wealth meant a beginning of progress for the urban development itself, and when the form of government with a bailiff disappeared with the last of the family of von Zähringen’s death in 1218, it meant that Zurich became a sanctuary in the German-Roman Empire in 1218.

The city expanded, and in the 1230s a city wall was built around the city’s then 38 hectare area. The moat was along the later Bahnhofstraße.

Change of Power
In 1234, Emperor Friedrich II made Fraumüster’s abbess into the duchess with the right to appoint the mayor of Zurich, thus topping the power of the monastery. After this time, the various layers of the city gained greater power through their economic development of the city, and in 1336 the mayor of Zurich, Rudolf Brun, decided that the layers should take over the city. They partially retained power until the 19th century, and with the abolition of monasteries in connection with the Reformation in the 16th century, this power factor was gone.

With the new form of government, Rudolf Brun became the first mayor who was not appointed by the monastery. Later, he was appointed by the new city council as mayor for life, which brought the city into opposition to parts of the Austrian Habsburgs. As a consequence, in 1351 Zurich became the fifth member of the Swiss Federation. The membership formed the backdrop of Zurich’s status as a cultural and intellectual center for a larger area rather than simply developing as an urban state.

In the mid-1400s, Zurich fought with the other states in the Confederation over the territory of Toggenburg, which caused the city to be thrown out in 1440 to be re-elected as a member ten years later. In the latter part of the 15th century, however, Zurich increased its land considerably, as victories over or purchases of Thurgau, Winterthur, Stein am Rhein and Eglisau between 1460 and 1496 meant an increased status in the Confederacy.

As a city, Mayor Hans Waldmann’s ambition was to make Zurich a significant center, and his reforms also provided growth and a position as the leading state in the Swiss Confederation.

16th century and the Reformation
Zurich’s cultural role for the whole country became evident in the 16th century, where it became the main city of the Swiss movement during the Reformation. The central figure in the country was Zurich’s religious leader, Huldrych Zwingli, who preached at the Großmünster Cathedral from 1519 until his death on the battlefield in 1531.

With the cessation of Catholic services of 1525, Zurich became the meeting place for many intellectuals, and during that time in Großmünster Zwingli also enjoyed considerable political power. The Reformation had brought an international flow to the city. Dissidents from all over Europe now left their cultural mark on the city’s development.

In 1549, Calvinist doctrine was introduced instead of Huldrych’s Zwinglis, and it was the beginning of the recession for the city, which no longer had the same international appeal as before.

In the 16th to 1600s, the city’s self-understanding changed through the government’s more closed politics than before. The extended fortification around the city from 1642 was a manifest example of this, and in 1648 Zurich changed its status from state to republic with Genoa and Venice as role models. At that time, there were about 9,000 residents with privileges and about 170,000 in total in the Republic.

Silk trade and Napoleonic times
The silk was important to the economy of Zurich in the 18th century, and the rival Winthertur was subject to heavy taxes. It came to various revolts, which were forcibly struck down. With the French Revolution, currents came to Switzerland for the introduction of a more liberal form of government.

The new Swiss constitution in 1798 became a turning point. In the new republic, Zurich lost both power and territory; the regions of Aargau, Thurgau and Linth were lost.

During the French Revolutionary Wars, two military battles took place around Zurich in June and September 1799, respectively. Now it was France’s turn to attack and defeat a Russian-Austrian army.

In the years 1803-1814, Zurich, along with five other regions, were cantons, with the federal leadership intervening between the cantons.

In 1814 a new constitution was adopted in the canton. It placed the power of the 10,000 citizens of the city of Zurich at the expense of the roughly 200,000 in rural areas. In the cantonal parliament, city representatives had an absolute majority. In the 1830s this lopsided representation was rectified, and the balance of power tipped in favor of the inhabitants outside Zurich itself.

Capital and expansion in the economy
The 19th century marked the beginning of Zurich’s boom, which was the first massive growth since the 16th century. The old defenses around the city were demolished in the 1830s, and many new streets and neighborhoods were constructed. The time was also the railway as the new mode of transport, and the first railway in Switzerland opened in 1847 and connected Zurich and Baden.

1839-1840 and again in 1845-1846, Zurich enjoyed a federal capital status. Shortly after, in 1848, Bern was chosen as the country’s permanent capital. Bern became the country’s political center, but initiatives by not least the railway magnate and administrator Alfred Escher made Zurich the country’s economic locomotive.

Escher implemented laws and measures that led to strong growth in the financial sector, tourism and production. This was the basis for Zurich’s future and continued status as an international center for banking and other economic activities. In 1877, the Zurich Stock Exchange was established as the most important in Switzerland.

Zurich grew, and in 1893 and again in 1934, part of the area around Zurich was incorporated into the official urban area. In total, these were 19 municipalities that had gradually developed into suburbs.

Zurich in the 20th Century
With Switzerland’s neutrality during the First World War, Zurich became an intellectual sanctuary for refugees and different thinkers; For example, Lenin lived here for a time in 1916 during his preparations for the Russian Revolution.

James Joyce came to the city where he wrote his main work Ulysses, and in 1916 a number of new artists formed the movement “Dada”, which later established the famous Cabaret Voltaire.

The 1920s saw a great period of growth in Zurich, where the city and its suburbs were greatly expanded. During this time, many buildings were erected in modernist architecture. However, the decade ended in economic crisis like so many other places in the world, and Zurich as an industrial city was severely affected by production and the resultant increase in unemployment.

