Zürich
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2008-07-11T18:12:49Z
NawlinWiki
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Protected Zürich: no reason to move this page w/o discussion [move=sysop]
{{otherusesof|Zurich}}
{{Infobox Swiss town
| subject_name = Zürich
| municipality_name = Zürich
| municipality_type = municipality
| imagepath_coa = Ch zh wappen stadt.gif|pixel_coa=
| map = Karte Gemeinde Zürich.png
| languages = German
| canton = Zürich
| iso-code-region = CH-ZH
| district = Zürich
| lat_d=47|lat_m=22|lat_NS=N|long_d=8|long_m=33|long_EW=E
| postal_code = 8000-8099
| municipality_code = 0261
| area = 91.88
| elevation = 408|elevation_description=|lowest=[[Limmat]]|lowest_m=392|highest=[[Uetliberg]]|highest_m=871
| population = 376815|populationof = December 2007
| website = www.stadt-zuerich.ch
| mayor = Elmar Ledergerber|mayor_asof=2008|mayor_party=SPS
| mayor_title = Stadtpräsident|list_of_mayors = List of mayors of Zurich
| places =
| neighboring_municipalities= [[Adliswil]], [[Dübendorf]], [[Fällanden]], [[Kilchberg, Zurich|Kilchberg]], [[Maur, Switzerland|Maur]], [[Oberengstringen]], [[Opfikon]], [[Regensdorf]], [[Rümlang]], [[Schlieren, Zürich|Schlieren]], [[Stallikon]], [[Uitikon]], [[Urdorf]], [[Wallisellen]], [[Zollikon]]
| twintowns = [[Kunming]] (China), [[San Francisco]] (United States)
|}}
[[Image:Zuerich vier Kirchen.jpg|thumb|265px|View of the inner city with the four main churches visible, and the Albis in the backdrop]]
'''Zürich''' ({{audio-de|Zürich|de-Zürich.ogg}} {{IPA-all|ˈtsyːʁɪç}}, [[Zürich German]]: ''Züri'' {{IPA|[ˈtsyɾi]}}, {{lang-fr|Zurich}} {{IPA|[zyʁik]}}, {{lang-it|Zurigo}} {{IPA|[dzuˈɾiːgo]}}; in English generally '''Zurich''' {{IPAlink-en|ˈzjuːrɪk}}) is the largest city in [[Switzerland]] (population: 376,815 at the end of 2007; population of urban area is 1,007,972) and capital of the [[canton of Zürich]]. 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 several surveys from 2006 to 2008, Zürich was named the city with the "best quality of life" in the world.<ref>[http://www.citymayors.com/features/quality_survey.html City Mayors: Best cities in the world (Mercer)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.mercerhr.com/knowledgecenter/reportsummary.jhtml/dynamic/idContent/1128060#top50all Highlights from the 2007 Quality of Living Survey<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
== Name ==
The earliest known form of the city's name is ''[[Turicum]]'', attested on a [[tombstone]] of the late [[2nd century]] CE in the form ''STA(tio) TURICEN(sis)'' ("Turicum tax post"). Neither the name's linguistic origin (most likely [[Raetic_language|Rhaetic]] or [[Celtic language|Celtic]]) nor its meaning can be determined with certainty. A possibility is derivation from ''*Turīcon'', from the [[Gaulish]] [[personal name]] ''Tūros''.<ref>[[Andres Kristol]], ''Zürich ZH (Zürich)'' in: ''Dictionnaire toponymique des communes suisses – Lexikon der schweizerischen Gemeindenamen – Dizionario toponomastico dei comuni svizzeri (DTS|LSG)'', [[Centre de dialectologie]], [[Université de Neuchâtel]], [[Verlag Huber]], [[Frauenfeld]]/[[Stuttgart]]/[[Wien]] 2005, ISBN 3-7193-1308-5 und [[Éditions Payot]], Lausanne 2005, ISBN 2-601-03336-3, p. 992f.</ref>
A first development towards its later, [[Germanic languages|Germanic]] form is attested as early as the [[6th century]] CE with the form ''Ziurichi''. From the [[10th century]] onward, the name has more or less clearly been established as ''Zürich'' (''Zurih'' (857), Zurich (924)).<ref>''Zürcher Ortsnamen - Entstehung und Bedeutung]'', H. Kläuli, V. Schobinger, [[Zürcher Kantonalbank]] (1989), p. 109.</ref> Note that in the modern [[Zürich German|Zürich dialect]], the name has lost its final ''ch'' [x]. This is [[hypocoristic]] rather than the result of a regular sound change, and the adjective remains ''[[:wikt:Zürcher|Zürcher]]'' {{IPA|['tsyr.xer]}} also in dialect.
