Rathaus

The Rathaus, in Zurich

The Rathaus is the historic town hall of Zurich, an imposing building built in the 1690s at the edge of the Limmat. The Zurich audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this seat of power, heir of the wooden town halls of the Middle Ages, witness of the time when Zurich was a free imperial city then the capital of the Republic of Zurich.

The seat of the Republic of Zurich

The impressive building you have in front of you is the Rathaus, the town hall of Zurich. This historic building was built in the 1690s to replace its wooden predecessors, raised in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. These first buildings sheltered the seat of the city that belonged, since 1218, to the Holy Roman Empire. Zurich was then an imperial city, that is to say it depended directly on the emperor and not on a local lord, which conferred on it more liberties and privileges: it was a true city-state. But a century later was born the Swiss Confederation, and Switzerland freed itself from the domination of the Habsburgs. Zurich then developed quietly and acquired territories until forming the canton we know today. During all this period, the Rathaus was the seat of the government of what was then called the Republic of Zurich. Of baroque style, the building stands proudly at the edge of the Limmat, its façade adorned with mullioned windows and bas-reliefs reflected in the river. Inside, fine state rooms, including the hall of the Great Council, testify to the splendour of the merchant city. Even today, the Rathaus hosts the sessions of the cantonal and communal parliaments, perpetuating its centuries-old political vocation. A baroque town hall and a seat of power, the Rathaus is a fine stop of the discovery of Zurich.

What to see

Here you admire the historic town hall of Zurich, an imposing baroque building built in the 1690s at the edge of the Limmat, on the site of old wooden town halls; seat of power in the time when Zurich was a free imperial city then the Republic of Zurich, it shelters fine state rooms and still hosts the cantonal and communal parliaments. The Rathaus is a seat of power in Zurich. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Rathaus stands at the edge of the Limmat, in the old town of Zurich, reachable on foot or by tram. It is an official building whose baroque façade you admire above all from the quay; the interior access follows the conditions in force, which vary, and may be restricted during parliamentary sessions. You discover it during a walk along the river.

What was the imperial city of Zurich?

From 1218, Zurich was an imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire, that is to say it depended directly on the emperor and not on a local lord, which gave it large liberties and privileges, like a city-state; after the birth of the Swiss Confederation, it became the Republic of Zurich, of which the Rathaus, built in the 1690s, was the seat.

Where is the Rathaus in Zurich?

At the edge of the river Limmat, in the old town of Zurich, in Switzerland.