Zürich (in English often spelled Zurich, and spelled Zuerich in accordance with conversion of umlauts) is the largest city in Switzerland (population 364,558 in 2002; as agglomeration 1,091,732) and capital of the canton of Zürich. The city is Switzerland's main commercial centre, and home to the country's largest airport. It is also home of the Cabaret Voltaire where the Dada movement began in 1916

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 2nd century AD. The Roman name for the town was Turicum and in the local dialect it is called Züri (pronounced tsyri SAMPA).

Geography

Situated where the river Limmat leaves the Lake Zürich, surrounded by wooded hills. The river Sihl meets with the Limmat at the end of Platzspitz, which borders the Swiss National Museum (Landesmuseum).

Transportation

Zurich is a hub for rail, road and air traffic. The biggest railway station, Zürich Main Station (German: Zürich Hauptbahnhof) is one of Zurich's several stations, with others situated at Zürich Oerlikon, Zürich Stadelhofen, and Zürich Altstetten (to name a few). Zurich Main Station has trains from foreign countries such as Italy, France, Germany and Austria come into the station. The Cisalpino, InterCity Express and even the TCE high-speed trains stop in Zurich.

Zurich is also a road transportation hub. The A1, A3 and A4 expressways leave Zurich (the A1 heads west towards Bern and Geneva, east towards St. Gallen, and the A3 heads northwest towards Basel and southeast towards Sargans.) Numerous other roads link with Zurich as well.

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

Within Zurich and throughout the canton of Zurich, there is a vast network of bus, rail and boat transporation. Trolleybus and even tram services are common in the city of Zurich. The entire system is networked using the ZVV system, a network of different mediums of transportation. Efficient transportation does its part in eliminating traffic problems caused by cars.

Sights

• 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 of Fraumünster, in the old city); with the largest clock face in Europe
• Lindenhof (linden court), near St. Peter; site of the Roman and medieval castle. View over river and old town.
• Guild houses along the river (downstream Grossmünster)
• Old town on both sides of the river

• Bahnhofstrasse (shopping avenue) starting at main train station
• Landesmuseum (Swiss National Museum, directly opposite Zürich's main train station.)
• Art Museum (Kunsthaus Zürich)
• Zoological garden

• Lake Zürich, running from Zurich to Rapperswil and linking with the Obersee
• Uetliberg, at altitude 813 metres above sea level

Industry and Commerce

UBS, Credit Suisse and many private banks have their headquarters in Zürich. Commercial center of Switzerland. The Swiss Stock Exchange is also headquartered in Zurich.

Sport

• Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)
• Swimming in the lake, in the river or in several outdoor swimming pools (June-September)

Education and Research

• ETH Zurich
• University of Zurich

History

Numerous lake side settlements from the Neolithic and Bronze age were found, like Zürich Pressehaus and Zürich Mozartstrasse.

In Roman times, Turicum was a tax collecting point for goods entering the imperial province of Raetia by river. The earliest record of the town's name is preserved on a tombstone found in the 18. century on Lindenhof, referring to the roman castle as STA(tio) TUR(i)CEN(sis).

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 for his daughter Hildegard.

Zürich became a free imperial town (reichsunmittelbar) in 1218 with the extinction of the main line of the Zähringer family. The first mayor was Rudolf Brun (died 1360) who established the Zunftordnung (guild laws) in 1336.

Zürich joined the Swiss confederation (which at that point was a loose confederation of 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 (Alter Zürichkrieg). 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 Zurich. He lived there from 1518 until his death in 1531.

Famous children of Zürich

• Mark Divo artist
• Conrad Gessner
• Gottfried Keller (poet)
• Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (poet)
• Johanna Spyri, author of Heidi
• Huldrych Zwingli, reformer

External links

• Zürich Tourism
• Stadt Zürich, official site in German.
• SWX Swiss Exchange