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Zurich
is an ideal destination for those who would like to combine culture with
nature, i.e. the main sights of the city as well as its beautiful surroundings.
Zurich is situated perfectly, in the core of Europe, beside Lake Zurich,
presenting the breathtaking view of the Swiss Alps. An additional convenience
is that the city is just 10 minutes away from the international airport.
This allows your easy access to it, as there are regular scheduled flights
from every continent and most countries and larger cities of the world,
which land there. You can reach Zurich also by train, which is the cheaper
way, having in mind that over a thousand trains halt daily at Zurich's
central railway station.
No matter whether you prefer
local Swiss or international cuisine, Zurich has got eating and drinking
establishments, suitable for everyone's taste. The city offers plenty of
restaurants, featuring top quality service and a superb choice of wines.
Bars and typical street cafes - many places where you can sit and enjoy
the Swiss lifestyle.
Shopping in Zurich is a
genuine experience. Visiting one of the most beautiful shopping areas in
Europe - the famous Bahnhofstrasse, where are located many elegant fashion
stores and boutiques for shoes, firs, accessories, jewellery and watches
is a must, which proves Zurich to be a trendsetting city. This main shopping
zone is situated in the core of the city, which makes it ideal for pedestrians.
Many boutiques and antique shops can also be found in the beautiful Altstadt
(old town) of Zurich, situated on the left bank of the Limmat. Another
pedestrian zone and shoppers' paradise is the Niederdorf - offering plenty
of boutiques, night - clubs, bars, restaurants and street artists turning
the Niederdorf into an exciting entertainment centre. Another place where
anything can be found on a reasonable price is the Langstrasse - a home
to people from over 80 different countries |
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If you approach Zurich by ship
you will get an impressive view of the soft silhouette of the city and
the green promenades on the shore. If you later stroll along the Lim-mat
that divides Zurich in two like a smaller version of the Grand Canal or
see the towering large minster, when you are up and down steps in the old
town, or gazing at the jumble of roofs then you will understand why the
author Gerhart Hauptmann enthused about the "unique spirit of Swiss bourgeois."
Zurich it is said is a large-sized
small town or a small-sized city and indeed when you consider the huge
amounts of money that are handled in the world's biggest store of money
and through the veritable International airport of Kloten…Yet Switzerland's
largest city of 350,000 people quickly shrinks back to a comfortable size.
Much to the pleasure of its inhabitants who feel pretty good under the
lime and chestnut trees and very proud that it is possible to take a swim
in the lake during their lunch-break.
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The location tempted the
Romans who built a castle to defend themselves on the banks of the Lim-mat.
Following the occupation of Roman territory by the Alemannians from the
fifth century of the former Turicum the town slowly flourished and was
formed into a free city state in 1218. In 1351 the city joined the Swiss
Confederation and after bitter struggles finally gained a leading role.
Nevertheless Berne rather than Zurich was chosen as the capital when the
Swiss Republic was formed in 1848. Zurich remains the largest Swiss city
and has developed into one of the world's leading financial centers.
Destination for educational
travelers
Right from the beginning
of the eighteenth century the Swiss Confederation was a destination for
those traveling to educate themselves and from the mid nineteenth century
it was regarded as the height of chic to pay the city on the Limmat a visit.
The Hotel Baur au Lac was built in classical style in 1844 and became a
home for queens, diplomats, the aristocracy, and Bohemians. They lived
idylli-cally alongside the blue lake, with luxury, with just the boats
of the big houses, with just the ponderous chiming of bells from the old
town. But artists and writers were also drawn to Zurich and it became the
capital of the Dadaists with the forming of the Cabaret Voltaire in the
Spiegelgasse. Later the Cafe Odeon was where the exiled writers could be
found. No other theater in Europe had the abundance of intellectual talent
at their command as the Zurich Schauspielhaus with those who fled here
between 1933 and 1945.
Trade and finance
Zurich already enjoyed an
economic boom with industrialization and when the rail station was opened
in 1871 the city's international trade flourished. Following the example
of the Parisian boulevards the road from the station towards the lake (Bahnhofstrasse)
was stylishly planted with lime trees. This street is still the nation's
showcase and one of the most elegant shopping streets of the world. The
big fashion names and fur couturiers have their establishments here and
cafes offer hot Schoggi (hot chocolate) and it is still a pleasure to stroll
along the Bahnhofstrasse when the limes are in blossom. Just a few steps
remove you from the dominance of the large buildings of the big banks.
One quickly notices that
tradition is rigidly upheld in Zurich and the same is true of their architectural
inheritance. The Meisen town hall and guildhall, the church of St. Peter,
the Zurich town hall with the finest Baroque hall in Switzerland, the Grossmiinster
(large minster church), and the Fraumiinster (noble women's church) with
window by Chagall, the Wasserkirche ("water" church), and the Neo-Baroque
Opera House represent the same kind of continuity as the Kronen-halle restaurant
in which you can enjoy food surrounded by original pieces of modern art.
Art is highly regarded in Zurich and the collection in the Kunsthaus form
one of the highlights of the European museum scene.
Zurich is also a stronghold
of youth culture. The sub culture constantly seeks out new places and young
people remain non conformist where other quasi revolutionaries long ago
became leaders |
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