Famous Zürich Residents
Huldrych Zwingli (1484 – 1531)
Both Zürich’s government and Huldrych Zwingli were against the practice of mercenary soldiers,… more
Limmatquai 31
8001 Zürich
8001 Zürich
Huldrych Zwingli (1484 – 1531)
Both Zürich’s government and Huldrych Zwingli were against the practice of mercenary soldiers, which is why Zwingli was chosen to be the minister of Grossmünster Church. This brilliant orator persuaded Zürich’s council and population to accept his ideas and published the first Reformation writings in 1522, inciting the ire of the bishop and the Pope. The Reformation spread from Zürich into the entire German-speaking area of Switzerland.
Hans Waldmann achieved fame as a military commander when he and the Swiss Confederates soundly… more
Münsterbrücke
8001 Zürich
8001 Zürich
Hans Waldmann achieved fame as a military commander when he and the Swiss Confederates soundly defeated Charles the Bold in the Burgundian Wars. He improved Zürich’s image and was knighted by the nobles of the city. The Confederates were considered the most fearsome warriors around and were hired as mercenaries by princes, kings and clerics in Europe.
As a representative of the tradespeople, Waldmann was elected mayor of Zürich in 1480 and strengthened the position of the guilds.
His political goals, the dependence of the Confederation on the German empire and the Duchy of Milan instead of on France made him enemies. He fell victim to an intrigue that would cause his downfall, and he was held in the Wellenberg Tower (also known as the “Alcatraz of Zürich) until his execution.
As a representative of the tradespeople, Waldmann was elected mayor of Zürich in 1480 and strengthened the position of the guilds.
His political goals, the dependence of the Confederation on the German empire and the Duchy of Milan instead of on France made him enemies. He fell victim to an intrigue that would cause his downfall, and he was held in the Wellenberg Tower (also known as the “Alcatraz of Zürich) until his execution.
Johannes H. Pestalozzi (1746 – 1827)
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi was an educational reformer and a father of orphans. His dream was to… more
Bahnhofstrasse
8001 Zürich
8001 Zürich
Johannes H. Pestalozzi (1746 – 1827)
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi was an educational reformer and a father of orphans. His dream was to provide education for everyone, both rich and poor, and he devoted his life to achieving this goal. His motto was “Learning with the head, hand and heart” – and everyone knows that it is much easier to take in things through emotions than by simply learning them off by heart.
The inscription on his grave is “Everything for others, nothing for oneself”, a maxim that he himself lived by and that has become famous all over the world. Even today, many schools, from Buenos Aires to Germany, are named after this great man.
In 1899, the Lucerne sculptor, Hans Siegwart, erected a monument to Pestalozzi on the only green area along the Bahnhofstrasse, in front of the present-day Globus department store. It stands – it could hardly be more fitting – on what used to be a schoolyard.
The inscription on his grave is “Everything for others, nothing for oneself”, a maxim that he himself lived by and that has become famous all over the world. Even today, many schools, from Buenos Aires to Germany, are named after this great man.
In 1899, the Lucerne sculptor, Hans Siegwart, erected a monument to Pestalozzi on the only green area along the Bahnhofstrasse, in front of the present-day Globus department store. It stands – it could hardly be more fitting – on what used to be a schoolyard.
Georg Büchner spent the last years of his life in Zürich. In 1834, Büchner founded the ‘Society… more
Spiegelgasse 12
Georg Büchner spent the last years of his life in Zürich. In 1834, Büchner founded the ‘Society For Human Rights’ in Giessen, a secret society of students and craftsmen. When his texts were published in the revolutionary socialist pamphlet ‘Hessischer Landbote’ under the slogan ‘Wage war on the palaces, peace to the shacks’, some people were arrested. In order to avoid arrest, he fled into exile and arrived in Zürich on 24 October 1836 after several detours.
He lived in Spiegelgasse right next to Lenin’s former apartment in exile and worked as a private lecturer at the University of Zürich. That is where he began giving lectures on comparative anatomy. He simultaneously worked on the drama ‘Woyzeck’, which he left behind in Zürich as a fragment, for he died of typhoid on 19 February 1837.
He lived in Spiegelgasse right next to Lenin’s former apartment in exile and worked as a private lecturer at the University of Zürich. That is where he began giving lectures on comparative anatomy. He simultaneously worked on the drama ‘Woyzeck’, which he left behind in Zürich as a fragment, for he died of typhoid on 19 February 1837.
