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HISTORICAL TOURS

Historical tour

Feel the fascinating spirit of history during a walk through the picturesque old town. Standing at the original locations, learn more about the development of Zurich from a modest Roman toll station to an important medieval town of the German Empire and later of the old Swiss Confederation. Hear about the Reformation, the severe troubles during the Napoleonic wars and finally the changeful development of the city to become the economic hub of today’s Switzerland. Don't expect a detached lecture with uninspiring sequences of year dates but rather look forward to a lively and informative flavour of what happened in Zurich over the centuries.
This tour is intended for interested visitors as well as local residents wanting to know more about the history of Zurich.

Special tours available as private tours:

War, Terror and Revolution Tour (paid, on demand tour)

The city of Zurich is known for its beautiful scenery, the winding streets of its old town and its many banks. On the other hand, only few of its inhabitants and even fewer of its visitors are aware of the tumultuous history of Zurich. Over the last 200 years, Zurich has been the site of bloody battles and coup d’états and has proved fertile ground for revolutionaries and terrorists. The tour leads through the stations of this troubled and relatively unknown part of the history of Zurich from the times of the French Revolution until today.

Jewish Tour (paid, on demand tour)

Zurich was the home of a thriving Jewish community in the Middle Ages until its brutal destruction. For more than four hundred years, Jews were only welcomed temporarily as advisers to the Protestant Reformers or as merchants. In 1862, Jewish life finally returned to the city. The arrival of poor Jews from Eastern Europe strengthened the community, but led to tensions. Many Jews achieved rapid success in science, commerce and arts. Despite this, the lives of the city’s Jews were not without worries: Anti-Semitism, the rise of National-Socialism and later terrorism repeatedly.

The Reformation in Zurich (paid, on demand tour)

The Reformation was a seminal event in the history of the Western World. Besides Luther and Calvin, Huldrych Zwingli, the pastor at the Grossmünster in Zurich, was one of its leading characters. Since 1519, he spread his own version of the Reformation in Switzerland. Zwingli’s teachings split the country and eventually led to civil war, resulting in his violent death. His legacy nevertheless survived and influenced the history of Zurich and Switzerland for centuries.

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