From Central, the narrow
pedestrian-only streets of the
medieval
Niederdorf
district stretch south along the
east bank of the River Limmat,
tranquil during the day and
bustling after dark. The
waterfront is lined with fine
Baroque
Zunfthäuser
(guildhalls), arcaded lower
storeys fronting the quayside,
their extravagantly decorated
dining-rooms now mostly upmarket
restaurants. One block in is
Niederdorfstrasse
, initially tacky, but offering
plenty of opportunities to explore
atmospheric cobbled side-alleys
and secluded courtyards:
Spiegelgasse 14 was Lenin's digs
in 1917 (pre-Revolution), and a
pub at Spiegelgasse 1 - long since
renovated - housed the original
Cabaret
Voltaire , birthplace of the
Dada art movement. Just south is Zurich's
trademark
Grossmünster
(Mon-Sat 9/10am-4/6pm), where
Huldrych Zwingli, father of Swiss
Protestantism, began preaching in
1519. Its exterior is largely
fifteenth-century, while its twin
towers were topped with
distinctive octagonal domes three
hundred years later. The interior
is austere but for the intensely
coloured choir windows by Augusto
Giacometti and the Romanesque
crypt which contains an oversized
fifteenth-century statue of
Charlemagne, popularly associated
with the foundation of the church
in the ninth century. As you
leave, a door on the right gives
into the atmospheric
cloister
. Alleys behind the church lead up
the hill to Switzerland's best
gallery, the
Kunsthaus
(Tues-Thurs 10am-9pm, Fri-Sun
10am-5pm; Sfr6, free on Sun;
www.kunsthaus.ch
). Some fascinating late-Gothic
paintings, a roomful of Venetian
masters and fine Flemish work are
fleshed out by Swiss artists,
among them Füssli, whose macabre
fantasies contrast with the
restrained classicism of his
compatriot Angelika Kauffmann. The
collection of twentieth-century
art is stunning: works by Miró,
Dalí and De Chirico head a
wonderful Surrealist overview;
Picasso, Chagall, Klee and
Kandinsky all have rooms to
themselves; there are two of
Monet's most beautiful waterlily
canvases, plenty of Warhols, an
array of Giacometti's sculpture,
and the largest Munch collection
outside Scandinavia.
The west bank is the
site of most business and
commercial activity. Leading south
from the station, Bahnhofstrasse
is one of the most prestigious
shopping streets in Europe, an
enduring symbol of Zurich's
wealth and a stark counterpoint to
the quaintness of the Niederdorf
alleys. This is the gateway into
the modern city, and is where all
of Zurich strolls, whether to
browse at the inexpensive
department stores that crowd the
first third of the street, or to
sign away Sfr25,000 on a Rolex
watch or a Vuitton bag at the
understated super-chic boutiques
further south. Two-thirds of the
way down is Paradeplatz , a
tram-packed little square offering
some of the best people-watching
in the city, and where most of
Switzerland's banks are
headquartered: Bahnhofstrasse, if
not paved with gold, is at least
founded on the stuff, with ingots
piled high in well-protected
vaults beneath the pavement. The
narrow lanes between
Bahnhofstrasse and the river lead
up to the Lindenhof
courtyard, site of a Roman
fortress and customs post. James
Joyce wrote Ulysses in Zurich
(1915-19), and the Joyce
Foundation, nearby at
Augustinergasse 9, can point you
to his various hangouts, and his
grave. Steps away is the Peterskirche
(Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 8am-4pm),
renowned for the enormous
sixteenth-century clock face - the
largest in Europe - adorning its
medieval tower and a simple
interior that's more like a
ballroom than a church.
Immediately south rises the
slender-spired Gothic Fraumünster
(Mon-Sat 9/10am-4/6pm), which
began life as a convent in 853;
its spectacular stained glass by
Marc Chagall is unmissable.
The Schweizerisches
Landesmuseum (Swiss National
Museum; Tues-Sun 10.30am-5pm;
Sfr5; www.musee-suisse.ch )
is just north of the train
station, an eccentric
nineteenth-century mock castle.
The ground floor is packed with
medieval religious art, including
a panorama of the city of Zurich
painted around 1500 which shows
the grisly end of the city's
patron saints, Felix and Regula,
Christian Romans who deserted,
were chased to Zurich,
decapitated, put on a wheel and
boiled. Upstairs, an extensive
military history section serves as
a reminder of the warlike past of
the Swiss.
