ZURICH
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Zurich is the largest canton and financial center of Switzerland: banks, universities, culture, and a lifestyle where bankers, artists, and students alike feel at home on the shores of a single lake. Zurich is the image of a practically «perfect city.»
ZURICH: ICONIC LANDMARKS
The old town, the lake and the famous Bahnhofstrasse make Zurich both historical and modern.
Zurich grew up at the intersection of water and commerce— where the Limmat River flows out of Lake Zurich. The country's largest city has long been faster-growing than the rest of Switzerland, but its old neighborhoods maintain a balance.
The towers of the Grossmünster and Fraumünster cathedrals rise above the river, and the Lindenhof hill preserves the memory of a Roman outpost. From here, you can clearly see how the Limmat divides the old city into two banks with narrow streets and guild houses. St. Peter's Church stands out with its enormous clock face — the largest in Europe, as if created for a city of bankers and watchmakers.
In Zurich, you can admire Rodin's "The Gates of Hell," albeit a copy. The beauty of this enormous six-meter-tall composition of 186 figures is that many of them have become independent marble sculptures. So, after seeing "The Gates of Hell," you don't need to enter hell itself... at least not right away.
Bahnhofstrasse stretches from the train station to the lake, a strict line of storefronts and bank façades. The city's business character is particularly evident here, where financial institutions stand side by side with jewelry stores and historic confectioneries.
The rhythm changes near the water: the embankments along the lake and the Limmat attract city residents year-round. On clear days, the Alps are visible from here — a rare instance where a business metropolis ends right at the mountain horizon.
ZURICH: COAT OF ARMS' HISTORY
The blue and white colours reflect the traditions of the old city union and its independence.
In ancient times, a Celtic settlement existed on the site of Zurich. After the arrival of the Romans, it received the Roman name Turicum and was used as a customs border post.
Later, Louis the German, ruler of the East Frankish Kingdom, built a castle on the site of Turicum and founded Fraumünster Abbey in the surrounding lands for his daughter Hildegard. In the mid-11th century, Emperor Henry III expanded the rights of the local abbey and effectively made the abbess the head of the city.
Zurich's coat of arms most likely evolved from an old city banner, divided into silver and blue fields. The divided shield was first recorded in 1389 on the seal of the Imperial Court, an institution that existed for only four decades, until the end of the 14th century.
One of the most intriguing theories about the color's origin suggests its adoption from the blue and white coat of arms and banner of the Counts of Lenzburg. This powerful southern German dynasty owned extensive lands around Zurich in the 12th century. After the extinction of the male line, their territories passed to German and Austrian houses, including the Habsburgs. It was the Habsburg expansion into former Lenzburg possessions that became one of the factors in the tensions that led to the creation of the Old Swiss Confederacy in the late 13th century.
Zurich's city seals are even older: they have been known since the early 13th century and invariably depict two local patron saints — Felix and Regula, brother and sister. They were later joined by their servant Exuperantius. All three were early Christian martyrs, according to legend, executed in Zurich. In most medieval depictions, they hold their severed heads in their hands, as if in reproachful acknowledgement of their past.
The result is a peculiar heraldic pun: saints with "split" necks, together with the "split" shield of Zurich — an astonishing coincidence that historians like to mention as one of the rare cases when iconography and heraldry seem to be in dialogue.
It wasn't until 1803 that the city officially incorporated its coat of arms into its seals, although it had been used on coins since 1400. The colors — silver and blue — were fixed in 1437 and became common throughout the canton by the 15th century. Since then, the coat of arms has remained unchanged: a rare example of such consistency among Europe's oldest cities.
While most Swiss cities traditionally use shields without external decorations, Zurich often takes a unique approach. The city's coat of arms features a mural crown — a symbol of the city's status, reminiscent of a stylized fortress tower — and two lions supporting the shield — another sign of Zurich's early wealth and power as a free city.
These elements are optional and are not used by the canton. However, they emphasize Zurich's role as the largest city in Switzerland and the heir to a rich heraldic tradition in which the city has never been shy about displaying its importance.
ZURICH: FUN FACTS
Of the objects that can be complete opposites.
In the Middle Ages, a long ribbon, called a Schwenkel, was sometimes attached to the top edge of banners. Its meaning is still debated, with diametrically opposed opinions. According to one theory, the Schwenkel was a badge of honor, almost like a military medal: it was added only to banners that had distinguished themselves in battle. The ribbon made the flag more visible on the battlefield and served as a sign of respect for the unit carrying it.
According to another, more somber version, the Schwenkel could be attached as a sign of shame if the banner had once been lost or desecrated. In this case, the long ribbon served as a reminder of an old sin that needed to be atoned for with a new act of heroism. Its true meaning, it seems, will remain a mystery. It's possible that in different eras, the Schwenkel signified different things, from an honorable distinction to a disciplinary stigma.
If you suddenly think that Zurich is a strict, controlled, and completely understandable city, recall a scene from the Polish crime comedy film "Hit the Bank II" (1984). There, the heroes are sent to "Zurich," which turns out to be anything but Zurich. Pan Styts, with desperate seriousness, demands, "Zurich me, bitte!" — and in this phrase, one can already hear the slight panic of a man who senses that something isn't adding up.
And there's some truth to this. The real Zurich isn't always immediately revealed — it can seem too perfect, almost like a set. But take a closer look, and behind the perfect façade, a completely different, living story unfolds.
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