Fascism in Italy and Nazism in Germany, through the 1930s, led many to move from these countries to Switzerland, and many came to Zurich, whose cultural life with new powers became one of the leaders in the German-speaking world. In Zurich itself, there were also Nazis and Communists during this time, but the parties did not get support as in neighboring countries and partly their activities were stopped by legislation.

World War II to this day
Immediately after World War II, through which Zurich and Switzerland were physically graciously escaped, began, among other large public building programs, which initiated a new economic growth. Housing construction and the adoption of the investment in a large airport in the suburb of Kloten were among the most significant investments.

In 1946, the city came on the big political world map as English Winston Churchill held his famous European speech in the University of Zurich’s auditorium. The speech was a vision of a united Europe.

In the following years, Zurich quickly developed into one of the world’s leading financial centers, and today the Zurich Stock Exchange is one of the world’s largest, and the city is among the most important marketplaces for the world’s gold trade. It was several decades of growth that the Swiss metropolis experienced and continues to prosper.

In 1962, the city’s population peaked at 445,000; however, significantly more people live in the metropolitan area, where more than the municipality of Zurich is counted. During this time, plans were made for a fully developed subway, but this was wrecked by the population, and one of only a few built stations is Tierspital, which instead is a stop on the tram network that has been continuously invested in.

Today, the city is very well maintained, and a lot of investment has been invested in maintaining a broad cultural offering. Geographically, the urban area has spread along Lake Zurich and also towards other cantons.

Geolocation

In short

Overview of Zurich

The metropolis of Zurich is cozy, elegant and a magnificent place for visitors to come with the beautiful natural surroundings all around the city. The center of Zurich is good starting point with its many sights, monuments, squares and the lovely maze of medieval streets.

 

Zurich has several interesting churches with the Großmünster Cathedral, St. Peter with the large clock and Fraumünster with Marc Chagall’s glass works at the forefront. There are also a large number of museums to enjoy, with everything from Swiss watches to toys and international art.

 

About the upcoming Zurich travel guide

  • Contents: Tours in the city + tours in the surrounding area
  • Published: Released soon
  • Author: Stig Albeck
  • Publisher: Vamados.com
  • Language: English

 

About the travel guide

The Zurich travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Swiss city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.

 

Zurich is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.

 

Read more about Zurich and Switzerland

 

Buy the travel guide

Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.

 

Use the travel guide

When you buy the travel guide to Zurich you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.

Polybahn • Limmat • Großmünster • Bahnhofstraße • Lake Zürich

Overview of Zurich

The metropolis of Zurich is cozy, elegant and a magnificent place for visitors to come with the beautiful natural surroundings all around the city. The center of Zurich is good starting point with its many sights, monuments, squares and the lovely maze of medieval streets.

 

Zurich has several interesting churches with the Großmünster Cathedral, St. Peter with the large clock and Fraumünster with Marc Chagall’s glass works at the forefront. There are also a large number of museums to enjoy, with everything from Swiss watches to toys and international art.

 

About the upcoming Zurich travel guide

  • Contents: Tours in the city + tours in the surrounding area
  • Published: Released soon
  • Author: Stig Albeck
  • Publisher: Vamados.com
  • Language: English

 

About the travel guide

The Zurich travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Swiss city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.

 

Zurich is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.

 

Read more about Zurich and Switzerland

 

Buy the travel guide

Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.

 

Use the travel guide

When you buy the travel guide to Zurich you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.

Other Attractions

Bahnhofstrasse, Zürich

  • Bahnhofstraße: Bahnhofstraße street is Zurich’s main shopping street. It runs between Bahnhofplatz square to the north and Bürkli Platz to the south, and you can enjoy shops, restaurants and many sights along the street.
  • Water Church/Wasserkirche: Wasserkirche was built in the middle of the 13th century; however, the first church on the site is believed to be from the 9th century. The church was located on an island in River Limmat until 1839, and through time the structure has been used as a library and a warehouse before becoming a church again in the 1900s.

City Hall, Zürich

  • Zurich City Hall/Zurich Rathaus: Zurich’s fine city hall building was literally built on the Limmat River itself, and it is still possible to sail under the house. You can see Zurich’s two golden lions as part of the decoration of the building.
  • Zürich Art Museum/Kunsthaus Zürich: This art museum houses one of Switzerland’s and Europe’s leading art collections. There are works by countless artists, and here you can see the largest Edvard Munch collection outside Norway and much more.

St Peter's Church, Zürich

  • St Peter’s Church/Kirch Sankt Peter: This church is Zurich’s oldest parish church with a history dating back to the 700-800s. The church is known for its large tower clock, which is easily recognizable from a long distance.
  • Schipfe: The street named Schipfe is located along the west bank of the river Limmat below Lindenhof. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Zurich, and you will find a cozy atmosphere in the streets here.

Polyterrasse, Zürich

  • Poly Terrace/Polyterrasse: Polyterrasse is a viewing terrace which is elevated above the city with a lovely view to Zurich’s Old Town. Polyterrasse is easiest reached from the center by the Polybahn funicular railway. From the terrace there is a nice view of the city, and in the area there are several sights such as the city university and the technical college.
  • Urania-Sternwarte: The 51-meter/167-feet-high Urania-Sternwarte was built in 1907 as an observatory. There is a telescope with 600 times magnification here, and there is a nice view of Zürich and to the sky from the tower.

Chinagarten, Zürich

  • Chinese Garden/Chinagarten: In 1993, the Chinese Garden opened at Zurichhorn. It was a gift from the Chinese friendship city of Kunming. and you can enjoy traditional parts with rocks and a Chinese pavilion in the garden.

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