== History ==
{{main|History of Zürich}}
[[Image:Zurich.jpeg|thumb|left|250px|General view showing Grossmünster church.]]
In [[Roman Gaul|Roman times]], ''Turicum'' was a tax-collecting point at the border of [[Gallia Belgica]] (from AD 90 [[Germania superior]]) and [[Raetia]] for goods trafficked on the [[Limmat]] 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, [[Canton of Uri|Uri]], and the [[Albis]] forest, and granted the convent immunity, placing it under his direct authority.
In 1045, King [[Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor|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.
[[Image:Murerplan Zuerich.jpg|thumb|300px|The ''[[Murerplan]]'' of 1576]]
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, Holy Roman 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'' ([[Zünfte of Zürich|guild]] laws) in 1336 by [[Rudolf Brun]], who also became the first independent mayor, i.e. not assigned by the abbess.
The famous [[illuminated manuscript]] known as The [[Manesse Codex]], now in [[Heidelberg]] - described as "the most beautifully illumined German manuscript in centuries;"<ref>Ingeborg Glier, reviewing Koschorreck and Werner 1981 in ''Speculum'' '''59'''.1 (January 1984), p 169.</ref> - was commissioned by the Manesse family of Zürich, copied and illustrated in the city at some time between 1304 and 1340. Producing such a work was a highly expensive prestige project, requiring several years work by highly skilled scribes <ref>Koschorreck and Werner 1981 discern no fewer than eleven scribes, some working simultaneously, in the production.</ref> and miniature painters, and it clearly testifies to the increasing wealth and pride of Zürich citizens in this period.
Zürich joined the [[Switzerland|Swiss confederation]] (which at that time was a loose confederation of ''de facto'' [[Cantons of Switzerland|independent states]]) as the fifth member in 1351 but was expelled in 1440 due to a war with the other member states over the territory of [[Toggenburg (Switzerland)|Toggenburg]] (the [[Old Zürich War]]). Zürich was defeated in 1446, and re-admitted to the confederation in 1450.
[[Huldrych Zwingli|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 urban subjects, following the [[Züriputsch]] of [[6 September]]. Most of the ramparts built in the 17th century were torn down, without ever having been besieged, to allay rural concerns over the city's [[hegemony]]. The [[Treaty of Zurich]] between [[Austria]], [[France]], and [[Sardinia]] was signed in 1859.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_International_Encyclopedia</ref>
From 1847 , the ''Spanisch-Brötli-Bahn'', the first [[railway]] on Swiss territory, connected Zürich with [[Baden, Switzerland|Baden]], putting the [[Zürich Main Station]] at the origin of the Swiss rail network. The present building of the ''Hauptbahnhof'' (main railway station) dates to 1871.
Zürich was [[Bombing of Zurich in World War II|accidentally bombed]] during [[World War II]].
===Coat of arms===
[[Image:Banner Zuerich 1585.jpg|thumb|Banner bearer of Zürich, from a 1585 painting by [[Humbert Mareschet]]]]
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.
<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:zurichcoatofarm.jpg]] -->
== Geography ==
[[Image:Zurich.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Satellite photo of central Zürich]]
The city is situated where the river [[Limmat]] issues from the north-western end of [[Lake Zürich]], about 30 km north of the [[Swiss Alps|Alps]]. Zürich is surrounded by wooded hills including (from the north) the Gubrist, the Hönggerberg, the Käferberg, the [[Zürichberg]], the Adlisberg and the Oettlisberg on the eastern shore; and the [[Uetliberg]] (part of the [[Albis]] range) on the western shore. The river [[Sihl]] meets with the Limmat at the end of Platzspitz, which borders the [[Swiss National Museum]] (''Landesmuseum''). The geographic (and historic) center of the city is the [[Lindenhof]] a small natural hill on the left bank of the river [[Limmat]], about 700 meters north of where the river issues from [[Lake Zürich]]. Today the incorporated city stretches somewhat beyond its natural hydrographic confines given by its hills and includes some neighborhoods to the northeast in the Glattal (valley of the river Glatt).
