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Zürich
 

(German IPA: , in Zürich German: , sometimes written as Züri; 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 metropolitan population is around 1.3 million. 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 a survey in 2006, it offers the best quality of life.http://www.citymayors.com/features/quality_survey.html

The origin of the name is probably the Celtic word Turus, a corroborating reference to which was found on a tomb inscription dating from the Roman occupation in the 2nd century; The antique name of the town in its romanized form was Turicum.

Geography

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 renovated. During this period the installed scaffolding went above the tip of the tower allowing a unique and exceptional 360° panoramic view of Zürich.

History

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.

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.

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 century were torn down, without ever having been sieged, to allay rural concerns over the city's hegemony. The Treaty of Zurich between Austria, France, and Sardinia was signed was signed in 1859. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_International_Encyclopedia

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.

Political and Religious Beginnings

The earliest inhabitants of the future site of Zurich were the lake dwellers. The Celtic Helvetians had a settlement on the Lindenhof when they were succeeded by the Romans, who established a custom station here for goods going to and coming from Italy; during their rule Christianity was introduced early in the 3rd century by Felix and Regula, with whom Exuperantius was afterwards associated. The district was later occupied by the Alamanni, who were conquered by the Franks.

The name Zurich is possibly derived from the Celtic dur (water). It is first mentioned in 807 under the form Turigus, then in 853 as Turegus The true Latinized form is Turicum, but the false form Tigurum was given currency by Glareanus and held its ground from 1512 to 1748. It is not till the 9th century that we find the beginnings of the Teutonic town of Zurich, which arose from the union of four elements: (1) the royal house and castle on the Lindenhof, with the kings tenants around, (2) the Gross Münster, (3) the Frau Münster, (4) the community of free men (of Alamanian origin) on the Zurichberg. Similarly we can distinguish four stages in the constitutional development of the town: (I.) the gradual replacing (c. 1250) of the power of the abbess by that (real, though not nominal) of the patricians, (ii.) the admittance of the craft gilds (1336) to a share with the patricians in the government of the town, (iii.) the granting of equal political rights (1831) to the country districts, ruled as subject lands by the burghers, and (iv.) the reception as burghers of the numerous immigrants who had settled in the town (Derived from Free Public Domain: Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition)

Frankish and Confederate Periode

The Frankish kings had special rights over their tenants, were the protectors of the two churches, and had jurisdiction over the free community. In. 870 the sovereign placed his powers over all four in the hands of a single official (the Reichsvogt), and the union was still further strengthened by the wall built round the four settlements in the 10th century as a safeguard against Saracen marauders and feudal barons. The Reichsvogtei passed to the counts of Lenzburg (1063-1173), and then to the dukes of Zahringen (extinct 1218). Meanwhile the abbess of the Benedictine Frau Münster had been acquiring extensive rights and privileges over all the inhabitants, though she never obtained the criminal jurisdiction. The town flourished greatly in the 12th and 13th centuries, the silk trade being introduced from Italy. In 1218 the Reichsvogtei passed back into the hands of the king, who appointed one of the burghers as his deputy, the town thus becoming a free imperial city under the nominal rule of a distant sovereign. The abbess in I 234 became a princess of the empire, but power rapidly passed from her to the council which she had originally named to look after police, but which came to be elected by the burghers, though the abess was still the lady of Zurich. This council (all powerful since 1304) was made up of the representatives of certain knightly and rich mercantile families (the patricians ), who excluded the craftsmen from all share in the government, though it was to these last that the town was largely indebted for its rising wealth and importance.

