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Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the
capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in
central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake
Zurich. While the municipality itself has
approximately 380,500 inhabitants, the Zurich
metropolitan area is an urbanised area of
international importance constituted by a population
of nearly 2 million inhabitants. Zurich is a mixed
hub for railways, roads, and air traffic. Both
Zurich Airport and railway station are the largest
and busiest in the country.
Permanently settled for around 7,000 years, the
history of Zurich goes back to its founding by the
Romans, who, in 15 BC, called it Turicum. During the
Middle Ages Zurich gained the independent and
privileged status of imperial immediacy and, in
1519, was the place of origin and centre of the
Protestant Reformation in German-speaking
Switzerland, led by Ulrich Zwingli.
Zurich is a leading global city and among the
world's largest financial centres. The city is home
to a large number of financial institutions and
banking giants. Also, most of the research and
development centres are concentrated in Zurich and
the low rate of tax attracts overseas companies to
set up their headquarters there. According to
several surveys from 2006 to 2008, Zurich was named
the city with the best quality of life in the world
as well as the wealthiest city in Europe.
An impressive number of museums and art galleries
can be found in the city, including the Swiss
National Museum and the Kunsthaus. Zurich also hosts
one of the most important theatres in the
German-speaking world.
Zurich is situated at 408 meters (1,339 ft) above
sea level on the lower (northern) end of Lake Zurich
(Zürichsee) about 30 kilometers (19 mi) north of the
Alps, nestling between the wooded hills on the west
and east side. The Old Town stretches on both sides
of the Limmat river, which flows from the lake,
running northwards at first and then gradually
turning into a curve to the west. The geographic
(and historic) centre of the city is the Lindenhof,
a small natural hill on the west bank of the Limmat,
about 700 metres (2,300 ft) north of where the river
issues from Lake Zurich. Today the incorporated city
stretches somewhat beyond the natural hydrographic
confines of the hills and includes some
neighbourhoods to the northeast in the Glatt Valley
(German: Glattal) and to the north in the Limmat
Valley (German: Limmattal). However the boundaries
of the older city are easy to recognize by the
Schanzengraben canal. This artificial watercourses
has been used for the construction of the third
fortress in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Zurich has, depending on the definition used, an
oceanic or humid continental climate (Köppen
Cfb/Dfb), with four distinct seasons. Decisive for
the climate of Zurich are both the winds from
westerly directions, which often result in
precipitation and, on the other hand, the Bise (east
or north-east wind), which is usually associated
with high-pressure situations, but cooler weather
phases with temperatures lower than the average. The
Foehn wind, which plays an important role in the
northern alpine valleys, has a limited impact on
Zurich.
The areas surrounding the Limmat are almost
completely built over (residential, industrial
areas, commercial zones). Also densely built, the
sun-exposed and preferred residential locations on
the hills overlooking Zurich, Waidberg and
Zürichberg and the bottom section of the slope on
the western side of the valley on the Üetliberg.
The green lungs of the city include the vast forest
areas of Adlisberg, Zürichberg, Käferberg,
Hönggerberg and Üetliberg. Major parks are also
located along the lakeshore (Zurichhorn and Enge).
Furthermore, the cultivated area through parks and
gardens is loosened. Larger contiguous agricultural
lands are located near Affoltern and Seebach. Of the
total area of the municipality of Zurich (in 1996,
without the lake), 45.4% are settlements, industry
and commerce, 15.5% are transports, 26.5% are
forests, 11%: is agriculture and 1.2% is water.
The previous boundaries of the city of Zurich
(before 1893) were more or less synonymous with the
location of the old town. Two large expansions of
the city limits occurred in 1893 and in 1934 when
the city of Zurich merged with many surrounding
municipalities, that had been growing increasingly
together since the 19th century. Today, the city is
divided into twelve districts (known as Kreis in
German), numbered 1 to 12, each one of which may
contain anywhere between 1 and 4 neighborhoods:
District 1, known as Altstadt, contains the old
town, both to the east and west of the start of the
Limmat river.
District 2 lies along the west side of Lake Zurich,
and contains the neighbourhoods of Enge, Wollishofen
and Leimbach.