===Climate===
{{clear}}
{{Infobox Weather
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|location = Zürich, Switzerland
|Jan_Hi_°F = 36 |Jan_Hi_°C = 2
|Feb_Hi_°F = 41 |Feb_Hi_°C = 5
|Mar_Hi_°F = 48 |Mar_Hi_°C = 9
|Apr_Hi_°F = 55 |Apr_Hi_°C = 13
|May_Hi_°F = 64 |May_Hi_°C = 18
|Jun_Hi_°F = 70 |Jun_Hi_°C = 21
|Jul_Hi_°F = 75 |Jul_Hi_°C = 24
|Aug_Hi_°F = 73 |Aug_Hi_°C = 23
|Sep_Hi_°F = 68 |Sep_Hi_°C = 20
|Oct_Hi_°F = 57 |Oct_Hi_°C = 14
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|Year_Hi_°F = 55 |Year_Hi_°C = 13
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|Year_Precip_inch = 42.4 |Year_Precip_cm = |Year_Precip_mm = 1102.4
|source =Weatherchannel<ref name=weatherchannel>{{cite web
| url =http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/SZXX0033?from=36hr_bottomnav_business |title=Historical Weather for Zurich, Switzerland | accessdate=2007-11-12
| language = English }}</ref>
|accessdate = Nov 2007
}}
=== City districts ===
[[Image:Switzerland-Zurich-aerialview.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Aerial photo of central and western Zürich]]
[[Image:Karte Zurcher Stadt.png|right|thumb|200px|The location of District 1 within the city of Zürich.]]
The previous boundaries of the city of Zürich (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 Zürich 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 Language|German]]), numbered 1 to 12, each one of which may contain anywhere between 1 and 4 neighborhoods:
*[[District 1 (Zürich)|District 1]], known as '''Altstadt''', contains the old town, both to the right and the left of the [[Limmat]] river.
*[[District 2 (Zürich)|District 2]] lies along the left side of [[Lake Zurich]], and contains the neighborhoods of Enge, Wollishofen and Leimbach.
*[[District 3 (Zürich)|District 3]], known as '''Wiedikon''' is between the [[Sihl]] river and the [[Uetliberg]], and contains the neighborhood of Alt-Wiedikon, Sihlfeld and Friesenberg.
*[[District 4 (Zürich)|District 4]], known as '''Aussersihl''' is between the [[Sihl]] river and the train tracks leaving [[Zürich Main Station]].
*[[District 5 (Zürich)|District 5]], known as '''Industriequartier''' (Industrial area), is between the [[Limmat]] river and the train tracks leaving [[Zürich Main Station]], it contains the former industrial area of Zürich.
*[[District 6 (Zürich)|District 6]] is on the edge of the [[Zürichberg]], a hill overlooking the eastern part of the city. District 6 contains the neighborhoods of [[Oberstrass]] and [[Unterstrass]].
*[[District 7 (Zürich)|District 7]] is on the edge of the [[Adlisberg]] as well as the [[Zürichberg]], on the eastern side of the city. District 7 contains the neighborhoods of [[Hottingen (Zürich)|Hottingen]] and [[Hirslanden]].
*[[District 8 (Zürich)|District 8]], known as '''Riesbach''', on the eastern side of [[Lake Zurich]].
*[[District 9 (Zürich)|District 9]] is between the [[Limmat]] on the north and the [[Uetliberg]] on the south. District 9 contains the neighborhood of [[Altstetten]] and [[Albisrieden]].
*[[District 10 (Zürich)|District 10]] is to the right of the [[Limmat]] and to the south of the Hönggerberg and the Käferberg. District 10 contains the neighborhoods of [[Höngg]] and [[Wipkingen]].
*[[District 11 (Zürich)|District 11]] is in the area north of the Hönggerberg and Käferberg and between the Glatt valley and the [[Katzensee]] (Katzen Lake). It contains the neighborhoods of [[Affoltern (Zürich)|Affoltern]], [[Oerlikon (Zürich)|Oerlikon]] and [[Seebach (Zürich)|Seebach]].
*[[District 12 (Zürich)|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 Zürich.
{{Wide image|Zuerich.jpg|1800px|The view of [[Zürich]] from the [[Uetliberg]].}}
==Transport==
[[Image:Trams in Zurich.jpg|thumb|250px|Trams in Zürich]]
Zürich is a hub for rail, road, and air traffic. It has several railway stations, including '''[[Zürich Main Station]]''', [[Zürich Oerlikon|Oerlikon]], [[Zürich Stadelhofen|Stadelhofen]], [[Zürich Hardbrücke|Hardbrücke]], [[Zürich Tiefenbrunnen|Tiefenbrunnen]], [[Zürich Enge|Enge]], [[Zürich Wiedikon|Wiedikon]] and [[Zürich Altstetten|Altstetten]]. The [[Cisalpino]], [[InterCityExpress]], and even the [[France|French]] [[TGV]] high-speed trains stop in Zürich.
The [[A1 (Switzerland)|A1]], [[A3 (Switzerland)|A3]] and [[A4 (Switzerland)|A4]] motorways pass close to Zürich. The A1 heads west towards [[Bern]] 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]].
[[Zürich International Airport]] in [[Kloten]] is located less than 10 kilometres northeast of the city. There is also an airfield in [[Dübendorf]], although it only used for military aviation.
