Zürich
Zürich (/ˈzjʊərɪk/ ZURE-ik, German: [ˈtsyːrɪç] ⓘ; see below) is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2023 the municipality had 443,037 inhabitants, the urban area 1.315 million (2009), and the Zürich metropolitan area 1.83 million (2011). Zürich is a hub for railways, roads, and air traffic. Both Zurich Airport and Zürich's main railway station are the largest and busiest in the country.
Zürich | |
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From top to bottom: View over Zürich from the Grossmünster, the Opera House, Prime Tower at night, ETH main building and Fraumünster church in the old town. | |
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Location of Zürich | |
Zürich Zürich | |
| Coordinates: 47°22′28″N 08°32′28″E | |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Canton | Zürich |
| District | Zürich |
| Government | |
| • Executive | Stadtrat with 9 members |
| • Mayor | Stadtpräsidentin (list) Corine Mauch SPS/PSS (as of February 2014) |
| • Parliament | Gemeinderat with 125 members |
| Area | |
| • Total | 87.88 km2 (33.93 sq mi) |
| Elevation (Zürich Hauptbahnhof) | 408 m (1,339 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 871 m (2,858 ft) |
| Lowest elevation (Limmat) | 392 m (1,286 ft) |
| Population (31 December 2018) | |
| • Total | 415,367 |
| • Density | 4,700/km2 (12,000/sq mi) |
| Demonym | German: Zürcher(in) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (Central European Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time) |
| Postal code(s) | 8000–8099 |
| SFOS number | 0261 |
| Surrounded by | Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon |
| Twin towns | Kunming, San Francisco |
| Website | www SFSO statistics |
Permanently settled for over 2,000 years, Zürich was founded by the Romans, who called it Turicum. However, early settlements have been found dating back more than 6,400 years (although this only indicates human presence in the area and not the presence of a town that early). During the Middle Ages, Zürich gained the independent and privileged status of imperial immediacy and, in 1519, became a primary centre of the Protestant Reformation in Europe under the leadership of Huldrych Zwingli.
The official language of Zürich is German, but the main spoken language is Zürich German, the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect.
Many museums and art galleries can be found in the city, including the Swiss National Museum and Kunsthaus. Schauspielhaus Zürich is generally considered to be one of the most important theatres in the German-speaking world.
As one of Switzerland's primary financial centres, Zürich is home to many financial institutions and banking companies.