Page 169 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Switzerland

patron saints of Zürich, and Construction of the present Bellevueplatz in the south and
of the city’s legendary links basilica began in about 1100, the Bahnhofbrücke in the
with Emperor Charlemagne. and the west towers were north. The most interesting
The emperor is said to have eventually completed in the stretch of Limmatquai is its
founded Zürich when he dis­ late 15th century. southern section, lined with
covered the graves of Felix It was from the pulpit of the guild houses, which have
and Regula, who deserted a Grossmünster that the human­ been converted into shops
Roman legion in the Valais ist Ulrich Zwingli preached the or restaurants.
and who were martyred for Reformation. In line with Among the finest of these
their Christian faith. reformist ideals, the minster houses are Haus zur Saffran
was stripped of its furnishings at No 54, dating from around
and decoration, so that the 1720; Haus zur Rüden at
12 interior is now almost No 42, dating from the 17th
century; and the adjoining
completely bare. However,
Grossmünster vestiges of Gothic frescoes as Haus zur Zimmerleuten, an
well as the fine Romanesque 18th­century building with
 C3 ⌂ Grossmünsterplatz capitals of the nave survive. a colourful oriel window.
# Cloister and church: Mar–
Oct: 10am–6pm daily; Nov– The Grossmünster’s large
Feb: 10am–5pm Mon–Sat, crypt contains a 15th­century
noon–5pm Sun; tower: Mar– statue of Charlemagne, which 15 \-=
originally graced the south
Oct: 10am–5pm Mon–Sat, Niederdorf
12:30–5:30pm Sun; Nov– tower. (The present statue on
Feb: 10am–4:30pm Mon– the tower is a replica.) Other  C2
Sat, 12:30–4:30pm Sun notable features are its Consisting of a dense network
Romanesque portal, with a
∑ grossmuenster.ch
bronze door (1935), and of cobbled alleys leading
The tall twin towers of the stained­glass windows by towards Limmatquai, this
Grossmünster, or Great Augusto Giacometti (1932). small district constitutes
Minster, dominate Zürich’s the heart of the Old Town’s
skyline from the east bank eastern section. The main
of the Limmat. According to artery through this historic
legend, Charlemagne founded 13 ' district is Niederdor fstrasse,
a church here in the late 8th Rathaus a pedestrianized thoroughfare
to early 9th century, on the  C2 ⌂ Limmatquai 55 that turns into Münstergasse
graves of Felix and Regula. # Only via guided tours: 10– to the south. Niederdorf’s
After they were killed at the 11:30am Tue & Thu (book narrow alleys are lined with
site of the Wasserkirche, one month in advance) antiques shops and art gal­
these martyrs are said to ∑ kantonsrat.zh.ch leries, as well as small hotels,
have carried their heads cafés, restaurants, beer halls
up the hill to the spot now Zürich’s town hall was built on and fast­food outlets.
marked by the Grossmünster. piles driven into the riverbed,
and the waters of the Limmat
flow beneath the platform on
DADA which it stands. The two­storey
building dates from 1694–8.
The avant-garde artistic
movement Dada came The façade is ornamented
to prominence in Zürich with friezes featuring masks,
in around 1916, as an the windows crowned with
anarchic reaction to the broken pediments filled with
senseless carnage of busts. The marble door way
World War I. The focus has gilt decoration. One of its
of the movement was most impressive rooms is the
the Cabaret Voltaire in Baroque council chamber.
Zürich and among its
main exponents were
Tristan Tzara, Hans Arp
and Francis Picabia. 14 \-=
Dada’s aim was to flout Limmatquai
convention and the  C2
traditions of the artis-
tic establishment This riverside boulevard A narrow cobbled street
through irony. follows the east bank of the in the picturesque old
Limmat, running between the quarter of Niederdorf
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