Teacher Trekker

This section of the Zurich Self Guided Walking Tour is dedicated specifically to the churches in the Old Town (Altstadt) area. They include the Predigerkirche, Grossmünster, Wasserkirche, Fraumünster, St. Peter and Augustinerkirche. They share many similarities, but also many differences. Each add to the local culture and history of Zurich. For that reason, I decided to visit all of them rather than just see the highlights. Below are descriptions (some more detailed than others) of the 6 churches in the Old Town (Alstadt) area. Happy Trekking! 

Church # 1 – Predigerkirche

From the Zurich Main Train Station, we started to walk our first pre-planned stop of the day at the Grossmünster Church. Along the way we walked past Predigerkirche also known as Preacher’s Church. At the time I did not know the day would become, so I only entered the church to take a single photo of the interior and briefly walked around the perimeter of the structure.

The Predigerkirche is one of the four main churches in Zurich’s Old Town. The others include Fraumünster, Grossmünster and St. Peter’s. A friary was founded by the Dominican Predigerkloster Order in 1230. A year later they built a Romanesque basilica. It was not a parish church, but it was used by the friars to serve the community. During the first half of the 14th century, probably as a result of a fire, the basilica was rebuilt as a Gothic choir. For that time it had an extremely high bell tower and it exemplifies the architecture of the high Gothic period in Zurich. Today the church’s copper tiled steeple stands 93 m in height (other estimates at 96 m), but it is only around 100 years old. Today the Predigerkirche is an Evangelical Protestant Church, but does have a part-time Catholic minister. They loan the building to various groups for worship, offer free lunches on Sundays and occasionally hold evening concerts. Next to it is the Zentralbibliothek Zürich.

Transportation Info: Use the Rudolf-Brun-Brücke Station (Tram #4, 15)

It is open:
Tuesday – Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday & Monday 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Church # 2 – Grossmünster

From Predigerkirche, it took about 10 minutes to walk to Grossmünster, which translates to “great minister” or “large cathedral”. Legend has it the church was originally founded by Charlemagne when his horse fell to its knees, and the king discovered the tombs of Felix and Regula, the city’s patron saints, and ordered that a church be built at the location. It was established as a Chorherrenstift, a monastery of Augustinian canons. The current structure can be traced back to 1100 when construction began on the location of the old Carolingian church commissioned by Charlemagne. Upon completion, it was inaugurated around 1230.

During the Middle Ages, the Grossmünster competed with the Fraumünster across the Limmat River for influence in the area. The Fraumünster was established by Charlemagne’s grandson, Louis the German. The legend assisted the Grossmünster in gaining influence and power as a result. Finally, archaeological evidence confirms the existence of a Roman burial ground providing further justification to the story’s claims. There is even house outside the church that was once the home of a knight as well as former residency used by Charlemagne. It did not appear to be open for visitation.

Then in the early 16th century, as the Reformation spread throughout Europe, its roots in Switzerland can be traced back to the Grossmünster, where it became the center of the Protestant faith for German speaking Swiss. It was led by Huldrych Zwingli and Heinrich Bullinger. The monastery’s seminary became what would become the University of Zurich. Currently the Grossmünster’s congregation forms part of the Evangelical Reformed Church of the Canton of Zurich.

The Grossmünster and its large twin towers are regarded by many as the most recognizable landmark in Zurich. That couldn’t have been any more evident than on the walk to the church. It also stands as the tallest structure in the Zurich skyline as a result of a preexisting law preventing building higher than the church. As you approach the exterior of this Romanesque church, onlookers will notice highly detailed craftsmanship. A fire in1763 destroyed the original wooden steeples, but they were replaced with neo-Gothic tops by 1787. The doors to the main entrances were designed by Otto Münch with a biblical theme and completed in 1950. The portal above it, as well as the many reliefs, capitals, columns and other stone work around the church, were equally impressive. The church also has a cloister which contains a Reformation museum that we did not visit. An annex also leads to the theological school of the University of Zurich. After walking around the perimeter, we made our way inside the church.

Once inside of the Grossmünster, its architectural beauty and precision craftsmanship continued. Unfortunately photographs were not allowed inside. There were even more beautiful capitals on top of columns, some retelling the legend of Charlemagne. There were many beautiful stained glass windows. The main three choir windows were crafted by Augusto Giacometti in 1933 of colorfully vibrant glass and tell the Christmas story. Some more recent additions were made by Sigmar Polke in 2009 from rocks, geodes and semi precious stones. I’ve never seen anything like it used in a church. There were ornate wooden pews that surrounded church walls and the ones near the old altar were covered with animal carvings. Old fading paintings covered portions of the walls. On the second floor there was a beautiful pipe organ. The interior of the church was quite a sight to see.

