Zürich

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Template:Otherusesof Template:Infobox Swiss townTemplate:ClearrightTemplate:CHdot Template:Audio (German pronunciation IPA: Template:IPA; in English often Zurich, without the umlaut) is the largest city in Switzerland (population: 366,145 in 2004; population of urban area: 1,091,732) and capital of the canton of Zürich. The city is Switzerland's main commercial centre, and is widely considered to be one of the world's global cities.

The origin of the name is most likely the Celtic word Turus, a corroborating reference to which was found on a tomb inscription dating from the Roman occupation in the second century AD. The Roman name for the town was Turicum and in the local dialect Zürich German it is called Züri IPA Template:IPA.

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Geography

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The city is situated where the river Limmat leaves Lake Zürich and is surrounded by wooded hills including the Zürichberg and the Uetliberg. The river Sihl meets with the Limmat at the end of Platzspitz, which borders the Swiss National Museum (Landesmuseum).

During 2004 the Fraumünster was fully rennovated. During this period the installed scaffolding went above the tip of the tower allowing a unique and exceptional 360° panoramic view of Zürich.

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History

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In Roman times, Turicum was a tax-collecting point for goods entering the imperial province of Raetia by 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.

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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 fourteenth 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.

Zürich joined the Swiss confederation (which at that point was a loose confederation of de facto independent states) as the fifth member in 1351. Zürich was expelled from the confederation 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 rural subjects, following the Züriputsch of 6 September. Most of the ramparts built in the 17th centuries were torn down, without ever having been sieged, to allay rural concerns over the city's hegemony.

From 1847, the Spanisch-Brötli-Bahn, the first railway on Swiss territory, connected Zürich with Baden, putting the Zürich Main Station at the origin of the Swiss rail network. The present building of the Hauptbahnhof (chief railway station) dates to 1871.

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Coat of arms

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The blue and white coat of arms of Zürich is attested from 1389, and was derived from banners with blue and white stripes in use since 1315. The first certain testimony of banners with the same design is from 1434. The coat of arms is flanked by two lions. The red Schwenkel on top of the banner had varying interpretations: For the people of Zürich, it was a mark of honour, granted by Rudolph I. Zürich's neighbors mocked it as a sign of shame, commemorating the loss of the banner at Winterthur in 1292. Today, the Canton of Zürich uses the same coat of arms as the city.

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Sights

Image:Zuerich vier Kirchen.jpg

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Churches

  • Grossmünster (great minster) (near Lake Zürich, in the old city), where Zwingli was pastor
  • 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)
  • St. Peter (downstream from the Fraumünster, in the old city); with the largest clock face in Europe
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Other sights

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Museums

Image:Swiss National Museum Zurich.jpeg

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Industry and commerce

UBS, Credit Suisse, Swiss Re, and many other financial institutions have their headquarters in Zürich, the commercial center of Switzerland. Zürich is the world's primary centre for offshore banking, mainly due to Swiss bank secrecy. The financial sector accounts for about one quarter of the city's economic activities. The Swiss Stock Exchange is also headquartered in Zürich (see also Swiss banking).

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Business

Zürich is a leading financial center and has repeatedly been proclaimed the city with the best quality of life anywhere in the world. The Greater Zürich Area is Switzerland’s economic center and home to a vast number of international companies. The GDP of the Zürich Area is CHF 210 billion (USD 160 billion) or CHF 58'000 (USD 45'000) per capita.


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Economic success reasons

The succes of the Greater Zürich Area as one of the most important of the world is probably due to more than one factor. The very low tax rate an the possibilty for foreign companys and private persons to optimize their tax burden by personalized tax agreement with the Tax Authorities is surely one of the key points - a practice, that brings also often conflicts with Switzerland's neighbours in Europe, who don't like this type of successfull and aggressive strategy for establishing European headquarters or service centers by known global economic players (e.g. IBM, Google, Pfizer). The fact that Switzerland doesn't have an inheritance tax is also an important factor for rich private persons.

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An other parameter for the economic success of Zürich can be seen also in the research and educational (R&D) field of the city. The Federal Institute of Technology ETH is the best institute of technology in Continental Europe and is ranked alongside the University of Zürich in the Top Ten: There are more than 58'000 students taught. The reservoir for qualified employees is therefore very big. Other datas: Switzerland made an excellent showing in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2005, scoring in the Top 10 in the following categories: 

Nobel Prizes per resident (No.2) 
Active patents per resident (No.2) 
Private research expenditure (No.6) 
R&D expenditure per resident (No.6) 
R&D employees per resident (No.8) 
R&D expenditure as % of the GNP (No.10)

And most of the Swiss R&D institutions are concentrated in the Zürich area.

Zürich's international population with its multilingualism is also considerable. So statistic show that in the productive sector of the city 60% talks German, 43% English, 30% French and 13% Italian. So there is a big number of at least bilingual people.

Of course also the quality of life is very important in the possible reasons for the international economic growth. William M. Mercer, an HR consulting firm based in London, has ranked Zürich as the city with the highest quality of life anywhere in the world for the fourth consecutive time. Berne and Geneva were also ranked among the Top 10 – in fact, Switzerland was the only country with more than one city in the Top 10.

