Zürich Downtown Switzerland in Brief – the vibrant host city for UEFA EURO 2008TM

The Zürich way of life
Geographical Location
Climate
Quality of Living
Population / Languages spoken
Convenient Location/ Public Transportation
Accommodation
Zürich: a nucleus for learning and knowledge
Zürich: a world-class performer in Life Sciences, high tech, and finance
Experience Zürich
Design, art and architecture
Shopping
Creative Cuisine
Spectacular Stage Performances – Opera, Ballet, Theater
Nightlife
Sport
Nature on the Doorstep

The Zürich way of life

• Zürich holds a quite unique mix of lifestyles and individual activities. A multiplicity of individual interests go to make up the overall Zürich scene.
• This mix is the unique formula that distinguishes Zürich from other cities of the world.
• The characteristic Zürich spirit represents the city’s origins as well as its progressive drive. Those who come to settle here are generally quick to embrace it, and that same spirit persists among expatriate Zürich folk the world over.
• Zürich is vital, multicultural and innovative.
• Zürich is home to a community comprised of 160 nationalities, with top scientists, innovative companies known the world over, characteristic architectural features, diverse cultural highlights, a globally renowned financial services sector, unique geographic location, and – the sum total of all these factors – is proven as offering the best quality of living anywhere in the world.
• Zürich was named by London-based Mercer Human Resource Consulting as the city with the highest quality of living in the world in April 2007 – for the sixth time in succession.
• “We are living Zürich” catchily sums up this variety.

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Geographical Location

• Location: the city of Zürich lies in the heart of Europe and at the center of Switzerland, 409 m (1,342 ft) above sea-level
• Total area city: 92 sq. km (35.5 sq. miles), divided into 12 municipal districts
• Total area region: approximately 2,200 sq. km (1,367 miles), including Zürich Airport,
• Rapperswil-Lake Zürich, Baden, Winterthur, Zug
• Total area (economic zone) Greater Zürich Area: 15,000 sq. km
• Lake Zürich: 28 km (17.4 miles) long, up to 4 km (2.5 miles) wide, up to 143 m (470 ft) deep; water quality very good

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Climate

• Four seasons, approx. 3,500 hours of sun per year, pleasant humidity levels
• Summer: average daytime temperature 22 °C (71.6 °F)
• Winter: average temperatures range between -2 °C (28.4 °F) and 3.5 °C (38.3 °F)

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Quality of Living

• Named by Mercer Human Resource Consulting six times in succession as the city with the highest quality of living in the world. The analysis was based on criteria such as safety, cleanliness, cultural activities, cuisine and nearby recreation areas.

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Population / Languages spoken

• City of Zürich: with 370,000 inhabitants, Switzerland's largest city
• Canton of Zürich: 1.275 million inhabitants
• Zürich metropolitan area: 1.7 million
• Greater Zürich Area economic zone: 3.7 million
• Language spoken: Zürich variant of the Swiss German dialect; other languages spoken: English, French, Italian

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Convenient Location/ Public Transportation

• Zürich International Airport: with direct connections to 135 destinations, just a 10-minute train ride from the city center
• Zürich Main Railway Station: Intercity trains depart to some popular Swiss destinations and certain European cities as frequently as every 30 minutes
• Densest public transportation network in the world: S-Bahn express trains run every 15 or 30 minutes throughout the Zürich region; buses and trams run every few minutes
• ZürichCARD: this attractive city card offers free travel by train, bus, boat, aerial cableway and tram on the entire local public transportation network, as well as free admission to over 40 museums, 50% discount on the price of the “Stroll through the Old Town” guided tour, as well as many other benefits more
• ZürichCARD PLUS regional travel card: over 100 benefits throughout the Zürich region, including free travel by train, bus, boat, aerial cableway and tram on the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund (ZVV) public transportation network, covering the entire canton of Zürich more

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Accommodation

• 106 hotels in the city, 25 at the airport, and 250 hotels in the Zürich region, offering all types of accommodation from sleeping in hay to five-star luxury
• Zürich’s hotels offer an exceptionally high standard of quality compared to other countries
• 2006 was a record year for tourism: for the first time, the canton of Zürich registered more than 4 million overnight stays

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Zürich: a nucleus for learning and knowledge

• ETH Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich (ranked 5th in Europe) and Zürich University (ranked 13th in Europe)
• Planned Life Science Park for ETH spin-offs as part of Science City
• Biotech Center Zürich, with leading companies like Prionics and Cytos
• Zürich University (celebrating its 175th anniversary in 2008)
• 20 other colleges of higher education in the Greater Zürich Area, with excellent research & development facilities
• 30-plus international schools in the Greater Zürich Area
• 43,000 students in the city and 58,000 in the canton of Zürich, 100,000 in the Greater Zurich Area
• 50 research and technology centers in the Greater Zürich Area, e.g. Swiss Re Center of Global Dialogue, IBM Zürich Research Laboratory, Google European Engineering Center, Microsoft Developer Center, Gottlieb Duttweiler Institut GDI
• Zürich has produced 21 Nobel Prize winners
• Zürich promotes the transfer of technology from academia to industry (spin-offs), especially in Life Sciences and New Technologies