In the back of the church there is a small souvenir stand where I found a number of pamphlets about the history of the church. This is also where you will find the stairs to reach the top of the tower and get a panoramic view of Zurich. You will need to purchase your ticket from the cashier before gaining access to the stairs. The price was CHF 4.

We first ascended up a narrow spiraling concrete staircase. It was a contemporary construction. This led to a large wooden staircase that wrapped around the tower. There were a number of displays that provided additional background information, but none of it was in English.

The stairs eventually led to a top level that allows onlookers to view the city from a number of different angles dependent on which opening of the tower you are looking from. Some provide nicer views than others. Actually, it was wet and windy. The ground was slippery making most people cautious at the top. It’s not like you could have fallen over, but it could have led to a nasty spill on the green metal grating at the top. Between the overcast sky and the pounding rain, it wasn’t easy to get many good photographs, but it was still one of the best views you will get of Zurich.

Finally, we descended into the crypt, the oldest part of the church. It was damp and smelled of mildew. It was also dark with only 4 small windows providing access to sunlight. Stone columns and groin vaults supported the building above. There were standing gravestones on the walls, as well as many poorly preserved and faded paintings from around 1500 with nothing left, but what appeared to be the original black outline. One of the ceilings had 4 coats of arms that better maintained its coloring. There was also a big Charlemagne figure from the 15th century in the room. It was originally housed outside where the copy now stands, but due to weather was moved to the crypt for safe keeping. Unfortunately, my photos got accidentally deleted and are not available for viewing.

Transportation Info: Use the Helmhaus Station (Tram # 4, 15)

It is open:
March 15 – October 31 – 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
November 1 – March 14 – 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The Tower is open:
March – October – 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
November – February – 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Church # 3 – Wasserkirche

A short walk down the stairs from the Grossmünsterplatz will lead you towards the Limmatquai and the Münsterbrücke, and situated on a small island in the Limmat River is the Wasserkirche, also referred to as the ”Water Church”. It located between the Grossmünster and the Fraumünster. Legend has it the site contained a large stone that was used in ancient rituals. The same stone is now in the crypt which people believe to be the location of the execution of Saints Felix and Regula.

The first church was built in the 10th century, but was not mentioned on record until around 1250 as ecclesia Aquatica Turicensi and later as wazzirkilcha in 1256. A series of renovations were made on the late Gothic church until its competition in 1486. There was also an extension built on the north end of the church called the Helmhaus. In the mid 1200’s, it once stood as a wooden structure used as a court of criminal justice only to be extended in 1563 until it was finally replaced by a stone hall between 1791 and 1793, but let’s not jump ahead in time just yet.

During the Reformation, the Wasserkirche was apostrophized as the Temple of Idols and secularized. It was first turned into a warehouse and then became Zurich’s first public library of in the early 1630’s. This played a significant role in the establishment of the University of Zürich in the 1800’s. In 1717 the interior was redesigned in the Baroque style. The Limmatquai was constructed in 1839 allowing access to the island from the right side of the river. Renovations continued in the 1940’s. Presently the church’s congregation is also a part of the Evangelical-Reformed State Church of the Canton of Zurich.

I found the interior of the Wasserkirche to be rather plain. Its Baroque style interior was removed during the 1940’s renovations to create the current hall. The walls were bare stone. The ceilings were quite high with long thin narrow windows throughout the church. The side wall windows were clear allowing ample light to enter the church. The windows behind the altar were also designed by Augusto Giacometti. They were made by the St. Gall stained glass artist Ludwig Jaeger. Installed in 1942, they depict the life of Christ in the center window and the life of an ordinary man from birth to death on the right and left panels. They were magnificent to view, but difficult to photograph given the lighting and equipment at my disposal.

The crypt was the highlight. The staircase is to your right when you enter the church. The legend is assumed to be true, but there is still no concrete evidence that the church was built on the site of a prehistoric river sanctuary. The same cannot be said about the rest of the building’s history. There are a number of narrow passages that allow visitors to explore this sub-level. Watch your head the ceiling is very low. There are colored dots on bricks and other architecture which represent 5 different periods of building construction. It was amazing to see how the builders utilized the preexisting structure to enhance their work. The highlight was the fossilized bones that were discovered, believed to be the fabled patrons saints. I was honestly surprised that it was free and well worth the brief exploration of more of the legends connected to the religious history of Zurich.

There is a small souvenir stand at the main doorway of the church. Unfortunately, there was very little by way of books or pamphlets in English. The only thing that was available was the Archeological Crypt handout, which was free, as was access to the crypt and the bathroom. (It’s always good to know where the free bathrooms are located!) I would recommend grabbing the guide first, because the signs in the crypt were only in German. As we exited, there was a group of parishioners singing Kumbaya accompanied by a guitar player. I felt like it was something out of a cheesy movie, but cute nonetheless.

Transportation Info: Use the Helmhaus Station (Tram # 4, 15).

