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City Guide - Zurich - Key Attractions | ||
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Key Attractions Grossmünster The twin towers of this attractive minster - the largest in Zurich and the city's symbol - face on to the River Limmat and are best seen from Rathausbrücke. Originally endowed by Charlemagne, parts of this minster date back to the eleventh and twelfth centuries, notably the crypt. There are remains of a Romanesque cloister, twelfth-century statuary and stained glass by Alberto Giacometti. Zwingliplatz Tel: (01) 252 5949. Transport: Tram 2 or 4 to Helmhaus. Opening hours: Daily Apr-Oct 0900-1800; Nov-Mar 1000-1600. Admission: SFr2 (tower). Fraumünster Although this beautiful minster dates from the ninth century, it is often the twentieth-century stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall that attract visitors. The Fraumünste elegant spire is a notable landmark that dates from 1732. The rest of the church is predominantly Gothic, although the choir is Romanesque. The site was originally endowed by the German king Ludwig in 853, becoming the church of the Zurich noblewomen's convent. Münsterhof Tel: (01) 211 4100. Fax: (01) 221 2078. Transport: Tram 2 or 4 to Helmhaus; or tram 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 or 13 to Paradeplatz. Opening hours: Daily May-Sep 0900-1230 and 1400-1800; Mar-Apr 1000-1200 and 1400-1700; Oct 1000-1230, 1400-1700; Nov-Feb, Mon-Sat 1000-1200, 1400-1600. Admission: Free. Kunsthaus Zürich This is the city's most important art gallery, with a collection of paintings and sculptures by Swiss and international masters covering most periods from medieval times, but predominately from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Two of Monet's Water Lilies paintings and the largest collection of Eduard Munch's works outside Norway can be found here. There are also good collections of photography, the Dadaists and Alberto Giacometti. Tours are available in English if reserved beforehand. Heimplatz 1 Tel: (01) 253 8497. Fax: (01) 253 8433. Website: www.kunsthaus.ch Transport: Tram 3, 5, 8 or 9; or bus 31. Opening hours: Tues-Thurs 1000-2100, Fri-Sun 1000-1700. Admission: SFr6. SFr8-14 for special exhibitions (concessions available). Schweizerisches Landesmuseum The Swiss National Museum lies on a landscaped triangle between the Hauptbahnhof and the Limmat and Sihl rivers, and for over a century has fulfilled the role of the 'nation's attic'. Special exhibits in this castle-like museum supplement the permanent display of items related to Switzerland and Swiss culture. These not only include paintings and sculpture, but weapons, flags, watches, clocks, tools, toys and prehistoric objects. Museumstrasse 2 Tel: (01) 218 6511/65. Fax: (01) 211 2949. Website: www.musee-suisse.ch Transport: Tram 4, 11, 13 or 14 to Hauptbahnhof. Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1030-1700. Admission: Free (except for some special exhibitions). Zunfthaus zur Meisen The 'zur Meisen' Guild Hall, opposite the Fraumünster, has exhibits of eighteenth-century Swiss pottery and china. The elegant Rococo galleries are an appropriate setting for the beautifully decorated porcelain figurines that were produced in Zurich. The building itself expresses a Baroque aesthetic and was built in 1757. Münsterhof 20 Tel: (01) 221 2807. Fax: (01) 211 2949. Website: www.musee-suisse.ch Transport: Tram 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 or 13 to Paradeplatz. Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1030-1700. Admission: Free. Museum Rietberg The collection of the Rietberg Museum of Non-European Art is housed within two buildings dating from the 1850s. Set within the Rieterpark, the Villa Wesendonck has special exhibitions in addition to its collection of Indian, Chinese and African art (the core of which is the sculpture collection donated by Eduard Baron von der Heydt), while the Park-Villa Rieter has paintings from China, Japan and India. The Haus zum Kiel at Hirschengraben 20 (tel: (01) 261 9652; tram 3, 5, 8 or 9 or bus 31 to Kunsthaus), has rotating exhibitions. Gablerstrasse 15 Tel: (01) 202 4528/64. Fax: (01) 202 5201. Website: www.rietberg.ch Transport: Tram 7 to Rietberg. Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1700 (Park-Villa Rieter and Haus zum Kiel do not open until 1300 Tues-Sat). Admission: SFr6. SFr12 for special exhibits; Haus zum Kiel from SFr3 (concessions available). Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst Devoted to collecting and exhibiting contemporary art, especially from the 1990s, the Museum of Contemporary Art features a core collection of works of the Migros Co-operative Society in the open-concept exhibition space. These create a dialogue with the rotating exhibitions and special installations. There are both solo and group exhibitions. Limmatstrasse 270 Tel: (01) 277 2050. Fax: (01) 277 6286. E-mail: info@migrosmuseum.ch Website: www.migrosmuseum.ch Transport: Tram 4 or 13 to Dammweg. Opening hours: Tues-Fri 1200-1800, Sat and Sun 1100-1700. Admission: SFr5 (concessions available). |