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Zürich: a world-class performer in Life Sciences, high tech, and finance

• Traditional industries were superseded in the 1980s by up-and-coming Life Sciences and high tech, with vast growth potential. They benefit from proximity to academic institutions and a highly educated general population.
• Around 4,000 people work in the high tech industry, including bio- and medicinal technology, information and communication technology.
• The high tech sector includes a great many startup companies, frequently spin-offs from the ETH Zürich and Zürich University.
• A popular location for international headquarters for companies like Barry Callebaut, Baxter Healthcare, Degussa CIAG, Dow, General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, Kraft Foods, Nobel Biocare, Novo Nordisk, VASCO, Zimmer.
• Zürich is a major European financial center. The financial sector generates around one-third of economic value added and is responsible for about a quarter of all employment in the city.
• Next to banks, the financial center includes a growing number of business-related services that create jobs in all kinds of industries.
• The SWX is Europe’s leading stock exchange for Life Sciences.
• SWX, SIS, Telekurs: a newly-created, progressive financial center structure (starting in January 2008) ensures efficiency and innovation right along the value chain.

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Experience Zürich

• Vantage points: Lindenhof in the Old Town, Polyterrasse university look-out terrace, Bürkliterrasse by Lake Zürich, Karlsturm in the Grossmünster Church, Urania Observatory with its panoramic bar, Nietturmbar, Uetliberg,

• Popular places to stroll: Bahnhofstrasse shopping mile, multicultural Niederdorf, Schipfe artisans’ street, quays along the Limmat and the Sihl Rivers and Lake Zürich

• Water: Boat trips on the Limmat River and Lake Zürich, 18 lakeside, riverside and other open air bathing areas

• Art: Over 50 museums and more than 100 art galleries

• Markets: Rosenhof curiosity market (Thursday & Saturday), specialty market at the Main Railway Station (Wednesday), various flea and vegetable markets, Christmas markets

• Cultural establishments: Opera House, Tonhalle (Concert Hall), Kunsthaus Zürich (Museum of Fine Arts), Swiss National Museum, Schiffbau, Kunsthalle, Löwenbräu-Areal, Migros Museum of Contemporary Art, Rietberg Museum

• Churches: Grossmünster church with its two towers and Karlsturm tower (open to the public), Fraumünster with stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall in the choir, St. Peter’s Church as the oldest parish church with the largest clock face in Europe, the Wasserkirche (Water Church) with the martyr stone of Zürich's patron saints in the crypt

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Design, art and architecture

• Zürich is one of the world’s leading centers for the art trade, and features numerous public buildings designed by renowned architects.
• Zürich is home to more than 100 galleries and over 50 museums, including the Kunsthaus Zürich (Museum of Fine Arts), the Swiss National Museum with the country’s largest cultural history collection, and the Rietberg Museum, internationally one of the most important museums of non-European art
• Fraumünster church with stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall in the choir
• Grossmünster church with Karlsturm tower (open to the public)
• Fotomuseum and Oskar Reinhart museums in Winterthur
• Cabaret Voltaire (Spiegelgasse) – birthplace of the Dada art movement; “Eureka” sculpture by Jean Tinguely (Zürichhorn); Heidi Weber House (Höschgasse) – last building constructed by Le Corbusier; Zug train station – with light art by James Turrell; Zürich Main Station with Protective Angel by Niki de St. Phalle, Egg by Mario Merz, and Nova three-dimensional light installation – an interactive color display developed at the ETH Zürich
• Schiffbau (Zürich-West quarter) – once shipbuilding halls, now a cultural center; Stadelhofen train station and the Zürich University “Unipublic” library building – both designed by star architect Santiago Calatrava; FIFA International Football Federation headquarters – designed by renowned architect Tilla Theus; Zürich stadium – an impressive urbanistic and architectural project for the city and its football culture
• Town Hall (Limmatquai); Federal Institute of Technology Zürich (Rämistrasse) – built by Gottfried Semper; Zürich University (Rämistrasse) – first university in the German-speaking region to admit women students
• Monuments: Alfred Escher (Bahnhofplatz) – the most important statesman of the 19th century; Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (Pestalozziwiese) – educational reformer and father of orphans; Huldrych Zwingli (next to the Wasserkirche church) – reformer; Hedwig ab Burghalden (Lindenhof) – revolutionary women’s leader; Hans Waldmann (Münsterbrücke bridge) – former mayor
• Parks & gardens: Belvoir Park, Botanical Garden of the University of Zürich, Bruno Weber’s Sculpture Park, Chinese Garden, Platzspitz, lakeside parks, Rieter Park, Succulent Plant Collection, Bäckeranlage (park), MFO Park Oerlikon
• Animals: Zürich Zoo with the Zoolino pets’ corner and the indoor Masoala Rainforest, Wildpark Langenberg wild game park (Langnau am Albis), Sihlwald Nature Center, Knie’s Children’s Zoo in Rapperswil, Goldau Nature and Animal Park