It is open:
Tuesday – 9:00 a.m. to 12.00 a.m.
Wednesday to Friday – 2:00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m.
Saturday – 12.00 a.m. to 05.00 p.m.
Closed on the 1st of May

Church # 4 – Fraumünster

On the opposite side of the Limmat River across the Münsterbrücke is the Fraumünster, which translates to “women’s minster” despite it incorrectly being translated to “Our Lady Minster”. The church was built on the location of a former abbey for female aristocrats of southern Germany. It was founded by Louis the German in 853 for his daughter Hildegard. In 1045 with the patronage of King Henry III, the abbey was commissioned to mint coins, which continued well into the 13th century. In 1218 Emperor Frederick II granted the abbey Reichsunmittelbarkeit or imperial immediacy making it territorially independent to all authorities but the Emperor himself.
The abbey and its abbess gained immense power during this time period.

This changed in the 1300’s with the creation of the Zunftordnung or guild laws. Its architect, Rudolf Brun, also became the first independent mayor shifting power away from the abbess. Eventually on 30 November 1524 the abbey was dissolved during the Reformation movement led by Huldrych Zwingli with support from the last abbess Katharina von Zimmern. The church building today belongs to the Evangelical Reformed Church of the Canton of Zurich.

Unfortunately, photographs were not allowed inside the Fraumünster. It’s interior was stone and not highly decorated. Wooden pews filled the interior, as well as wrapped around the exterior walls. All of wrap around seating was covered with floral inlays and each seat numbered. The pipe organ on second floor was built in 1953 by Orgelbau Genf and with 5,793 pipes is the largest organ in the canton. The highlight had to be the stained glass windows. The north windows were installed in 1940 and are again the work of Augusto Giacometti. The other work was completed by Marc Chagall. This includes 5 large stained glass windows in the choir of the abbey that were installed in 1970. Each has a dominant color and depicts a different Christian story. Chagall is also responsible for the rose window in the south transept that was completed in 1978. It’s a real shame I couldn’t take my own photos of this amazing workmanship.

There were a few other points of interest worth mentioning. On the side walls near the altar (that for whatever reason had a gong behind it) were stone graves and a few faded paintings on the stone walls. There are also a number of frescoes in the cloister that were painted by Paul Bodmer commemorating the church’s founding. Unfortunately, the crypt was being excavated and construction has only begun that will allow for visitors to the crypt, so at the present time it is not possible to enter the lower level of the church. Finally, the only available guide book in English was over CHF 10, so I purchased a few postcards of what I couldn’t photograph instead. After about thirty minutes inside the Fraumünster (I could have spent much longer) we left to head off to our next destination.

Transportation Info: Use the Helmhaus Station (Tram # 4, 15)

It is open:
April 1 – October 31 – 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
November 1 – March 31 – 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Church # 5 – St. Peter

Located next to St. Peterhofstatt plaza is the church of St. Peter, the oldest parish church in Zurich. It is located next to the Lindenhof hill, the site of a former Roman fort and a temple to Jupiter. Archeological evidence shows an early church of 10 by 7 metres that can be dated to the 8th or 9th century. Historical records state that in 857 King Louis the German bestowed the church on his two daughters, one of whom was the first abbess of the Fraümünster to found this minster. An early Romanesque church, it was constructed around 1000 only to be replaced with a late Romanesque structure in 1230, some of which survives to this day. Rudolf Brun, yes the same Rudolf Brun mentioned above acquired the church in 1345 and was later buried there in 1360. The Gothic nave was rebuilt in 1460.

During the Reformation, Zwingli’s friend Le Jud became the first Protestant minister of the church. Here he worked on the first Bible to be translated in Zurich. The current structure was the first church in Zurich to be conceived and built from scratch in the Protestant tradition. It was consecrated in 1706. Its congregation forms part of the Evangelical Reformed Church of the Canton of Zurich.

St. Peter looked quite different compared to the stone structure I previously visited. The white walls, particularly above the altar and across the ceiling, had floral inspired stucco. There were large reddish orange marble columns. There were rows of wooden seats instead of traditional pews. Additional seating wrapped around the exterior. The first floor had small oval shaped windows allowing in some light. The second floor balcony contained more seating and the organ. I noticed no colored stained glass. The oldest part of the church was visible behind the altar area where there were some old and very faded frescoes on the stone walls that date somewhere between 1300 and 1500.

