City guide · Zürich
Zurich
Read the guild-era Old Town on both banks of the Limmat, then take the train to the rest of Switzerland
Zurich's Old Town stretches along the Limmat, where the Lindenhof, churches and guild buildings link remains from the Roman period, the Middle Ages and the Reformation. The lakeshore invites you to slow down; the Kunsthaus and the National Museum add perspectives on art collections and Swiss history respectively. Other places worth seeing in the city: the Old Town, the shore of Lake Zurich, Kunsthaus Zürich, the Swiss National Museum and the Grossmünster. Zurich Main Station is Switzerland's hub for domestic and international rail, making it a good base for planning connections; check platforms and trains before changing for intercity journeys.
History
How the city came to be
People settled around the outflow of Lake Zurich very early, and the tourist office traces the history of lakeshore settlements back about five thousand years. In the 1st century BC, the Romans set up the Turicum customs post here; a fort was later built on the Lindenhof, which also became a landmark for understanding the early city. In 853, the founding of the Fraumünster abbey spurred the growth of this riverside market town. In 1218 Zurich gained the status of a free imperial city, the guild revolution of 1336 changed the structure of city government, and in 1351 it joined the Swiss Confederation. In 1519 Zwingli came to the Grossmünster, and Zurich became an important starting point of the Reformation; later religious refugees and the textile industry added new economic layers to the city. Nineteenth-century industrialisation broadened the city's commercial and industrial base, and the station opened in 1847. Today the religious and guild buildings of the Old Town, the public spaces along the lake, the museums and the main station together show its identity as both a historic city and a centre of Swiss transport and services.
- About 5,000 years agoEarly settlements already exist around the outflow of Lake Zurich.
- 57/58 BCThe Romans set up a customs post at Turicum.
- 853The Fraumünster abbey is founded.
- 1218Zurich becomes a free imperial city.
- 1336Guild political reform changes the structure of power in city government.
- 1351Zurich joins the Swiss Confederation.
- 1519Zwingli begins preaching at the Grossmünster, and the Reformation in Zurich gets under way.
- 1847Zurich Main Station opens.
Must see
Places you shouldn’t miss
Kunsthaus Zürich
On Heimplatz, step into an art collection spread over several buildings and compare Swiss and international modern works.
Swiss National Museum (Landesmuseum Zürich)
From the collections beside the main station, step into Swiss history and compare everyday life across regions and eras.
Zurich Old Town
Walk from the lanes on both banks of the Limmat up to the Lindenhof to discover the continuous history of old Zurich.
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