Spiegelgasse 12
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Following the May uprising in Dresden, Richard Wagner and his friend Gottfried Semper fled to… more
Gablerstr. 15
8002 Zürich
8002 Zürich
Following the May uprising in Dresden, Richard Wagner and his friend Gottfried Semper fled to Switzerland with fake passports. Among other works, Wagner wrote ‘Art and Revolution’, ‘The Artwork of the Future’ and ‘Opera and Drama’ in Zürich.
He fell in love with Mathilde Wesendonck. He gave his first public reading of his complete Ring poem in the Hotel Baur au Lac. He lived next to the Villa Wesendonck and worked on ‘Tristan and Isolde’ as well as setting the 5 poems by Mathilde Wesendonck to music. When Wagner’s wife Minna discovered his affair with the married Mathilde Wesendonck, he and Minna separated. He then moved to Italy.
He fell in love with Mathilde Wesendonck. He gave his first public reading of his complete Ring poem in the Hotel Baur au Lac. He lived next to the Villa Wesendonck and worked on ‘Tristan and Isolde’ as well as setting the 5 poems by Mathilde Wesendonck to music. When Wagner’s wife Minna discovered his affair with the married Mathilde Wesendonck, he and Minna separated. He then moved to Italy.
Alfred Escher grew up at Villa Belvoir as the son of an influential Zürich family. At 25, he was… more
Bahnhofplatz
8001 Zürich
8001 Zürich
Alfred Escher grew up at Villa Belvoir as the son of an influential Zürich family. At 25, he was elected to the parliament of the canton of Zürich and two years later, he became the youngest member of the Swiss National Council in the history of the main chamber.
Escher, who was also known as the Railroad King, was a co-founder of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, a large bank and several insurance companies. His greatest vision was fulfilled in 1882 with the opening of the Gotthard Railway, which traveled through a 9-mile tunnel – the longest in the world at the time.
Today, his statue can be seen in Bahnhofplatz square.
Escher, who was also known as the Railroad King, was a co-founder of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, a large bank and several insurance companies. His greatest vision was fulfilled in 1882 with the opening of the Gotthard Railway, which traveled through a 9-mile tunnel – the longest in the world at the time.
Today, his statue can be seen in Bahnhofplatz square.
Lenin lived with his wife Nadeshda Krupskaja at Spiegelgasse 14 in Zürich for about a year – a… more
Spiegelgasse 14
8001 Zürich
8001 Zürich
Lenin lived with his wife Nadeshda Krupskaja at Spiegelgasse 14 in Zürich for about a year – a commemorative plate on the house serves as a reminder. He finished the work ‘Imperialism as the Highest Stage of Capitalism’ in Zürich. He spent a lot of his time in Zürich’s libraries. However, in his free time, he and his wife are said to have loved driving up to the top of the Zürichberg hill, lying in the grass and eating Swiss chocolate.
After the revolution in February 1917, Lenin returned to Russia in a railway carriage which was declared an extraterritorial area.
After the revolution in February 1917, Lenin returned to Russia in a railway carriage which was declared an extraterritorial area.
Gottfried Keller (1819 – 1890)
Gottfried Keller is remembered as a great author of such books as “Green Henry” and “The People of… more
Gottfried Keller (1819 – 1890)
Gottfried Keller is remembered as a great author of such books as “Green Henry” and “The People of Seldwyla”. Gottfried Keller was employed as a secretary at City Hall from 1861 to 1876. One of his favorite pubs was the Öpfelkammer, Zürich’s oldest tavern, where he still looks down from the wall today with a severe expression. The Zürich Novellas in 1876/77 were the first works that Keller had published after quitting his job and becoming a freelance author. They are a tribute to the canton and city of Zürich, the history of which is elaborated and poetically presented in five episodes.
The Zürich Central Library is responsible for the literary legacy that Gottfried Keller willed to what was then the Zürich City Library in 1890.
The Zürich Central Library is responsible for the literary legacy that Gottfried Keller willed to what was then the Zürich City Library in 1890.
Johanna Spyri’s story of Heidi, written in 1880, is famous the whole world over. Who is not… more
Zeltweg 9
Johanna Spyri’s story of Heidi, written in 1880, is famous the whole world over. Who is not familiar with Heidi, Peter, Grandfather, Klara and the beautiful alpine world from this classic work of children’s literature? The book has been translated into some 50 languages, sold just as many millions of copies, and filmed in several versions, and is as successful today as ever before.