Thanks to extremely low crime rates, personal safety can be assured without extra charges. And the importance of security as an economic factor should not be underestimated.

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Culture

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Art Movements born in Zürich

  • Constructive Art Movement took also one of the first steps in Zurich. Artists like Max Bill, Marcel Breuer, Camille Graeser or Richard Paul Lohse had their ateliers in Zurich, which became even more important after the takeover of power by the Nazi-Regime in Germany and World War Two. Visit the museum at the Haus Konstruktiv.

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Opera, Ballet and Theaters

  • Zürcher Opernhaus: one of the most famous Opera Houses in Europe. Director is Alexander Pereira. Once a year elegant and exclusive Zürcher Opernball with the President of the Swiss Confederation and the economic and cultural élite of Switzerland.[16] In front of the Lake Zürich and Bellevue-Place, where the traditional Sechseläuten takes place. Famous Ballet-Academy by Heinz Spoerli. Antique Neo-baroque interior very elegant and worth visiting. Take S-Bahn to Stadelhofen.
  • Schauspielhaus: Main Theater-Complex of the City. Has two Dépendances: Pfauen (historic old theater) in the Central City District and Schiffbauhalle (modern architecture in old industry-halls) in Zürich West (S-Bahn-Station Hardbrücke). Was home for Emigrants like Bertolt Brecht or Thomas Mann and World-Première-Theater for Max Frisch, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Botho Strauss or Nobel-Prize winner Elfriede Jelinek.[17]
  • Theater am Neumarkt: One of the oldest Theaters of the city. Established by the old guilds in the Old City District, located in a baroque Palace near Niederdorf Street. Two stages with mostly production by avantgarde directors from Europe. Has both classic theater (Racine, Goethe, Shakespeare) and new productions in its repertoire.[18]
  • Theater Gessnerallee: Young and underground Theater. The most experimental stage in the city. Ballet, breakdance, own theater-productions and guest-shows from all over the world. Very good Restaurant and Bar is attached (Reithalle). On the River Sihl (bathing in summer) and in front of the Historic Military Place Alte Kaserne with parc.[19]
  • Theater an der Sihl: Official theater of the Zürich Academy of Dance and Theater.[20] Next tho the Theater Gessnerallee and the Bahnhofstrasse - the main shopping street of the city.
  • Rote Fabrik Theater: The Rote Fabrik Cultural Complex is located on the shores of the lake in the district of Wollishofen. In the great red brick halls of an old fabric of the 19th century was created in the 1980s an avantgarde and political left-oriented room for young and controversial theater and ballet productions. There are also an art gallery, a restaurant (Ziegel Oh Lac) and a Club integrated in the Rote Fabrik. Take S-Bahn to the Wollishofen Station.
  • Theater Miller's Studio: Cabaret- and Revue-Theater with political and social comedy. A lot of one-man-shows. In the old Tiefenbrunnen-Complex with Restaurants, Bars, Museums (NONAM and Alte Mühle Tiefenbrunnen), Art-Galleries. In front of the lake. Take S-Bahn to Tiefenbrunnen Station.[21]
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Nightlife and Clubbing

Zürich has an extreme variety of possibilities for night-time-leisure. It became one of the capitals of Europe's electronic music scene and it's the host city of the worldfamous Street Parade.

The most famous districts for Nightlife are the Niederdorf in the Old City District with Bars, Restaurants, Lounges, Hotels, Clubs, etc. and a lot of fashion shops for a young and stylish public and the Langstrasse in the District 4 and 5 of the city: Here you find more rough but authentic amusements: Brazilian Bars, Punk-Clubs, HipHop-Stages, Caribic-Restaurants, Arthouse-Cinemas, Turkish-Kebabs and Italian Espresso-Bars, but also Sexshops or the famous Red Light District of Zürich. At the Langstrasse you find the very international and multicultural heart of Zürich.

But in the last ten years new spots were created: Zürich West District within the old District 5, with its heart around the Escher-Wyss-Plaza and the S-Bahn Station of Hardbrücke with its cinemas (Abaton-Cinemax-Complex), music-clubs, lounges, restaurants, cafés and bars and the dépendance of the most important theater of the City: Schiffbau. New hotels were also build in this young quarter, which lives mostly during nighttime and weekends: Hotel Ibis, Novotel Accor (on the stunning Turbinenplatz - a new Plaza built with an interesting light design) and Etap Hotel. During day you can visit art galleries, fashion shops (e.g. Freitag-Bags), organic-food stores and Puls 5 Complex at the Turbinenplatz: a Mall with an interesting architectural mix of modern and old (especially the huge Central Court [22])

Check the online-mag usgang.ch for the latest events.

