Travel Guide: Zurich - Switzerland - Europe

View from the Großmunster
photo by: Tonja Fabritz

Zurich was founded as a Roman customs post on the site of what is now Lindenhof in the year 15 B.C. From the 10th century onwards, it enjoyed the status of a town, and in 1218 was granted the rights of a free city. Rudolf Brun introduced a guild constitution after the downfall of the government in 1336. In 1351, the city joined the Everlasting League of the Confederates. After that, it has grown increasingly in importance, especially under the rule of Mayor Hans Waldmann (15th century). 1519 saw the beginning of the Reformation under the leadership of Ulrich Zwingli. During the 19th century, Alfred Escher transformed Zurich into a trade and business centre (machine and textile industry, banks, insurance companies, tourism), not in the least because of the founding of the Zurich Stock Exchange in 1877. This gave the city the fourth rank on the world's list and made it into what it still is: Switzerland's most important business centre and the world's gold trading centre.

The Old Town consists of narrow streets which can be easily explored on foot. Along the riverside, you can find baroque guildhouses that tell their own version of the city's past. Winding streets that show a nostalgic Zurich or maybe even expose the city's fringe - just give way for the enthusiasm this inspirited and colourful (both with houses and people) city appeals. You will find a myriad of small boutiques, antique shops, bars and cafes in the Old Town on the left bank of the Limmat.

The main shopping area is concentrated nearby the train station. Stroll down the famous 'Bahnhofstrasse' - one of the most beautiful shopping streets in Europe - towards 'Paradeplatz' and the lake. Here you will find all sorts of elegant boutiques, department stores and specialist shops with a rich selection of high quality goods. When you feel like it, take a tour on the river so you can lay eyes on the nice skyline of Zurich.

If you are on a budget, you do not have to avoid the city. Try doing just the windows shopping on Bahnhofstrasse, but move over to the other side of the river Limmat for your catering needs. The Niederdorf, Zurichs left side, offers plenty of cheaper places to buy, eat and drink. Allthough considered Zurich's most touristy area, you still find some pretty genuine places here - just wander through the narrow lanes with their old houses, many of which date back to the 14th century.

Besides being a business centre and a shopping paradise (for the wealthy, that is), Zurich is known for 'culture': Old Churches, such as the 'Grossmunster' and the 'Fraumunster' with stained glass windows by Marc Chagall; art galleries with the finest collections, amongst them Chagall, Miro and Picasso and museums for all sorts of tastes. Try to stay at least two days. This will give you the time to explore not only the city by daylight but also Zurich's exciting and varied nightlife, ranging from jazzy bars and popular discos to cabaret performances in smokey clubs.

If you plan to stay over night, Zurich offers a wide variety of amusements. There is not only the famous Schauspielhaus (which kept german drama alive during the 2nd world war), but some small but fine theatres with less well known ensembles that offer exquisite drama. As for a small city of only around 350,000 inhabitants, Zurich also has excellent movie theatres (for a price, though). Unlike in Germany, movies here are not dubbed and mostly shown in their original language with German and French subtitles - and usually you'll see good copies.

However, if you want to get in touch with the aboriginals here, you have to make your way into areas like Aussersihl (Zurich's still very lively working class district with plenty of good foreign restaurants and an astonishing diversity of people from all kinds of nations) or the newly developped center around Escher Wyss Platz, which was the former inustrial area of the city. Here you find the "in" places: bars, restaurants, clubs, all of which are frequented by the locals and offering a more insider sight of the richest city in Europe.