Teacher Trekker

After we visited the 6 churches located within Zurich’s Old Town (Alstadt), (Part #2) we stopped at a few other attractions that my friend wanted to show me. They are all the non-church related sites we visited while on our Self Guided Walking Tour of Zurich. Interestingly, our first was actually to a police station.

Augusto Giacometti Hall

Located inside the Waisenhaus, the last remaining building of the Oetenbach nunnery and once an orphanage, is the Police Headquarters for the city of Zürich. The entrance used to be dark, so they painted it, and it makes the interior brighter. The result is now in the main lobby of the precinct, the Augusto Giacometti Hall. Yes, the same Swiss artist who was responsible for all of the stained glass throughout the churches previously visited completed this art installation in 1926.

Upon entering the station you will need to give your identification to an officer. My friend’s driver’s license was enough for the both of us. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed and since it was a police precinct, I did not want to test the waters. There was a small book available in German similar to the books on sale at the churches. We were given it for free, and we speculated that the officer didn’t know we needed to pay, that he gave it to my friend unknowingly, or as I joked, he was flirting with her. She translated some of the information for me as we walked around the installation.

The artwork has many layers adding to its complexity. There are patterns of gears, shamrocks, hearts and flowers that cover the arches and their roofs. Murals with numbers and calculus showed honor to their ancient roots. Another’s focus was on astronomy and paid respect to the work completed by Muslim astronomers. While the right side of the work seemed to be dedicated to the achievements of the Golden Ages throughout the ancient and classical eras, the left side felt more dedicated to modernism and the industrial revolution. There were men sawing wood, carving stone and laying bricks. They wore work uniforms that looked like coveralls. It is considered by many in Switzerland to be a contemporary masterpiece and they are very proud of it.

Transportation Info: Rudolf-Brun Brücke (Tram # 4, 5) or it’s a short 5 min walk from the Zurich Main Train Station

It is open:

Everyday of the week from 9.00am – 11.00am and 2.00pm – 4.00pm upon presentation of ID

Lindenhof Hill

The Lindenhof hill and its public square are located in the Lindenhof quarter in District 1 (Altstadt) and it is also its historical district center. The hill, a part of the Linth glacier’s moraines, remains from the last glacial period. Today it only stands 25 meters above the Limmat River. The hill is surrounded by Uraniastrasse (city police station) to its north and St. Peter to its south. To its east is the Schipfe quarter and the Limmat River and to its west, the hill is cut off by the Bahnhofstrasse.

Lindenhof hill was the location of a Roman fortress. Roman roots can be traced back to as early as 15 BC. The site was probably used primarily as a strategic stronghold to defend against the Alamanni from the north. It then later became the site of a Carolingian era Kaiserpfalz (imperial palace). This long building (with a chapel that has never been uncovered) was the eastern side of the fortified hill and was destroyed by 1218. Portions of the structure were used for the construction of the city walls and private houses. By the late 15th century, lime trees were planted that led to the development of a town square. In 1688 the Hedwig fountain and pump station was built retelling the legend of the siege of Zurich in 1292. Its present day appearance has been maintained since 1900. As a result of this history, the city has grown around its location. Due to its prehistoric, Roman and medieval history, it has been listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance. Today, Lindenhof Square is a widely used recreational area in the heart of Zurich.

Honestly, there was not much to see, but it did give an excellent view of the river and surrounding area. I could clearly see from this vantage point how significant this location could play as a military outpost to control the area. Of particular interest was a 2nd- century tombstone of a little boy that was discovered on May 15,1747 with Roman names written in Latin. The original is housed at the Swiss National Museum, while a copy has been erected on the Lindenhof wall at Pfalzgasse, which leads to St. Peter.

More recent historical work has led to further investigation of the 1st-century B.C. La Tène culture found at this site. A series of archaeological excavations combined with aerial surveys revealed the Celtic-Helvetii oppidum of Lindenhof. Evidence was discovered in archaeological digs in 1989, 1997, 2004 and 2007 near the Celtic-Roman Turicum, Lindenhof, Münsterhof, and Rennweg. A trip to the museum would provide additional information about the subject.