Within Zürich and throughout the canton of Zürich, the [[ZVV]] network of public transport has traffic density ratings among the highest worldwide. If you add frequency, which in Zürich can be as often as 7 minutes, it does become the densest across all dimensions. Three means of mass-transit exist: the S-Bahn (local trains), [[Zürich trams|tram]]s, and [[bus]]es (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 a cable car between Adliswil and Felsenegg. Tickets purchased for a trip are valid on all means of public transportation (train, tram, bus, boat).
== Demographics ==
There are officially 376,815 people (since Dec. 31st 2007) living in Switzerland's largest city. 30.6% of the registered inhabitants of Zürich do not hold [[Swiss]] citizenship, which is 115,379 people.<ref>[http://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/internet/stat/home/publikationen/regelmaessige-publikationen/quartalsweise_erscheinende/2007_4Q_BEV.ParagraphContainerList.ParagraphContainer0.ParagraphList.0002.File.pdf/BEV_4Q_2007.pdf Statistical Office of the City of Zürich]</ref> [[Germany|German]] citizens make up the largest group of foreigners in the city with 22.0%, followed by immigrants from [[Kosovo]], [[Albania]], [[Italy]]. The population of the city proper including suburbs 1.08 million people.<ref>[http://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/internet/mm/home/mm_08/02_08/080222a.ParagraphContainerList.ParagraphContainer0.ParagraphList.0012.File.pdf/080222%20MM%20Bev%C3%B6lkerung_2007.pdf Statistical Office of the City of Zürich]</ref> However, the entire metropolitan area (including the cities of [[Winterthur]], [[Baden, Switzerland|Baden]], [[Brugg]], [[Schaffhausen]], [[Frauenfeld]], [[Uster]]/[[Wetzikon]], [[Rapperswil-Jona]] and [[Zug]]) has a population of around 1.68 million people.<ref>[http://www.statistik.zh.ch/raum/agglomerationen.php?p=3 Statistical Office of the Canton of Zürich]</ref>
=== Languages ===
The official language used by the government and in most publications is [[German Language|German]], while the most commonly spoken dialect in Zürich is Zürichdeutsch ([[Zürich German]]), which is a local dialect of [[Swiss German]]. As of 2000, German is the mother-tongue of 77.7% of the population. [[Italian language|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 language|Serbian]], [[Croatian language|Croatian]], [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]], and [[Slovenian language|Slovenian]]), [[Spanish language|Spanish]] (2.2%), [[French language|French]] (2.1%), [[English language|English]] (1.8%), [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] (1.6%), [[Albanian language|Albanian]] (1.5%).<ref>[http://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/internet/stat/home/Dienstleistungen/projekte.ParagraphContainerList.ParagraphContainer0.ParagraphList.0009.File.pdf/Volkszaehlungsflyer.pdf Population Numbers Flyer (German)]</ref>
=== Religion ===
Since the reformation led by [[Huldrych Zwingli]], Zürich has remained the center and stronghold of [[Protestantism]] in [[Switzerland]]. In the course of the 20th century, this has changed slightly as [[Catholicism|Catholics]] now make up the largest religious group in the city, with 33.3%.<ref>[https://data.statistik.zh.ch/infospc/geport/gemeinde.jsp?bfs=171 Gemeinde Zürich:<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> More and more inhabitants of the city declare themselves as being without religion (this was 16.8% of the population in 2000).
=== Social ===
The level of unemployment in Zürich is 2.6%<ref>http://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/internet/stat/home/key_figures/Arbeitslose.html</ref> (August 2007). About 4% of the city population (15,500 people) live either directly or indirectly on welfare from the state (April 2005).<ref>[http://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/content/internet/sd/sub_navi_sd/info_departement/zahlen_und_fakten/existenzsicherung.direct.ParagraphContainerList.ParagraphContainer0.ParagraphList.0008.Image.gif Population chart]</ref>
== Sights ==
[[Image:Zueri waid.jpg|thumb|150px|left|View over Zürich from the Waid]]
[[Image:Uetliberg Zurich.jpg|thumb|200px|right|View over Zürich from the Üetliberg]]
[[Image:Switzerland-Zurich-StPeter-Clock.jpg|thumb|right|130px|Clock on [[St. Peter, Zürich|St. Peter Church]]]]
*[[Grossmünster]] (great [[minster (cathedral)|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 architecture|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 Zürich.