What separates St. Peter apart from the surrounding churches is its clock. The tower was originally used for fire watch beginning in the mid 1300’s and this continued until 1911. St. Peter did not have a church tower until a three story tower was built in the early 13th century. A mechanical clock was also installed during this time period and was slowly replaced to be more precise as technology advanced. The tower was increased to 64 meters (210 ft) in 1450 and a 24 meter (79 ft) pitched roof was attached. The current bells were installed in 1880. Restoration work was completed on the tower during the 1970’s, and then in 1996 the roof was re-surfaced with 42,000 larch shingles from the Engadine Valley. During the same project, a central computer system replaced the old timing mechanisms. For centuries the clock tower served as Zürich’s official local time. Today St. Peter has the largest tower clock face in Europe with an outer diameter measuring 8.64 meters (28.3 ft). Finally, the nave of church’s steeple is owned by the city of Zürich, while the nave is owned by the St. Peter parish of the Evangelical Reformed Church of the Canton of Zürich. Although it may not be the tallest bell tower, it certainly stands out amongst its peers.

Transportation Info: Use the Rathaus Station (Tram # 4, 5)

It is open:
Monday to Friday – 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday – 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sunday – 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

This is actually when I go and visit Part # 3 – Giacommeti Hall & Lindenhof Hill

Church # 6 – Augustinerkirche

Within a matter of minutes we were standing in front of the Augustinerkirche. This Roman Catholic church is located at the southwest of the Münzplatz on Augustinergasse. It is west of St. Peterhofstatt square near the Bahnhofstrasse. The abbey was first built by Augustinian hermits in 1270 in the Gothic style next to the Kezistürli at the western medieval city wall. During the Middle Ages, it was part Zurich’m military fortifications on the lower slope of Lindenhof Hill.

With the coming of the Reformation, the church was discontinued as a place of Catholic worship in 1524. Parishoners were forced out, and the building was secularized. The space served many functions. It was used to house a wine press, coin mint, residency and storage space. Interestingly, the Münzplatz was named after the mint.

It was not until 1841 that the local Catholics were able to reclaim their house of worship and rebuilt the Augustinian church. Zurich born architect Ferdinand Stadler was responsible for the Gothic Revival style reconstruction of the nave between 1843 & 1844. They also housed the cantonal library there until 1873. The parishoners were excommunicated for rejecting the proclamations made regarding papal authority in the 1st Vatican Council of 1870. They became a part of the Christkatholische Kirche der Schweiz or the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland. Augustinerkirche remains their house of worship.

Other additions were made to the Augustinerkirche following the turn of the century. In 1900, 5 bells made by H. Rüetschi were put in the bell tower. Franz Fischer envisioned the block altar, crucifix and baptismal font. Max Kopp was in charge of the last renovations that took place between 1958 & 1959 based on the original designs thus removing the Gothic Revival style. During the same time periiod, a pipe organ was installed on the second floor gallery by Orgelbau Th. Kuhn AG. Behind it was the western main portal, the largest and most ornate of the stained glass windows that were completed in 1965 by August Wanner giving the building its present day look.

When we walked inside the Augustinerkirche, there was no one there. It was silent, and I welcomed it. I looked around to see a wooden roof and the very same basic stone wall and column interior that appears throughout the area. Straight wooden pews are divided by a main walkway and two outer paths on the wings of the church. Fischer’s work was beautiful, but to be honest, I found much of Wanner’s side windows to be quite minimalist in design. The windows were quite large with a diamond design made of pale pastel colored glass. Only the bottom panel of the 12 on each window told a biblical story in stained glass. Of particular interest was the fresco of Christophorus, a Cavalry scene, a few fragments of deteriorating wall paintings and the slab of the knight Vigilius Gradner. The interior was very dark, and it made viewing difficult.

At the entrance of the Augustinerkirche was a temporary exhibit of nativity scenes from around the world. I found it to be so interesting that it felt like I spent more time looking in the display cases than walking around the church. The nativity scenes came from around the region, as well as from various countries around the world. Each provided interesting insight into the local customs and traditions of the ethnic groups and nationalities represented in the exhibit.

Near the exhibit was a small unmanned table with books, souvenirs and pamphlets. I took a few items, but there was nothing in English available for more immediate information. I put my donation into the candle donation box as I saw nowhere else to put the money.

We made our way out of the church when I noticed intricately designed metal door handles on the wooden doors. As we walked away I noticed a light show that was being put on against the white facade of the church. Rotating stars were being projected from a nearby window. It made for an nice effect.

Transportation Info: Use the Rennweg Station (Tram # 6, 7, 11, 13, 17)
It is open:
Daily – 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Wrapping Up Part # 2

This is the end of Part # 2 of the Zurich Inner City Churches Self Guided Walking Tour. During this portion of the itinerary tourists will be able to see six beautiful churches who’s history in many way have impacted the development and rise of Zurich to become one of Switzerland’s most influential cities. Following the visit to Augustinerkirche I proceeded to visit Sprüngli – Luxemburgerli Chocolate Shop, which appears in Part # 3 of this series before continuing on to the rest of the churches in Part # 4. Please feel free to continue reading these sections for additional historical & travel related information. I hope the information above has provided you with beneficial historical content and helped you better plan you trip to Zurich. Happy Trekking!