In October 1291 the town made an alliance with Uri and Schwyz, and in 1292 failed in a desperate attempt to seize the Habsburg town of Winterthur. After that Zurich began to display strong Austrian leanings, which characterize much of its later history. In 1315 the men of Zurich fought against the Swiss Confederates at Morgarten. The year 1336 marks the admission of the craftsmen to a share in the town government, which was brought about by Rudolf Brun, a patrician. Under the new constitution (the main features of which lasted till 1798) the Little Council was made up of the burgomaster and thirteen members from the " Constafel " (which included the old patricians and the wealthiest burghers) and the thirteen masters of the craft gilds, each of the twenty-six holding office for six months. The Great Council of 200 (really 212) members consisted of the Little Council, plus 78 representatives each of the Constafel and of the gilds, besides 3 members named by the burgomaster. The office of burgomaster was created and given to Brun for life. Out of this change arose a quarrel with one of the branches of the Habsburg family, in consequence of which Brun was induced to throw in the lot of Zurich with the Swiss Confederation (May 1351). The double position of Zurich as a free imperial city and as a member of the Everlasting League was soon found to be embarrassing to both parties In 1373 and again in 1393 the powers of the Constafel were limited and the majority in the executive secured to the craftsmen, who could then aspire to the burgomastership. Meanwhile the town had been extending its rule far beyond its wallsa process which began in the i4th, and attained its height in the i5th century (1362-1467). This thirst for territorial aggrandizement brought about the first civil war in the Confederation (the " Old Zurich War," 1436-50), in which, at the fight of St. Jacob on the Sihl (1443), under the walls of Zurich, the men of Zurich were completely beaten and their burgomaster Stissi slain. The purchase of the town of Winterthur from the Habsburgs (1467) marks the culmination of the territorial power of the city. It was to the men of Zurich and their leader Hans Waldmann that the victory of Morat (1476) was due in the Burgundian war; and Zurich took a leading part in the Italian campaign of 1512-15, the burgomaster Schmid naming the new duke of Milan (1512). No doubt her trade connections with Italy led her to pursue a southern policy, traces of which are seen as early as 1331 in an attack on the Val Leventina and in 1478, when Zurich men were in the van at the fight of Giornico, won by a handful of Confederates over 12,000 Milanese troops.

In 1400 the town obtained from the Emperor Wenceslaus the Reichsvogtei, which carried with it complete immunity from the empire and the right of criminal jurisdiction. As early as 1393 the chief power had practically fallen into the hands of the Great Council, and in 1498 this change was formally recognized. (Derived from Free Public Domain: Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition)

The Ancien Régime

This transfer of all power to the guilds had been one of the aims of the burgomaster Hans Waldmann (1483-89), who wished to make Zurich a great commercial centre. He also introduced many financial and moral reforms, and subordinated the interests of the country districts to those of the town. He practically ruled the Swiss Confederation, and under him Zurich became the real capital of the League. But such great changes excited opposition, and he was overthrown and executed. His main ideas were embodied, however, in the constitution of 1498, by which the patricians became the first of the gilds, and which remained in force till 1798; some special rights were also given to the subjects in country districts. It was the prominent part taken by Zurich in adopting and propagating (against the strenuous opposition of the Constafel) the principles of the Reformation (the Frau Münster being suppressed in 1524) which finally secured for it the lead in the Confederation.

The environs of Zurich are famous in military history on account of the two battles of 1799 (French Revolutionary Wars). In the first battle (4 June) the French under General Massena, on the defensive, were attacked by the Austrians under the Archduke Charles, Massena retiring behind the Limmat before the engagement had reached a decisive stage. The second and far more important battle took place on the 25th and 26th of September. Massena, having forced the passage of the Limmat, attacked and totally defeated the Russians and their Austrian allies under Korsakov's command.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, a distinct tendency becomes observable in the town government to limit power to the actual holders. Thus the country districts were consulted for the last time in 1620 and 1640; and a similar breach of the charters of 1489 and 1531 (by which the consent of these districts was required for the conclusion of important alliances, war and peace, and might be asked for as to other matters) occasioned disturbances in 1777. The council of 200 came to be largely chosen by a small committee of the members of the gilds actually sitting in the councilby the constitution of 1713 it consisted of 50 members of the Little Council (named for a fixed term by the Great Council), 18 members named by the Constafel, and 144 selected by the 12 gilds, these 162 (forming the majority) being co-opted for life by those members of the two councils who belonged to the gild to which the deceased member himself had belonged. Early in the i8th century a determined effort was made to crush by means of heavy duties the flourishing rival silk trade in Winterthur. It was reckoned that about 1650 the number of privileged burghers was 9000, while their rule extended over 170,000 persons. The first symptoms of active discontent appeared later among the dwellers by the lake, who founded in 1794 a club at Stafa and claimed the restoration of the liberties of 1489 and 1531, a movement which was put down by force of arms in 1795. The old system of government perished in Zurich, as elsewhere in Switzerland, in February 1798, and under the Helvetic constitution the country districts obtained political liberty. (Derived from Free Public Domain: Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition)