===Churches===
*[[St. Peter, Zürich|St. Peter]] (downstream from the Fraumünster, in the old city); with the [[List of biggest clock faces|largest clock face in Europe]]
{{wide image|Zurich Panorama.jpg|1700px|Along the river with several churches in the background}}
===Museums===
{{examplefarm}}
*[[Museum Bärengasse]], history of the city in the 17th century
*[[Kunsthaus Zürich]], one of the largest collections in Classic Modern Art in the world (Munch, Picasso, Braque, Giacometti, etc.) [http://www.kunsthaus.ch]
*[[Museum Rietberg]], Arts of Asia, Africa, America and Oceania [http://www.rietberg.ch]
*[[Museum Bellerive]], Museum for fashion, architecture and design [http://www.museum-bellerive.ch], located in a villa on the beach of the lake
*[[Kunsthalle Zürich]] [http://www.kunsthallezurich.ch/english.html]
*[[Migros Museum]], modern and avantgarde international Art. [http://www.migrosmuseum.ch]
*[[Museum of Design Zürich]] [http://www.museum-gestaltung.ch/E_welcome.html]
*[[Swiss National Museum]] (''Landesmuseum'') [http://www.musee-suisse.com/e/], located in the Platzspitz park opposite to the main station
*[[Johann Jacobs Museum]], history of colonial Fine Food and coffee [http://www.johann-jacobs-museum.ch/english/museum]
*[[Johanna Spyri Museum]] [http://www.johanna-spyri-museum.ch]
*[[Haus Konstruktiv]] [http://www.hauskonstruktiv.ch], constructive, concrete and conceptual art and design
*[[NONAM]] North American Native Museum [http://www3.stzh.ch/internet/zuerichkultur/home/institutionen/home/redirect_nn/nonam/nonam.html]
*[[Museum of the History of Medicine]]
===Other sights===
*[[Lindenhof]] near St. Peter; site of the Roman and medieval castle.
*Guild houses along the river (downstream from the Grossmünster)
*Old town (Altstadt), District 1, on both sides of the river
*[[Bahnhofstrasse, Zürich]] (shopping avenue) starting at main train station
*[[Parade-Platz]], Plaza in the middle of [[Bahnhofstrasse, Zürich]], a center of financial activity, with the world-headquarters of several Swiss banks including [[UBS AG|UBS]] and [[Credit Suisse]].
*[[Zürich Zoologischer Garten|Zoological garden]] [http://www.zoo.ch/index.php?L=3]
*[[Masoala Rainforest Ecosystem]] Great Glass Hall in the Zoological garden with trees, flowers and animals in liberty from the rainforest of [[Masoala National Park]] in Madagascar [http://www.zoo.ch/Masoala.967.0.html?&L=3]
*[[Botanical Garden of the University of Zürich]] [http://www.bguz.unizh.ch]
*[[Chinese Garden, Zürich]] [http://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/internet/chg/home.html]
*[[Neu Oerlikon]], part of City District [[Oerlikon (Zürich)|Oerlikon]]: northern quarter of the city - Oerliker Park, MFO Park, Center-11 Building, [[Price Waterhouse]] Building, [[Asea Brown Boveri|ABB]] Building, [[UBS AG|UBS]] Building, and other modern public spaces. [http://www.neuoerlikon.ch/site/leben/leben.html]
*[[Lake Zürich]], running from Zürich to [[Rapperswil]] and linking with the [[Obersee]]
*[[Uetliberg]], a hill to the west of the city at an altitude of 813 meters above sea level, with [[Uetlibergturm TV-tower]]
*[[Fluntern Cemetery]]
*[[Cabaret Voltaire (Zürich)|Cabaret Voltaire]], birthplace of [[Dada]]
== Business, industry and commerce ==
[[Image:GZA.png|thumb|300px|the approximate extent of Greater Zürich Area is marked in green.]]
[[UBS AG|UBS]], [[Credit Suisse]], [[Swiss Re]], [[Zurich Financial Services]], and many other financial institutions have their headquarters in Zürich, the commercial center of Switzerland. Zürich is one of the world biggest centre for offshore banking. The financial sector accounts for about one quarter of the city's economic activities. {{Fact|date=February 2008}} The [[Swiss Stock Exchange]] is located in Zürich (see also [[Swiss banking]]).
Zürich is a leading financial centre and has repeatedly been proclaimed the [[global city]] with the best quality of life anywhere in the world.<ref name=mercer>{{cite web | url=http://www.mercerhr.com/referencecontent.jhtml?idContent=1173105 | title=Worldwide Quality of Living Survey | accessdate=2007-07-17}}</ref> The [[Greater Zurich Area]] is Switzerland’s economic center 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). {{Fact|date=May 2007}}
===Contributory factors to economic strength===
{{Refimprove|date=November 2006}}
The success of the Greater Zürich Economic Area as one of the most important in the world is due to many factors: 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. This practice often causes conflicts with Switzerland's neighbours in Europe, who do not like this type of successful and aggressive strategy for attracting large corporations and service/research centers, such as [[IBM]], [[General Motors Europe]], [[Toyota Europe]], [[UBS]], [[Credit Suisse]], [[Google]], [[Microsoft]],[[ABB Ltd.]], and [[Degussa]]. The fact that Switzerland does not have an inheritance tax is also an important attraction for wealthy private persons.