The most famous clubs in the city are:

  • Kaufleuten, Pelikanplatz, very posh and stylish Club in the heart of the business and shopping district of the city centre. Old art-nouveau architecture, one of the oldest still running clubs of the world, the-place-to-be for all the rich, famous and wannabes (from 50 Cent to Paris Hilton down to Tina Turner or Madonna). Music-style (Elektro, RnB, etc.) changes daily. [23]
  • Club Indochine, in Zürich West District, Limmatstrasse 275, elegant Club with public from the age of 18 to 60. Mainly financial business people or posh students. Located in front of Migros Museum of Modern Art and Kunsthalle Museum and Säulenhalle Club. Every day different style of music. Tram-Station Dammweg[24]
  • Supermarket, is a legendary underground house club making a beautiful and stylish crowd bounce since over 10 years. It is located in Zurich West next to Hardbrucke which is only one stop from the main station by S-Train. [25]
  • Säulenhalle, in Zürich West District, Limmatstrasse, italian-style club, young and mixed international public; mostly electronic music and RnB or HipHop. Also bar and lounge. Located in the Löwenbräu-Complex, same building as Migros Museum. In front of Club Indochine. Tram-Station Dammweg.
  • X-Tra Palais, at the very beginning of the Langstrasse corner Limmatplatz, Limmatstrasse 118, the only club in the city of Zürich with own hotel, restaurant, lounge and music-label! All located in the so called "Limmathaus", a sovietic-style-architecture building of the late 1920s. Mainly young crowd and students. Special party on weekends, monday the traditional "Cool-Monday-Party". Good hotel for young guests between hip district Zürich West and traditional multicultural district 4 and 5 and its Langstrasse. In front of Café Greco and Migros-Tower (modern Departement Store with good organic food choice). Tram-Station Limmatplatz. [26]
  • Tonimolkerei, at the end of the trendy Zürich West District, Förrlibuckstrasse 109, located in a huge dismissed industrial complex, with stunning modern interior design and video and light art features. Mostly avantgarde and international electronic music. Has also a good choice of vegetarian and organic food. [27]
  • Nietturm-Bar, on the top of the Schiffbau-Building, Schiffbaustrasse 4 in the Zürich West District, a big glassbox (architecture by the famous Ortner&Ortner-Studios) with roughly 100 places to sit, enjoy drinks and listen to loungemusic. Nice view over the District. Mixed public (young crowds, theater-habitués, internatioal business-men. Good choice of cocktails, but quite expensive. [28]
  • Moods, inside the Schiffbau-Building, Schiffbaustrasse 4, famous international Jazz-Club with escapades in the electronic, funk and Sout-American field. Stylish interior. Good drinks and food. [29]
  • Hard-One Bar, Heinrichstrasse 269, on the top of the Abaton-Cinemax-Complex in Zürich West District, stunning view over the whole District and the few meter near elevated Autobahn. Very crowded on weekends, with live electronic music. Elegant modern interior design. [30]
  • Labor-Bar, Schiffbaustrasse 3, a state-owned TV-Studio which becomes a lounge and club at night! Located near the Turbinenplatz and Schiffbau in Zürich West District. Very hip and stylish public, most in electronic music, but also in RnB (program changes every day - also special gay-and-friends-party). [31]
  • Les Halles, Pfingstweidstrasse 6, Zürich West District, unique mix of lounge-bar, restaurant and gourmet market, where you can eat mediterranean cuisinie, buy exquisit food-products from all over the world and listen to good music. Very original interior design provided by the owner's family, which works every day in the location. [32]
  • Aaah-Club, Marktgasse 14, Gay-Club in the Old City District, located in a medieval building on the crowded Niederdorf-Strasse, few meters from the gay hotspots Cranberry-Bar and the Barfüsser-Bar (Europe's oldest gay bar!). Very international young public. [33]
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Education and research

Image:ETH Hauptgebäude.jpg

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Sports

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Events

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Transportation

Image:Trams in Zurich.jpg

Zürich is a hub for rail, road, and air traffic. It has several railway stations, including Zürich Main Station, Zürich Oerlikon, Zürich Stadelhofen, and Zürich Altstetten. The Cisalpino, InterCity Express, and even the TGV high-speed trains stop in Zürich.

The A1, A3 and A4 motorways pass through Zürich. The A1 heads west towards Bern and Geneva, east towards St. Gallen, and the A3 heads northwest towards Basel and southeast towards Sargans.)

Zürich has a major international airport at Kloten, less than 10 kilometres northeast of the city. There is also an airfield in Dübendorf, although it is not used for civil aviation.

Within Zürich and throughout the canton of Zürich, the ZVV network of public transport has traffic density rating among the highest worldwide. If you add frequency, which in Zürich can be as often as 7 minutes, it does become the densest across all dimensions. Three means of mass-transit exist: the S-Bahn (local trains), trams, and buses (both diesel and electric). Rumour has it that no point exists on the ground floor within the central district which is farther than 150 metres from the next bus, tram, or train stop.

In addition the public transport network includes boats on the lake and river, funicular railways and even a cable car between Adliswil and Felsenegg.

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Notable people

People that were born or died in Zürich:

Famous residents:

See also: List of mayors of Zürich

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Hotels

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See also: Zürich Tourismus

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External links

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