Switzerland has no official head of state. Instead, they have a Federal Council of seven members who each take turn meeting other countries. This is because in 1291, Switzerland began in a meadow in a mountain as a coalition of cantons. These cantons promised to protect each other. In 1848, a federal charter was created for the Helvetic Confederation (the official name of Switzerland). Because it is a confederation of separate peoples, the country has a number of national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. In Switzerland, out of the 8 million people, 2 million are not native to Switzerland. Today, the old industriequartier is on the rise as the new cool district in Zurich.
A special thanks to Hailey from Free Walk Zurich for creating such an interesting and engaging tour!
Towering Prime Tower in the background opened in 2011. With 36 floors, it was the tallest building in Zurich until 2015. In front of the Tower, in the bottom left, you notice the Freitag Towers.
The Freitag Towers are a flagship store of the company. They are at the mouth of the Frau Gerolds Garten, a cool place to hang out. The company started producing bags from semi-truck canvas and car seat belts in 1993. Everything is handmade and made from recycled material. Last year, they started selling biodegradable clothing. At the top of the Towers is an observation deck open to the public.
Food shack in Frau Gerolds Garten.
The Viaduct was built in 1894. After the world wars, the government wanted to expand the rails and make it into two train tracks. The nearby residents did not want the extra noise however. The people pushed to make it into a pedestrian path and won. This shows the power of the people in Switzerland.
Under the Viaduct, 51 boutiques have been opened. In 2015, Viaductstrasse was voted the coolest place to shop.
The Löwenbräu complex used to be an old brewery. In the 1970s and 1980s, companies started leaving Zurich's west district and the complex was abandoned.
In the early 2010s, the complex was rebuilt as offices and art museums. One of the museums, Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, is owned by the cooperative grocery chain Migros. Migros was started in 1925 to improve the community thorough food. The founder, Gottlieb Duttweiler, died in 1962. Yet, his memory was preserved by selling the company in 1981 in favor of making it a cooperative to benefit the farmers.
Outside view of the Lowenbrau complex. The grey building in the back is the only working mill within the city limits.
Modern art found on the streets of Industriequartier to remind of the history of the district.
In the early 2000s, the old shipbuilding building was re-purposed into a bar, a fancy restaurant and a cinema. There are still two ships from this building that remain in function. They operate on Lake Zurich as ferries.