Another reason for the economic success of Zürich is the extensive research and educational (R&D) field of the city. The [[ETH Zurich]] is ranked alongside the [[University of Zurich]]: there are more than 58,000 students. The reservoir for qualified employees is therefore impressive.
A new multi-purpose area in southern Zürich (Sihlcity) ([http://www.sihlcity.ch/]) has opened its doors on March 22,2007, spread over 100,000 square metres in the center of Zürich. Among other things it includes a shopping center and a movie theater. Sihlcity was built on the foundations of the former Sihl Paper Factory.
Other data: Switzerland scored in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2005 within 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.
The high quality of life has been cited as a likely reason for the presence of international economic growth in Zürich. [[Mercer (consulting firms)|Mercer]] has ranked Zürich as the city with the highest quality of life anywhere in the world<ref name=mercer>{{cite web | url=http://www.mercerhr.com/referencecontent.jhtml?idContent=1173105 | title=Worldwide Quality of Living Survey | accessdate=2006-12-11}}</ref> for the fourth consecutive time. [[Berne]] and [[Geneva]] were also ranked among the Top 10. Statistics show that in the productive sector of the city 60% speak German, 43% English, 30% French and 13% Italian. As such, the city is home to a considerable number of people speaking at least two or three languages.
=== The Swiss stock exchange ===
[[Image:Börsezürich.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[SWX Swiss Exchange|Swiss stock Exchange]] in Zürich.]]
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 2007 of 1,780,499.5 million [[Swiss franc|CHF]]; the number of transactions arrived in the same period at 35,339,296 and the [[Swiss Performance Index]] (SPI) arrived at a total market capitalization of 1,359,976.2 million [[CHF]].<ref>[http://www.swx.com/annual_data/2007/j07_2_1.xls] Market capitalization of listed securities, 2000-2007</ref><ref>[http://www.swx.com/annual_data/2007/j07_7_1.xls] Key figures: annual turnover and trades, 1998-2007</ref>
The [[SWX]] Swiss Exchange goes back more than 150 years. In 1996, fully electronic trading replaced the traditional floor trading system at the [[stock exchange]]s of [[Geneva]] (founded in 1850), Zürich (1873) and [[Basel]] (1876).
== Government ==
The legislative power is in hands of the city parliament that is called "Gemeinderat". It consist of 125 members elected by the people of Zurich.<ref>[http://www.gemeinderat-zuerich.ch/ Official site of the city parliament in German]</ref>
The executive power is being executed by the city council named "Stadtrat". Similar to the city parliament the councillors are also elected by the people of Zurich. Each councillor is responsible for a specific department. One member of the council is also acting as city president which best could be described as [[mayor|the mayor]]. Current city president is [[List_of_mayors_of_Zurich|Elmar Ledergerber]].
== Education and research ==
Zürich is home to many universities, colleges and gymnasiums. Two of Switzerland's most distinguished universities are located in the city. The technical university [[ETH Zürich]] which is controlled by the state and the [[University of Zürich]] that is under direction of the canton of Zurich. Both universities are well-known and have an international reputation. They were listed in the top 200 world universities rated in 2007.<ref>[http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/hybrid.asp?typeCode=144 Times Higher Education Supplement]</ref>
== Media ==
Many large [[Switzerland|Swiss]] media conglomerates are headquartered in Zürich, such as [[tamedia]], [[Ringier]] and the [[NZZ-Verlag]]. Because of this, Zürich is one of the most important media locations in the German-speaking part of [[Switzerland]]. This status has been recently reinforced by the increase in availability of online publications published in Zürich.
=== Television ===
The headquarters of [[Switzerland]]'s national [[German-language]] television network ([[SF]]) are located in the Leutschenbach neighborhood, to the north of the [[Oerlikon]] train station. Regional television network [[TeleZüri]] (Zürich Television) has its headquarters near Escher-Wyss Platz. The production facilities for private networks Star TV, u1 TV and 3+ are located in [[Schlieren, Zürich|Schlieren]].
=== Radio ===
One section of the [[Swiss]] German-language public radio station [[DRS]] is located in Zürich. There are other local radio stations broadcasting from Zürich, such as Radio 24 on the Limmatstrasse, Energy Zürich in Seefeld, Radio LoRa and Radio 1 (on the frequency of former Radio Tropic). There are other radio stations that operate only during certain parts of the year, such as CSD Radio (May/June), Radio [[Streetparade]] (July/August) and rundfunk.fm (August/September).