My only complaint was that it was cold. It would have been much nicer to visit on a warm day, sit outside and have lunch. Instead, everyone slowly treaded on a sheet of ice. There was more shuffling than walking going on. I grew up in hockey rinks and know how to walk on ice, but it was dangerous out there, and I almost fell a bunch of times. A few people actually did.

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

If you are following my exact route this point we went back to the Augustinerkirche (see Part # 2).

The Sprüngli Chocolate Shop

Before we headed out to the next set of churches (Part # 4) we went to Sprüngli at the Bahnhofstrasse. (It is the same street where all the expensive shops are situated like Gucci, Rolex, etc.) What a chocolate shop! As I slowly walked around, it became apparent that the options were almost limitless. Imagine every type of chocolate you can think of in every possible flavor you can think of all in one place. The store was as crowded as the restaurant upstairs. According to my friend it wasn’t crowded at all. I couldn’t imagine. Every counter in the shop sold a different type of sweets and had its own separate cashier station with credit card scanner. Each one had a considerably long line. The problem was, if you wanted something from a different counter, you would need to wait on another line. My head started spinning as I couldn’t figure out what line to start on, and then I noticed the prices. With lines and prices like that, we decided to pick a line and get a small box of assorted Luxemburgerli ® macarons.

“In 1836 David Sprüngli opened Confiserie Sprüngli & Fils in Zurich’s Marktgasse. From 1845 onward Sprüngli was one of the pioneers of chocolate production in Switzerland and played a key role in establishing Swiss chocolate as the best in the world, a reputation that it enjoys to this day. In 1859 David Sprüngli and his son Rudolf acquired premises on Zurich’s Paradeplatz. At the time this was not a particularly busy part of the city, but they had hopes that the railway station would be built there. The fact that they were wrong gave the family many sleepless nights. Soon, however, there was a surge in construction activity in the vicinity and Paradeplatz, along with the new Bahnhofstrasse quickly became one of the world’s premier retail areas. Confiserie Sprüngli with its shop, restaurant, cafe and bar now occupies a prime position on this renowned shopping mile. Sprüngli now has fourteen outlets in and around Zurich. Seven others are located in Basel, Berne, Winterthur, Zug and Geneva”. (Source)

“The success of the Luxemburgerli began more than 50 years ago. At the end of 1950s a young pastry chef from Luxembourg, with whose employer the Sprüngli family were friendly, was spending some time in Zurich learning his trade. Here he began to produce the speciality of his Luxembourg master confectioner, and because no-one could come up with a name for the new product, this airy delicacy was simply named the “Luxemburgerli” after its country of origin. As Luxemburgerlis became more and more popular, the Sprüngli pastry chefs in Zurich made it their ambition to improve and refine the little macaroons. Nowadays there are more than 30 different kinds of Luxemburgerli, and every month Confiserie Sprüngli creates a new taste experience for its Luxemburgerli connoisseurs. You can find macaroons almost anywhere but for Luxemburgerlis you have to go to Sprüngli!” (Source)

We left the shop and made our way to the nearby tram. We couldn’t wait to get to the stop and opened the box along the way. Many of them tasted very good. I bit into one of them and nearly through the other half in the street, but at over $1 each my friend insisted on eating the other half of the champagne flavored macaroon. The street was full of expensive shops that were so expensive, when we did the math after seeing up to 40% discounts at some stores, we still couldn’t come close to buying anything. If you have no budget to worry about, then shopping here will definitely lead to some high end purchases.

The rain was picking up, and my feet were starting to get wet. I did this to myself when I insisted on walking down a block of stores I can’t afford. Fortunately, it was only a short walk to the next tram station before we headed off to Migros Supermarket to pick up food for our dinner plans later in the evening. More on that in an upcoming article. Outside there was an interesting looking fountain and statue. Along the way we did pass the Opera House. Although we did not go inside the Zurich Opera House we did pass it during our walking tour. For more information about its history please refer to the Zurich Opera House website. Outside the square was the wishing Christmas tree. Following this we continued on to the 3 remaining churches in Zurich’s inner city as described in Part # 4.

Transportation Info: Use the Börsenstrasse Station (Tram # 2, 8, 9, 11)

Please feel free to continue reading 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!