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Shopping

• Bahnhofstrasse: shopping mile with international fashion labels, jewelry and watches
• Schipfe: artisans’ street on the left bank of the Limmat River
• Niederdorf and Oberdorf quarters: trendy shops and traditional stores
• Aussersihl and Zürich-West quarters: urban Zürich labels, such as Fabric Frontline and the cult label Freitag
• New Sihlcity district in the southern part of Zürich, with around 80 shopping outlets
• Zürich Main Railway Station and Zürich Airport: shopping out of hours and on weekends
• Four Christmas markets: from Zürich's traditional and oldest Christmas market in the Old Town through to the modern, largest indoor Christmas market in Europe, held at Zürich Main Railway Station

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Creative Cuisine

• One restaurant per 180 inhabitants, around a quarter of which increase their capacity in summer by setting up tables outside
• Culinary highlights: Hiltl – the oldest vegetarian restaurant in Europe; Tibits – the world's first vegetarian take-away; Blinde Kuh – the first restaurant in the world to be run by blind people in complete darkness; Kronenhalle – famous for its art collection and VIP guests; guild houses serving Zürich specialties; trendy cuisine tucked away within former factory walls; experiential dining

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Spectacular Stage Performances – Opera, Ballet, Theater

• Zürich Opera House – one of the leading establishments for opera and ballet in Europe
• Tonhalle – concert hall boasting some of the best acoustics in the world
• Schauspielhaus – Switzerland’s largest theater
• Schiffbau – former shipbuilding halls housing the Schauspielhaus auditoriums, a jazz club, a restaurant and a bar
• Numerous smaller theaters

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Nightlife

• Highest density of clubs, with the most flamboyant and liveliest nightlife in Switzerland
• Concerts and parties at the lakeside and riverside bathing areas during the summer
• Grand Casino Baden, with the highest jackpots in Europe

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Sport

• Mercedes-Benz CSI show-jumping tournament, Art on Ice figure-skating gala, World Class Zürich track and field competition, freestyle.ch – the largest freestyle event in Europe, Zürich Open women’s indoor tennis tournament, European Football Championship EURO 2008™
• Participant sporting events: Züri Marathon, Monday Night Skate, Ironman Switzerland, Züri-Metzgete cycle race, Silvesterlauf race, lake crossing (swimming)
• Sports facilities: badminton, beach volleyball, bodyflying, inline skating, jogging, climbing, free bicycle rental, swimming, squash, tennis, wakeboarding, hiking, fitness centers, sports centers, water sports
• Wellness: hamam, lakeside sauna, thermal spas with the highest mineral content in Switzerland in Baden, almost right next door to Zürich

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Nature on the Doorstep

• Lake Zürich: stretching right into the city, with easily accessible shores
• Boat trips: round trips lasting between one and seven hours, from the Late Risers’ Brunch Cruise to the Salsa Cruise, go as far as the harbor town of Rapperswil
• Limmat River: boat trip through the Old Town, passing under seven bridges
• Largest number of fountains in Europe: drinking water gushes out of around 1,200 fountains
• Water fun: 18 lakeside, riverside and other open-air bathing areas, some of them in the very heart of the city, transform themselves into bars and lounges after dark, offering an exciting cultural program
• Alpamare: largest indoor water park in Europe
• Rhine Falls: Europe's largest waterfall, at the gateway to Zürich
• Uetliberg: Zürich’s very own mountain, offering an Alpine panorama and a hiking paradise at 871 m (2,858 ft) above sea level
• Sihlwald: largest area of natural mixed woodland on the Swiss plateau, with indigenous animals such as deer, foxes, squirrels, hares, woodpeckers and owls
• Zürich Zoo with its Zoolino pets’ corner: home to over 4,000 animals from all over the world
• Indoor Masoala Rainforest at Zürich Zoo: a tropical environment covering an area of 11,000 sq. m (13,156 sq. yards)
• Knie’s Children's Zoo in Rapperswil: circus animals to feed and ride, as well as live animal shows
• Höllgrotten Baar: limestone caves in the ruggedly romantic Lorze ravine
• Spa town of Baden: thermal spas with the highest mineral content in Switzerland
• Snow and perpetual ice: at the gateway to the Alps, with trips to popular Swiss destinations, such as Mount Titlis and the canton of Grisons with St. Moritz, Davos and Arosa

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