=== Daily newspapers ===
There are three large daily newspapers published in Zürich that are known across Switzerland. The [[Neue Zürcher Zeitung]] (NZZ), the [[Tages-Anzeiger]] and the [[Blick]], the largest [[Swiss]] [[tabloid]]. All three of those newspapers publish Sunday editions. These are the "NZZ am Sonntag", "SonntagsZeitung" and "SonntagsBlick". Besides the three main daily newspapers, there are [[Free daily newspaper|free daily commuter newspapers]] which are widely distributed: ''[[20 Minuten]]'' (20 minutes), published weekdays in the mornings, ''[[.ch (newspaper)|.ch]]'' (weekday morning), ''[[News (newspaper)|News]]'' (weekday morning) and ''[[Blick am Abend (newspaper)|http://www.blick.ch/blickamabend]]'', weekdays but in the late afternoon, and ''Cashdaily''[http://www.cash.ch/daily/], a finance-related weekday free newspaper published in the mornings, but only available at certain branded[http://www.cash.ch/daily/kioske/] newspaper sales [[kiosk]]s.
=== Magazines ===
There are a number of magazines from major publishers that are based in Zürich. Some examples are: [http://www.bilanz.ch/ Bilanz], [[Die Weltwoche]], and [http://www.annabelle.ch/ Annabelle].
==Culture==
===Events===
*[[Street Parade]]
*[[Sechseläuten]], spring festival of the guilds and burning of the [[Böögg]]
*''Zürcher Theater Spektakel'', international theater festival, ranking among the most important European festivals for contemporary performing arts.<ref>[http://www.theaterspektakel.ch/(cyneig45iqfbdv2qwogr1w55)/Frames/index.aspx?Page=default&Parm= Theaterspektakel<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
*''Kunst Zürich'', international contemporary art fair with an annual guest city (New York in 2005); combines most recent and youngest art with the works of well-established artists.<ref>[http://www.kunstzuerich.ch/ Kunst Zürich 2007 | Kunstmesse Zürich<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
*Annual public city campaign, sponsored by the City Vereinigung (the local equivalent of a [[chamber of commerce]]) with the cooperation of the city government. Past themes have included lions (1986), cows (1998), benches (2003), and teddy bears (2005).
*[[Weltklasse Zürich]], annual track and field athletics meeting held every August<ref>www.weltklasse.ch</ref>
*''freestyle.ch'', one of the biggest freestyle events in Europe<ref>www.freestyle.ch</ref>
*''Zürifäscht'', a triennial public festival featuring music, fireworks, and other attractions throughout the old town. It is the largest public festival in Switzerland, attended by up to 2 million visitors. The next Zürifäscht is scheduled for July 2 to 4, 2010.<ref>[http://www.zuerifaescht.ch/2007/ ZÜRI FÄSCHT 2010<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
=== Art movements born in Zürich ===
*Zürich is the home of the [[Cabaret Voltaire (Zürich)|Cabaret Voltaire]] where the [[Dada movement]] began in 1916. Visit at the Spiegelgasse/Niederdorf-Corner the Cabaret Voltaire Museum.
*Constructive Art Movement took also one of the first steps in Zürich. Artists like [[Max Bill]], [[Marcel Breuer]], [[Camille Graeser]] or [[Richard Paul Lohse]] had their ateliers in Zürich, which became even more important after the takeover of power by the Nazi-Regime in Germany and World War II. Visit the museum at the [[Haus Konstruktiv]].
=== Opera, ballet and theaters ===
*[[Zurich Opera House|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.[http://www.opernhaus.ch/e/index.php?]
*[[Schauspielhaus Zürich]]: 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]].[http://www.schauspielhaus.ch]
*[[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.[http://www.theaterneumarkt.ch/]
*[[Theater der Künste]]: Official theater of the Zurich University of the Arts.[http://www.theaterderkuenste.ch/] Next to the Theater Gessnerallee and the [[Bahnhofstrasse]] - the main shopping street of the city.
=== Nightlife and clubbing ===
[[Image:Zurich late.jpg|thumb|210px|right|Zürich's old town at night]]
Zürich offers a lot of variety when it comes for night-time leisure. It is the host city of the world-famous [[Street Parade]], which takes place in August every year.
The most famous districts for Nightlife are the [[Niederdorf district|Niederdorf]] in the old town 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. There are 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.
In the past ten years new parts of the city have risen into the spotlight. Notably, the area known as [[Zürich West]] in district 5, near the Escher-Wyss square and the S-Bahn Station of [[Hardbrücke]]. This area has become the new up-and-coming part of Zürich with its avant-garde cinemas, music clubs, lounges, restaurants, cafés and bars.