District 3, known as Wiedikon is between the Sihl
river and the Üetliberg, and contains the
neighbourhoods of Alt-Wiedikon, Sihlfeld and
Friesenberg.
District 4, known as Aussersihl lies between the
Sihl and the train tracks leaving Zürich
Hauptbahnhof.
District 5, known as Industriequartier, is between
the Limmat and the train tracks leaving Zürich
Hauptbahnhof, it contains the former industrial area
of Zurich which has gone under a large-scale
rezoning to create upscale modern housing, retail
and commercial real estate.
District 6 is on the edge of the Zürichberg, a hill
overlooking the eastern part of the city. District 6
contains the neighbourhoods of Oberstrass and
Unterstrass. There neighbourhoods are home to
Zurich's wealthiest and more prominent residents.
District 7 is on the edge of the Adlisberg hill as
well as the Zürichberg, on the eastern side of the
city. District 7 contains the neighbourhoods of
Hottingen and Hirslanden.
District 8, known as Riesbach, lies on the eastern
side of Lake Zurich.
District 9 is between the Limmat to the north and
the Üetliberg to the south. It contains the
neighbourhoods Altstetten and Albisrieden.
District 10 is to the east of the Limmat and to the
south of the Hönggerberg and Käferberg hills.
District 10 contains the neighbourhoods of Höngg and
Wipkingen.
District 11 is in the area north of the Hönggerberg
and Käferberg and between the Glatt valley and the
Katzensee (Cat's Lake). It contains the
neighbourhoods of Affoltern, Oerlikon and Seebach.
District 12, known as Schwamendingen, is located in
the Glattal (Glatt valley) on the northern side of
the Zürichberg.
Most of the district boundaries are fairly similar
to the original boundaries of the previously
existing municipalities before they were
incorporated into the city of Zurich.
Public transport is extremely popular in Zurich, and
its inhabitants use public transport in large
numbers. About 70% of the visitors to the city use
the tram or bus, and about half of the journeys
within the municipality take place on public
transport. Within Zurich and throughout the canton
of Zurich, the ZVV network of public transport has
traffic density ratings among the highest worldwide.
When adding frequency, which in Zurich can be as
often as seven 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, also called trolley
buses). In addition, the public transport network
includes boats on the lake and river, funicular
railways and even the Luftseilbahn
Adliswil-Felsenegg (LAF), a cable car between
Adliswil and Felsenegg. Tickets purchased for a trip
are valid on all means of public transportation
(train, tram, bus, boat). The
Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft (commonly
abbreviated to ZSG) operates passenger vessels on
the Limmat river and the Lake Zurich, connecting
surrounding towns between Zurich and Rapperswil.
Zurich is a mixed hub for railways, roads, and air
traffic. Zürich Hauptbahnhof is the largest and
busiest station in Switzerland and is an important
railway hub in Europe. It has several other railway
stations, including Oerlikon, Stadelhofen,
Hardbrücke, Tiefenbrunnen, Enge, Selnau, Wiedikon
and Altstetten. The railway network is mainly
operated by the Federal Railways but Zurich is also
served by the major InterCity trains from the
neighbouring countries.
Zurich Airport is located less than 10 kilometers
(6.2 mi) northeast of the city in Kloten. Zurich
Airport has its own railway station, which is
located underground. It is directly connected to
Zurich and most of the major Swiss cities. There is
also an airfield in Dübendorf.
The A1, A3 and A4 motorways pass close to Zurich.
The A1 heads west towards Berne and Geneva and
eastwards towards St. Gallen; the A4 leads
northwards to Schaffhausen; and the A3 heads
northwest towards Basel and southeast along Lake
Zurich and Lake Walen towards Sargans.
The official language used by the government and in
most publications is German, while the main language
is Zurich German (Züritüütsch), which is a dialect
of Alemannic. As of 2000, speakers with Alemannic or
German as their mother-tongue make up 77.7% of the
population. Italian follows behind at 4.7% of the
population. Other native languages spoken by more
than 1% of the population include South Slavic
languages (2.2%)—this includes Serbian, Bosnian,
Croatian, Macedonian, and Slovenian, Spanish (2.2%),
French (2.1%), English (1.8%), Portuguese (1.6%),
Albanian (1.5%).