The author, who was born in 1827as the daughter of a country doctor, grew up in Hirzel, a village in the canton of Zürich, and taught her younger sisters at home, where she carried out autodidactic literary studies. After she married, she moved to the city of Zürich, where she later started to write children’s books. The little orphan girl from the Alps, who was brought up by her grandfather, was created in 1880. Spyri died in 1901 in Zürich, and was buried in the cemetery in Sihlfeld.
The author, who was born in 1827as the daughter of a country doctor, grew up in Hirzel, a village in the canton of Zürich, and taught her younger sisters at home, where she carried out autodidactic literary studies. After she married, she moved to the city of Zürich, where she later started to write children’s books. The little orphan girl from the Alps, who was brought up by her grandfather, was created in 1880. Spyri died in 1901 in Zürich, and was buried in the cemetery in Sihlfeld.
Zeltweg 9
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Conrad Röntgen was excused from taking the entrance examination for the Swiss Federal Institute of… more
Conrad Röntgen was excused from taking the entrance examination for the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich) because of late registration. In 1865, he was awarded a Degree in Mechanical Engineering and he married Berta in 1872, the daughter of the landlord of the guild house ‘zum Grünen Glas’. The X-ray of Berta’s hand was seen all around the world and in 1901, Conrad Röntgen was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for inventing X-rays.
Untere Zäune 15
8001 Zürich
+41 (0)44 251 65 04
info@gruenesglas.ch
www.gruenesglas.ch
Station: Neumarkt
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8001 Zürich
+41 (0)44 251 65 04
info@gruenesglas.ch
www.gruenesglas.ch
Station: Neumarkt
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Thomas Mann visited Zürich for the first time in 1905, while on honeymoon with his wife, Katia. He… more
Thomas Mann visited Zürich for the first time in 1905, while on honeymoon with his wife, Katia. He stayed at the Baur au Lac, which at that time was the only hotel by the lake with a view of the snow-covered Alps on the horizon. Whenever the couple returned to the Baur au Lac, they always tried to stay in the same room and dine at the same table in good bourgeois fashion. When Katia was diagnosed with tuberculosis, they traveled to Davos, where Katia stayed for some time at the sanatorium. Mann’s novel, “Der Zauberberg” (The Magic Mountain), is closely associated with this stay.
In 1929, Thomas Mann was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Four years later, the Manns left Germany and spent several periods living in Zürich and the surrounding area. After his death in 1955, Thomas Mann was buried at the cemetery in Kilchberg. Shortly before, the Swiss Federal College of Technology (ETH) had bestowed on him the title of honorary doctor. What did Thomas Mann’s study look like? This and much more is revealed in the Thomas-Mann-Archive at the ETH Zürich.
In 1929, Thomas Mann was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Four years later, the Manns left Germany and spent several periods living in Zürich and the surrounding area. After his death in 1955, Thomas Mann was buried at the cemetery in Kilchberg. Shortly before, the Swiss Federal College of Technology (ETH) had bestowed on him the title of honorary doctor. What did Thomas Mann’s study look like? This and much more is revealed in the Thomas-Mann-Archive at the ETH Zürich.
Schönberggasse 15
8001 Zürich
+41 (0)44 632 40 45
tma@tma.gess.ethz.ch
www.tma.ethz.ch
Station: Kantonsschule
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8001 Zürich
+41 (0)44 632 40 45
tma@tma.gess.ethz.ch
www.tma.ethz.ch
Station: Kantonsschule
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Albert Einstein studied at the polytechnic, which is now called the Swiss Federal Institute Of… more
Unionstr. 4
8032 Zürich
8032 Zürich
Albert Einstein studied at the polytechnic, which is now called the Swiss Federal Institute Of Technology (ETH Zürich), from 1896 to 1900. He graduated with a Degree in Mathematics and Natural Sciences. From 1909, he was an Extraordinary Professor at the University of Zürich, and from 1912 to 1914 he worked as a Professor of Theoretical Physics at ETH Zürich.
In Berlin, where from 1914 he had a professorship which relieved him of all teaching obligations, he made a breakthrough in the general theory of relativity in 1915. In 1921, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his 1905 work on the photoelectrical effect.
In Berlin, where from 1914 he had a professorship which relieved him of all teaching obligations, he made a breakthrough in the general theory of relativity in 1915. In 1921, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his 1905 work on the photoelectrical effect.