===Sports===
Football is an essential aspect of Sports in Zurich. The [[FIFA|Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)]] resides in town. The city is also home to two major Swiss football clubs listed in [[Swiss_Super_League|Switzerland's highest league]]; [[Grasshopper-Club Zürich]] founded in 1886 and [[FC Zürich]] which exists since 1896.
Another popular sport in Switzerland, ice hockey, is represented by the [[ZSC Lions]]. The club won this seasons Swiss ice hockey championship. The [[IIHF|International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF)]] officiating as head organisation for ice hockey leagues worldwide is based in Zurich as well.
Major sport events running in Zurich are [[Weltklasse Zürich]], an annual athletic meeting, and the [[Zurich Open]], part of the [[WTA]] tour.
Zürich are co-hosting some of the [[Euro 2008]] games in the Letzigrund Stadion. Work on the new Letzigrund was completed in exceptionally quick time and the stadium opened in August 2007 just one year after the demolition of the old arena.
== Notable people ==
People who were born or died in Zürich:
*[[Christoph Froschauer]] (ca. 1490–1 April 1564) Printer of the [[Froschauer Bible]]
*[[Marcel Grossmann]] (1878–1936), mathematician, died in Zürich
*[[Huldrych Zwingli]] (1484–1531), reformer
*[[Conrad Gessner]] (1516–1565), naturalist, born and died in Zürich
*[[Johann Jakob Scheuchzer]] (1672–1733), scholar, born in Zürich
*[[Johann Kaspar Lavater]] (1741–1801), poet and physiognomist, born in Zürich
*[[Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi]] (1746–1827), educational reformer, born in Zürich
*[[James Sadleir]] (c. 1815–1881), fugitive swindler, murdered in Zürich
*[[Gottfried Keller]] (1819–1890), poet, born and died in Zürich
*[[Conrad Ferdinand Meyer]] (1825–1898), poet, born in Zürich
*[[Johanna Spyri]] (1827–1901), author of ''[[Heidi]]'', died in Zürich
*[[Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia]] (1853–1920) Duchess of Edinburgh, died in Zürich
*[[Carl Jung]] (1875–1961) Lived and died in Zurich
*[[Wilhelm Filchner]] (1877–1957), explorer, died in Zürich
*[[James Joyce]] (1882–1941), Irish novelist, died in Zürich (buried at Fluntern cemetery in Zürich)
*[[Pancho Vladigerov]] (1899–1978), Bulgarian composer, born in Zürich
*[[Felix Bloch]] (1905–1983), physicist, born in Zürich
*[[Elias Canetti]] (1905–1994), novelist, died in Zürich
*[[Max Frisch]] (1911–1991), novelist, born and died in Zürich
*[[Hugo Koblet]] (1925–1964), cycling champion
*[[Bruno Ganz]] (born 1941), actor, born in Zürich
*[[Martin Suter]] (born 1948), author, born in Zürich
*[[Lucinda Ruh]] (born 1979), figure skater, born in Zürich
*[[Heinz Günthardt]] (born 1959), professional tennis player, born in Zürich
Famous residents:
*[[Tristan Tzara]] (1915–1919)
*[[Richard Wagner]] (1849–1861)
*[[Albert Einstein]] (1896–1900, 1909–1911, 1912–1914)
*[[Vladimir Lenin]] (1917)
*[[Thomas Mann]] (1933–1942)
*[[Kurt Tucholsky]] (1932–1933)
*[[James Joyce]] (1915–1919)
*[[Udo Jürgens]]
*[[Harald Naegeli]]
*[[Tina Turner]]
*[[Elisabeth Schwarzkopf]]
*[[Andreas Vollenweider]]
*[[Moritz Leuenberger]]
*[[Kimi Räikkönen]]
*[[Yves Netzhammer]]
*[[Gustav Bertha]]
==See also==
*[[List of mayors of Zürich]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{commonscat|Zürich}}
{{Wikisource1913CatholicEnc|Zurich}}
*[http://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/ Stadt Zürich] {{de icon}} Official site
*[http://www.zuerich.com/en/welcome.cfm Zürich Tourism] Official site
*{{wikitravel}}
*[http://www.visitzurich.org/attractions.html Zürich Top 10 Attractions]
{{Canton Zurich}}
{{Cantonal capitals of Switzerland}}
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[[Category:Cantonal capitals of Switzerland|Zurich]]
[[Category:Canton of Zürich|Zurich (capital)]]
[[Category:Cities in Switzerland|Zurich]]
[[Category:Districts of Switzerland]]
[[Category:Orthodox Jewish communities]]
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