Most of Zurich's sights are located within the area
on either side of the Limmat river, between the Main
railway station and Lake Zurich. The churches and
houses of the old town are clustered here, as are
the most expensive shops along the famous
Bahnhofstrasse. The Lindenhof in the old town is the
historical site of the Roman castle, and the later
Carolingian Imperial Palace.
Churches
Grossmünster (great minster) (near Lake Zurich, on
the Eastern side of the Limmat River in the old
city), where Zwingli was pastor; first built 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). 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 Zurich.
St. Peter (downstream from the Fraumünster, in the
old city); with the largest church clock face in the
world.
Museums
Zurich Museum of Art – The Museum of Art, also known
as Kunsthaus Zürich, is one of the significant art
museums of Europe. It holds one of the largest
collections in Classic Modern Art in the world
(Munch, Picasso, Braque, Giacometti, etc.). The
museum also features a large library collection of
photographs.
Swiss National Museum – The National Museum (German:
Landesmuseum) displays many objects that illustrate
the cultural and historical background of
Switzerland. It also contains many ancient
artifacts, including stained glass, costumes,
painted furniture and weapons. The museum is located
in the Platzspitz park opposite to the Hauptbahnhof.
Centre Le Corbusier – Located on the shore of the
Lake Zurich nearby Zürichhorn, the Centre Le
Corbusier (also named: Heidi Weber Museum), is an
art museum dedicated to the work of the Swiss
architect Le Corbusier, inside the last house he
designed.
Rietberg Museum – The Rietberg Museum, situated in
Gablerstrasse, is one of the great repositories of
art and culture in Zurich. The museum also displays
exhibits gathered from various corners of the world:
bronze artifacts from Tibet, ceramics and jade,
Indian sculpture, Chinese grave decorations, masks
by African tribes etc.
Museum of Design – The Museum of Design is a museum
for industrial design, visual communication,
architecture and craft. It is part of the Department
of Cultural Analysis of the Zurich University of the
Arts.
Haus Konstruktiv – The Haus Konstruktiv is a museum
with Swiss-wide and international recognition. The
museum is about constructive, concrete and
conceptual art and design. It testimonies to
Zurich’s industrial architecture in the immediate
vicinity of the Main Station.
Uhrenmuseum Beyer – The Uhrenmuseum is located in
the heart of the city. Documenting the history of
timekeeping and timekeepers, the museum is home to a
large collection of mechanical timepieces as well as
a collection of primitive time keeping devices such
as water clocks, sundials and hourglasses
Guild houses – The Guild houses (German: Zunfthaus)
are located along the Limmat river (downstream from
the Grossmünster): Meisen (also a porcellan and
fayence museum), Rüden, Haue, Saffran, Schneidern,
Schmiden, Zimmerleuten, and some more.
Tram Museum - The Tram Museum is located at Burgwies
in Zurich's eastern suburbs, and chronicles the
history of Zurich's iconic tram system with exhibits
varying in date from 1897 to the present day.
Parks and nature
Zoological Garden – The zoological garden holds
about 260 species of animals and houses about 2200
animals. One can come across separate enclosures of
snow leopards, India lions, clouded leopards, Amur
leopards, otters and pandas in the zoo.
Botanical Garden – The Botanical Garden houses about
15,000 species of plants and trees and contains as
many as three million plants. In the garden, many
rare plant species from south western part of
Africa, as well as from New Caledonia can be found.
The University of Zurich holds the ownership of the
Botanical Garden.
Chinese Garden – The Chinese Garden is a gift by
Zurich's Chinese partner town Kunming, as remiscence
for Zurich's technical and scientific assistance in
the development of the Kunming city drinking water
supply and drainage. The garden is an expression of
one of the main themes of Chinese culture, the
«Three Friends of Winter» – three plants that
together brave the cold season – pine, bamboo, and
plum.
Üetliberg – Located to the west of the city at an
altitude of 813 metres (2,667 ft) above sea level,
the Üetliberg is the highest hill and offers views
over the city. The summit is easily accessible by
train from Zurich main station.
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