Neumarkt district

The Neumarkt district, in Zurich

The Neumarkt district is a charming square of the old town of Zurich, dominated by a former guild house and a medieval tower. The Zurich audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this place laden with history, a former house of the shoemakers become a theatre, and a place of passage where figures of the Russian revolution like Lenin and Trotsky once worked.

The square of the shoemakers' guild

You are now in the Neumarkt district, in the heart of the old town of Zurich. The little square is dominated by several important elements. You see the great white guild house, that today hosts the Neumarkt theatre and its restaurant. This building has existed since the thirteenth century; it was taken over by the guild of shoemakers in the 1750s. At the end of the eighteenth century, the power of the guilds ended and they had to give up their houses. The building then became a school for girls of high society, before serving as a place of resistance and a meeting point of the Swiss Communist Party. It is here that Trotsky worked on his revolutionary manifesto and that Lenin prepared the Russian revolution: he lived in an apartment next to the Cabaret Voltaire and came regularly to work in the reading rooms of the district. On the other side of the square, behind the fountain, stands a magnificent medieval tower, vestige of the old fortifications. With its old façades, its cobblestones and its peaceful atmosphere, the Neumarkt district embodies the charm of the old town of Zurich, mingling history of the guilds, revolutionary memory and contemporary cultural life. A historic square and a theatre of the old town, the Neumarkt district is a fine stop of the discovery of Zurich.

What to see

Here you discover a charming square of the old town, dominated by a great white guild house of the thirteenth century, taken over by the shoemakers then become the Neumarkt theatre, and by a magnificent medieval tower; it is here that Trotsky and Lenin once worked, near the Cabaret Voltaire, on their revolutionary projects. The Neumarkt district is a place of charm and history of Zurich. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Neumarkt district lies in the old town of Zurich, on the right bank of the Limmat, reachable on foot or by tram. It is a district freely accessible, with cobbled alleys and old façades; the theatre follows its own programme, which varies. You discover it during a walk in the historic centre.

What link does the Neumarkt district of Zurich have with the Russian revolution?

It is in the former guild house of the district, become a meeting point of the Swiss Communist Party, that Trotsky worked on his revolutionary manifesto and that Lenin, who lived next to the Cabaret Voltaire, prepared the Russian revolution by coming to work in the reading rooms; the square is also dominated by a medieval tower and today shelters the Neumarkt theatre.

Where is the Neumarkt district in Zurich?

In the old town of Zurich, on the right bank of the Limmat, in Switzerland.