James Joyce, the famous Irish writer, is reputed to have once said that Zürich’s Bahnhofstrasse… more
Zürichbergstr. 189
8044 Zürich
8044 Zürich
James Joyce, the famous Irish writer, is reputed to have once said that Zürich’s Bahnhofstrasse was so clean that one could drink minestrone soup off it. Joyce lived in neutral Switzerland during the two World Wars. He is considered to be one of the most influential writers of 20th century literature, among other things due to the novels that he wrote in Zürich, “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man”, ”Ulysses” und “Exiles”. A memorial plaque adorns the wall at Universitätsstrasse 38, one of the addresses where Joyce lived. He was buried at the Zürich-Fluntern cemetery, grave no. 1449.
In 1983, Max Bill created his Pavilion Sculpture, a construction comprising clear, straight lines,… more
Bahnhofstrasse 45
8001 Zürich
8001 Zürich
In 1983, Max Bill created his Pavilion Sculpture, a construction comprising clear, straight lines, which today enjoys a prime position in front of the head office of the UBS bank on the Bahnhofstrasse. Max Bill was the prominent Zürich protagonist of the Bauhaus style; a degree in Architecture from the Bauhaus in Dessau, co-founder of the Hochschule für Gestaltung (University of Design), member of the Zürcher Konkreten art group are just three of the key stages in his career as an artist.
Swiss citizen Max Frisch studied German Language and Literature at the University of Zürich. He… more
Stadelhoferstr. 28
8001 Zürich
8001 Zürich
Swiss citizen Max Frisch studied German Language and Literature at the University of Zürich. He had to abandon his studies prematurely for financial reasons following the death of his father, and he started working as a freelance reporter for the ‘Neue Zürcher Zeitung’. He later studied architecture at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich) and completed his studies with a dissertation. The place where the executioner once performed his job is where Frisch built an airy outdoor pool – on the site where the ‘Letzigraben Outdoor Pool’ is today. He achieved a literary breakthrough with the publication of the novel ‘Stiller’. Both in this novel, in ‘Homo Faber’ and ‘Mein Name sei Gantenbein’, Frisch focused on the problem of personal identity and the difficulty of accepting who you are.
He left his estate to the Max Frisch Archive at ETH Zürich.
He left his estate to the Max Frisch Archive at ETH Zürich.
Hugo Ball, the German friend and biographer of Hermann Hesse, and his girlfriend Emmy Hennings, a… more
Hugo Ball, the German friend and biographer of Hermann Hesse, and his girlfriend Emmy Hennings, a German writer and revue performer, founded the Cabaret Voltaire on 5 February 1916: at Spiegelgasse 1 near Lenin’s apartment in exile. They justified the genre of Dada – rejection of conventional art and art forms as a protest against the madness of the time.
The Romanian poet Tristan Tzara joined them and recited poems. Other people to join them were the German painter, sculptor and poet Hans Arp and his wife, the Swiss artist, painter and sculptor Sophie Taeuber-Arp as well as the German writer, lyric poet, storyteller, essayist, dramatist, doctor and psychoanalyst Richard Huelsenbeck: they created paper cuts and woodcuts which had an anti-art character. Finally, the Romanian Marcel Janco also joined the group.
The Cabaret Voltaire with exhibitions, events, a bar and a small library is now open to the general public; this lively cultural establishment is where bridges are built from Dada to contemporary societal and cultural movements.
The Romanian poet Tristan Tzara joined them and recited poems. Other people to join them were the German painter, sculptor and poet Hans Arp and his wife, the Swiss artist, painter and sculptor Sophie Taeuber-Arp as well as the German writer, lyric poet, storyteller, essayist, dramatist, doctor and psychoanalyst Richard Huelsenbeck: they created paper cuts and woodcuts which had an anti-art character. Finally, the Romanian Marcel Janco also joined the group.
The Cabaret Voltaire with exhibitions, events, a bar and a small library is now open to the general public; this lively cultural establishment is where bridges are built from Dada to contemporary societal and cultural movements.
Spiegelgasse 1
8001 Zürich
+41 (0)43 268 57 20
info@cabaretvoltaire.ch
www.cabaretvoltaire.ch
Station: Rathaus
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8001 Zürich
+41 (0)43 268 57 20
info@cabaretvoltaire.ch
www.cabaretvoltaire.ch
Station: Rathaus
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