Tasting Swiss culture

The spires of Zurich rise  near the Limmat river in Zurich’s heart. PHOTO: CRAIG BAXTER
...
The spires of Zurich rise near the Limmat river in Zurich’s heart. PHOTO: CRAIG BAXTER
Stop to appreciate the absurd at Cabaret Voltaire on Spiegelgasse in the historic central city...
Stop to appreciate the absurd at Cabaret Voltaire on Spiegelgasse in the historic central city suburb of Niederdorf. PHOTO: WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
Giacometti Hall must be the prettiest entrance to a major metropolitan police station. PHOTO: B...
Giacometti Hall must be the prettiest entrance to a major metropolitan police station. PHOTO: B ERDOEDY
Platzspitz has a bit of a dirty history. PHOTO: ROLAND FISHER
Platzspitz has a bit of a dirty history. PHOTO: ROLAND FISHER
Wander through the Niederdorf area of Zurich’s altstadt (old town) the seat of medieval Zurich....
Wander through the Niederdorf area of Zurich’s altstadt (old town) the seat of medieval Zurich. PHOTO: CRAIG BAXTER
Stop for a peaceful moment on the Lindenhof in the central city, the site of a Roman castle...
Stop for a peaceful moment on the Lindenhof in the central city, the site of a Roman castle derelict by the 13th century. PHOTO: CRAIG BAXTER

Switzerland is known for its mountains, cheese and chocolate. But it also has a pretty sweet largest city. Debbie Porteous spent three days in Zurich.

In the middle of pretty Zurich is a pretty park called Platzspitz.

Platzspitz translates to Needle Place and in this park, for five years from the late 1980s, illegal drug use and sales were allowed. The authorities even supplied needles.

Of course it all got rather messy and they called the whole thing off when crime became rampant as dealers fought for control, addicts (who numbered up to 20,000) stole to support their habit and the emergency services were overwhelmed with overdoses.

But what a fun couple of years.

Now it's back to just being quite a nice park beside quite a good museum.

Its backstory is one of the more interesting of Zurich's sights.

Another is what might possibly be the most attractive police station entrance, period.

Painted by Augusto Giacometti in the early 1900s to make the former orphanage cellar into the grand main entrance of a municipal building.

The murals painted on the walls and vaulted ceilings are quite extraordinary and now a piece of art, called the Hall of Tiny Flowers that has national significance for the Swiss.

Just make sure you go in the relatively short viewing hours or you will hear the sharper side of Zurich law asking you to step outside again.

Then there is Cabaret Voltaire, a nightclub where that jolly interesting anarchic art movement Dada was centred. Dadaism is an almost incomprehensible experimental art movement that blends art and absurdity, the computer says.

It goes on to say it was only around for a few years in the early 20th century and mainly featured painters and writers in France, Germany, and Switzerland, dissatisfied with the smugness in traditional art and Western society, who painted, wrote of purposeless machines and made collages of discarded materials.

Well Cabaret Voltaire was where all those types got together and philosophised about that art and society, held events, talks, exhibits etc, and in fact, the same still happens. The building reopened in the late 2000s as a cabaret and is now a cafe/bar that has performances, parties, poetry readings, film nights and the like.

It has a bar where people read poems and do art and a weirdly cool gift shop.

Re-ground yourself before or after by hot-footing it around the charming Altstadt Neiderdorf, wander across the River Limmat, stop for rest in the peaceful, view-laden Lindenhof, a raised fortification in the otherwise flat city centre, or not, and then head for Zurich's west.

There, they have turned old warehouses, railway bridges and containers into all manner of cool shops, homes, bars, and restaurants. Beneath the brick railway arches, design boutiques and market halls have moved in at the Viaduct, well worth a few hours whiled away.

It would be described by those who describe things like that, as hip.

While in town one should also, of course, have some Zurigschnatzlets (veal in cream), eat cheese fondue lousy with brandy, see Chagall's windows in the Fraumunster, stare at the crazy window fronts on the big department stores on Bahnhoffstrasse, or even go shopping in the incredible array of stores from Chanel to H&M; wander along the lakefront esplanade; and take a 20-minute train ride up the Uetliberg to look down upon the city. Then race the wholesome Swiss dog walkers and beautiful young families down the hill, back to the city centre, where you might buy a watch, or just ogle some really expensive ones and most certainly eat some chocolate.

All without being jostled, facing demands for money or having your pockets picked like in some of the more touristy European capitals.

Seems like you are going to need three days.

Add a Comment