The 19th Century

But under the cantonal constitution of 1814 matters were worse still, for the town (10,000 inhab.) had 130 representatives in the Great Council, while the country districts (200,000 inhab.) had only 82. A great meeting at Uster on the 22nd of November 1830 demanded that two-thirds of the members in the Great Council should be chosen by the country districts; and in 1831 a new constitution was drawn up on these lines, the town getting 71 representatives as against 141 allotted to the country districts, though it was not till 1837-38 that the town finally lost the last relics of the privileges which it had so long enjoyed as compared with the country districts. From 1803 to 1814 Zurich was one of the six directorial cantons, its chief magistrate becoming for a year the chief magistrate of the Confederation, while in 1815 it was one of the three cantons, the government of which acted for two years as the Federal government when the diet was not sitting. In 1833 Zurich tried hard to secure a revision of the Federal constitution and a strong central government. The town was the Federal capital for 1839-40, and consequently the victory of the Conservative party there in 1839 (due to indignation at the nomination by the Radical government to a theological chair in the university of D. F. Strauss, the author of the famous Life of Jesus) caused a great stir throughout Switzerland. But when in 1845 the Radicals regained power at Zurich, which was again the Federal capital for 1845-46, that town took the lead in opposing the Sonderbund cantons. It of course voted in favor of the Federal constitutions of 1848 and of 1874, while the cantonal constitution of 1869 was remarkably advanced for the time. The enormous immigration from the country districts into the town from the "thirties" onwards created an industrial class which, though "settled" in the town, did not possess the privileges of burghership, and consequently had no share in the municipal government. First of all in 1860 the town schools, opend to "settlers" only on paying high fees, were made accessible to all, next in 1875 ten years' residence ipso facto conferred the right of burghership, while in 1893 the eleven outlying districts (largely peopled by working folk) were incorporated with the town proper. The town and canton continued to be on the Liberal, or Radical, or even Socialistic side, while from 1848 to 1907 they claimed 7 of the 37 members of the Federal executive or Bundesrat, these 7 having filled the presidential chair of the Confederation in twelve years, no canton surpassing this record. From 1833 onwards the walls and fortifications of Zurich were little by little pulled down, thus affording scope for the extension and beautification of the town. (Derived from Free Public Domain: Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition)

Coat of arms

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.

Sights

Churches

  • Grossmünster (great minster) (near Lake Zürich, in the old city), where Zwingli was pastor; first building around 820; declared by Charlemagne imperial church
  • 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

Museums

  • Museum Bärengasse, history of the city in the 18th century
  • Kunsthaus Zürich, one of the largest collections in Classic Modern Art in the world (Munch, Picasso, Braque, Giacometti, etc.) *
  • Museum Rietberg, Antique Asian Art *
  • Museum Bellerive, Museum for fashion, architecture and design *, located in a villa on the beach of the lake
  • Kunsthalle Zürich *
  • Migros Museum, modern and avantgarde international Art. *
  • Museum of Design Zürich *
  • Swiss National Museum (Landesmuseum) *, located in the Platzspitz park opposit the main station

    Other sights

    Industry and commerce

    UBS, Credit Suisse, Swiss Re, and many other financial institutions have their headquarters in Zürich, the commercial centre 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 has its headquarters in Zürich (see also Swiss banking).

    Business

    Zürich is a leading financial centre and has repeatedly been proclaimed the global city with the best quality of life anywhere in the world. The Greater Zürich Area is Switzerland’s economic centre 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 (2005).

    Economic success reasons

    The success of the Greater Zürich Economic Area as one of the most important in the world is probably due to more than one factor. The very low tax rate and the possibility for foreign companies 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 often brings conflicts with Switzerland's neighbours in Europe, who don't like this type of successful and aggressive strategy for establishing European headquarters or service/research centres by known global economic players (e.g. IBM, Google, Microsoft, Pfizer). The fact that Switzerland doesn't have an inheritance tax is also an important factor for rich private persons.

    Another reason for the economic success of Zürich can be seen in the research and educational (R&D) field of the city. The Federal Institute of Technology ETH is ranked alongside the University of Zürich: there are more than 58,000 students. The reservoir for qualified employees is therefore very big.

