Facts on Zurich

Country:      Switzerland
Area:           41,290 square kilometers, ~1/3 are alpine landscape
Population: approx. 7.8 million
Languages: German (~55%), French (~32%), Italian (~10%) and Romantsch (~3%)

 

 

 

Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland. Synonymous with international banking, Zurich (Zürich or, more familiarly, Züri) has a financial and cultural importance that contradicts its modest size.

Being a breathtaking city of Switzerland, Zurich is a dream destination for travelers who visit this place for business or leisure or for their famous late-night parties.

Besides being the commercial center, Zurich is mostly visited for its natural beauty encompassed in its lakes, mountains and lush green fields. The Zurichsee and the River Limmat are two of the key elements but the charming old town which occupies a large part of the city center, with its narrow, hilly alleys and stunning restored buildings add to the magnificence of the city. Besides this, the distant snow-capped peaks overlooking the waters of the lake add to the allure of the city.

 

Location:

Zurich is located at the centre of the Canton Zurich, on Switzerland’s central plain, with the elevation rising towards the south and the Alps. Nestled at the western tip of the Zurichsee (Lake Zurich), Zurich is surrounded by lakeside promenades and elegant houses.

 

Climate  

Zurich generally has a temperate climate, as suggested by its northern latitude of 47 degrees. But warm, moisture-laden winds frequently blow in from the Atlantic Ocean, which results in a milder climate. The average low and high temperatures are -10 to 5 degrees Cels. in January; 5 to 20 degrees in May, and 10 to 35 degrees  from June through August.

What has Zurich to offer

Zurich, the city with the world’s highest quality of life, offers a surprising variety of leisure experiences. Its cultural calendar is so full that you will probably want to attend several performances at once. The city on the River Limmat offers art and culture, trends and lifestyle, culinary delights and natural beauty – all at once.

 

Zurich is a city of contrasts: a pulsating metropolis in the heart of Europe with a history that stretches back more than 2,000 years (in the Roman Ages called "Turicum") – timelessly beautiful, lively and yet surprisingly natural.

Sightseeing in Zurich
There are thousands of ways to discover Zürich, but there are some highlights that you really shouldn’t miss:
• The world’s most famous Bahnhofstrasse (“Station Road”)
• Historic Old Town with a large pedestrian precinct
• Mediterranean summer atmosphere on Lake Zurich
• Top events throughout the year
• Zurich Zoo, featuring the tropical Masoala rain forest hall
• Art & culture in more than 50 museums and 100 galleries
• Nightlife in more than 500 bars, clubs and open-air lounges
• Romantic parks and gardens
• Bathing in 18 lake, river and outdoor lidos
• Zurich-West: new trends behind the walls of old factories
• Culture at the Opera House, the Tonhalle or in the Schiffbau Theater
• The Uetliberg, with a view of the snow-covered Alps
• Walks through the untouched natural world of the Sihlwald forest

Commerce and Science
Zurich's unique mix of commerce, science, nature and culture attracts professionals from around the world to Zurich. Whether the financial center of Bahnhofstrasse, the research laboratories of the Federal Technical University ETH or the offices of international corporations: life is charac-terized by innovative thinking, progress and development in the city with the highest quality of life in the world (www.greaterzuricharea.ch).