Zurich

Zurich (in German, Zürich) is the largest city in Switzerland (population 350,000). 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 city is Switzerland's main commercial and banking centre, and home to Switzerland's largest airport.

Table of contents 1 Geography 2 Sights 3 Industry and commerce 4 Sport 5 Education and research 6 History 7 Famous children of Zurich 8 Airports 9 External links

Geography

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

Sights

• Grossmünster (great minster) (near Lake Zurich, 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 (lime 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 (directly opposite Zürich's main train station.)
• Art Museum (Kunsthaus Zürich)
• Zoological garden

Industry and commerce

UBS, Credit Suisse and many private banks have their headquarters in Zurich. Commercial center of Switzerland.

Sport

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

Education and research

• ETH Zurich
• University of Zurich[?]

History

• settlement in the Bronze age
• Roman town
• Free imperial town
• Joined Swiss confederation in 1351 (then not one country but a confederation of eight independent states)
• Zwingli started the Swiss reformation when main preacher in Zurich (lived there from 1518 to his death in 1531).

Famous children of Zurich

• Gottfried Keller (poet)
• Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (poet)

Airports

• Zurich International Airport

External links

• Zurich News (http://www.zuerich.ch/)
• City of Zurich (http://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/), official site in German.

Fraumünster church

St. Peter