Top architectural sightseeing and landmarks of Zurich - ideas on city exploration routes

» The Fraumünster is an oldest cathedral founded by King Louis the German in 853. He granted the convent and the surrounding area to his eldest daughter Hildelgard.
»  In the following centuries, the influence of the convent increased every year. In 1045, King Henry III allowed to mint coins on the territory of the cloister.
»  During the Reformation (1524), the convent was dissolved. The Fraumünster church began to decline. Only in 1960 was it decided to restore the church.
»  Artist Marc Chagall was invited for that. He was 83 years old then, but he personally worked on each stained glass window.
»  He created magnificent stained glass windows, which became famous all over the world. Chagall did not take money for his work, and when he was 90 years old, he presented the Fraumünster with a rose window. This stained glass window consists of seven petals symbolizing the seven-day creation of the world. The church has become the main attraction in Zurich.

» The Kunsthaus Zürich is a famous art museum located in Zurich. The collection had been assembled by enthusiastic artists since 1787. Some time later, they bought premises for the museum. The collection was constantly updated with paintings by local artists.
»  In 1910, a new building of the museum was opened. The halls of the museum contain paintings from the 15th century to the present day.
»  The exposition of local Swiss artists includes works by Henry Fuseli, Ferdinand Hodler, Giovanni Segantini. The museum owns the largest collection of works by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch and Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti.
»  The museum exhibits paintings by European artists: Vincent van Gogh, Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall, Claude Monet, Picasso, and others.
»  The museum has a shop selling reproductions, postcards, and other accessories.

» The Zurich Opera House was built in 1834. Richard Wagner worked here after his forced departure from Germany. When the theatre burnt down in 1890, he moved to Zurich’s city theatre.
»  In 1982-84, the theatre was reconstructed: its neoclassical building was richly decorated. The busts of Weber, Wagner, Mozart, Schiller, Shakespeare, and Goethe are installed on the facade. The luxurious auditorium is designed for 1,200 spectators.
»  The Zurich Opera House presents a record number of premieres – 15 performances a year.
»  A distinctive feature of the productions of classic works is their unusual and unconventional character.
»  The theatre organizes tours for visitors. They are shown the theatre workshops producing theatrical props for performances.

» Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) was opened in 1855. The first doctoral dissertation was defended in 1909.
»  Future Nobel Prize winners in various fields of science have studied at the university. The 21 laureates included world-famous scientists. For example, Albert Einstein, a 1921 Nobel laureate in physics, Wilhelm Röntgen, a 1901 laureate.
»  People famous in Russia also studied at the university. These are Ivan Abramovich Morozov, a merchant, collector, philanthropist, Ilya Yevgrafovich Bondarenko, an architect and art historian, Karlis Ulmanis, President of Latvia.
»  17,000 undergraduates and 3,800 graduates study at the technical school. Foreign students from 60 countries are doing their degrees at different faculties. The teaching staff is half composed of foreign scientists.
»  The university is not only an educational institution, but also a large research centre attracting the most promising scientists from around the world.
»  The university has a huge library and archives. The Institute of Technology is considered the most prestigious university in Switzerland and one of the best universities in the world.

» The Botanical Garden of the University of Zurich has an old and new areas. The foundation of the first garden was laid by Conrad Gessner, who assembled a large collection of dried plants.
»  In 1746, his descendant, doctor and naturalist Johannes Gessner, cooperated with the Zurich Botanical Society and founded the garden.
»  Leopold Fröbel, the University’s gardener, took care of the garden. He also created the Palm House (greenhouse) in 1851. It was an eight-angled glassed pavilion. Now it is used for concerts, exhibitions, and performances.
»  When high-rise buildings began to be built around the garden overshadowing it, it was decided to establish a new garden in another place. Villa Schönau was chosen as new grounds.
»  The second garden was opened in 1977 and named Gessner’s Garden. There’s a monument to Conrad Gessner on the site planted with 50 medicinal herbs that were used by healers of the 16th century.

» The Hallenstadion was built in 1939. The ZSK Lions ice hockey team of the Swiss National League trained at the stadium.
»  The stadium is a multi-purpose arena that hosts various sports competitions. The 1998 Ice Hockey World Championship, the 2006 European Handball Championship, and the 2014 European Athletics Championship were held at the stadium.
»  Every year, the stadium hosts IAAF Golden League athletics competitions and the Zurich Open, women’s tennis tournament.
»  The Hallenstadion received many world stars on its field, among which were Madonna, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Kylie Minogue.
»  On 14 October 2016 the Dalai Lama granted one-day lessons to those present at the Hallenstadion. Then he thanked the Swiss Red Cross for helping the Tibetans.