    Other data: 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)

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

    Zürich's international population with its multilingualism is also considerable. Statistics show that in the productive sector of the city 60% talk German, 43% English, 30% French and 13% Italian. So there is a large 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.

    The Swiss stock exchange

    The Swiss stock exchange is called SWX Swiss Exchange. The SWX is the head group of several different worldwide operative financial systems: virt-x, Eurex, Eurex US, EXFEED and STOXX. The exchange turnover generated at the SWX was in 2004 of 1,244,045 million CHF; the number of transactions arrived in the same period at 14,697,381 and the Swiss Performance Index (SPI) arrived at a total market capitalisation of 780,320 million CHF.

    The SWX Swiss Exchange goes back more than 150 years. In 1996, fully electronic trading replaced the traditional floor trading system at the stock exchanges of Geneva (founded in 1850), Zurich (1873) and Basle (1876).

    The SWX is subject to Swiss law. The Federal Act on Stock Exchanges and Securities Trading (SESTA) prescribes the concept of self-regulation, which obligates the SWX to meet international standards in its regulatory activities. The SWX itself is supervised by the Swiss Federal Banking Commission (SFBC).

    The shares traded on SWX are mainly held in the Swiss-based accounts of domestic and international investors. Other products traded on the SWX Platform are bonds (CHF-denominated bonds as well as international bonds), traditional investments, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs, known as exchange-traded index funds) and non-standardised derivatives. In terms of turnover, the SWX Swiss Exchange operates Europe's largest market segment for listed and exchange-traded warrants.

    Chairman of the Board of Directors of the SWX Group is Prof. Dr. Peter Gomez. Gomez is a business professor at St. Gallen business school. *

    Media Outlets

    Daily Newspapers

    Weekly Magazines and Newspapers

    Monthly Magazines

    Electronic News System

    Culture

    Art Movements born in Zürich

    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.* 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.*

    • 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.*

    • 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.*

    • Theater an der Sihl: Official theater of the Zürich Academy of Dance and Theater.* 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.*

    • Zurich Comedy Club: Much of Zurich's theatre is conducted in the native German. However, twice per year (May & November) this amateur theatre group stages English-language theatre ranging from Shakespearean drama, to thrillers & drama of all kinds, pantomimes and of course comedies. The Zurich Comedy Club has been part of Zurich life for over 50 years and potential new members are always welcome.*

    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 world-famous 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 districts 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 sex shops 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 built 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 the day you can visit art galleries, fashion shops (e.g. Freitag-Bags), organic-food stores and the Puls 5 Complex at the Turbinenplatz: a mall with an interesting architectural mix of modern and old (especially the huge Central Court *).

    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. *

    • 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 is a different style of music. Tram station Dammweg*

    • Supermarket is a legendary underground house club making a beautiful and stylish crowd bounce for over 10 years. It is located in Zurich West next to Hardbrücke which is only one stop from the main station by S-Train. *

    • 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 its 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 the Langstrasse. In front of Café Greco and Migros-Tower (modern department store with good organic food choice). Tram station Limmatplatz. *

    • 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. *

    • Nietturm-Bar, on the top of the Schiffbau building, Schiffbaustrasse 4 in the Zürich West District, a big glass box (architecture by the famous Ortner&Ortner-Studios) with roughly 100 places to sit, enjoy drinks and listen to lounge music. Nice view over the district. Mixed public (young crowds, theater-habitués, international businessmen. Good choice of cocktails, but quite expensive. *

    • Moods, inside the Schiffbau-Building, Schiffbaustrasse 4, famous international jazz club with escapades in the electronic, funk and South-American field. Stylish interior. Good drinks and food. *

    • 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 elevated Autobahn close by. Very crowded on weekends, with live electronic music. Elegant modern interior design. *

    • 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). *

    • Les Halles, Pfingstweidstrasse 6, Zürich West district, unique mix of lounge bar, restaurant and gourmet market, where you can eat mediterranean cuisine, buy exquisite food products from all over the world and listen to good music. Very original interior design provided by the owner's family. *

    • Aaah-Club, Marktgasse 14, Gay-Club in the old city district, located in a medieval building on the crowded Niederdorf-Strasse, a few meters from the gay hotspots Cranberry-Bar and the Barfüsser-Bar (Europe's oldest gay bar!). Very international young public. *

    Education and research

 

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