Sechseläutenplatz (literally: ''Sechseläuten'' square) is the largest

town square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...

situated in

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. Its name derives from the ''

Sechseläuten The ''Sechseläuten'' (Zürich German: ''Sächsilüüte'', "The six o'clock ringing of the bells") is a traditional spring holiday in the Swiss city of Zürich celebrated in its current form, usually on the 3rd Monday of April, since the early 2 ...

'' (the city's traditional spring holiday), which is celebrated on the square in April.

Geography

Sechseläutenplatz is located on the east shore of

Lake Zurich __NOTOC__ Lake Zurich ( Swiss German/Alemannic: ''Zürisee''; German: ''Zürichsee''; rm, Lai da Turitg) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zürich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or ''Zürichsee'' can be used to ...

, just south of the lake's outflow to the river

Limmat The Limmat is a river in Switzerland. The river commences at the outfall of Lake Zurich, in the southern part of the city of Zurich. From Zurich it flows in a northwesterly direction, after 35 km reaching the river Aare. The confluenc ...

and the Schanzengraben moat. The plaza is bounded to the south by the linked Opernhaus and Bernhardtheater buildings; to the west by the Utoquai lakeside promenade; and to the east by Theaterstrasse, across which is Stadelhoferplatz, with the

Stadelhofen railway station Stadelhofen is a municipality in the Upper Franconian (German: ''Oberfranken'') district of Bamberg and a member of the administrative community (''Verwaltungsgemeinschaft'') of Steinfeld. Geography The community lies on the edge of the “Fra ...

and the terminus of the Forchbahn (FOB). To the north, Sechseläutenplatz merges into ''

Bellevueplatz Bellevueplatz ("Bellevue Square", from the French ''bellevue'' meaning "beautiful sight") is a town square in Zürich, Switzerland built in 1856. Named after the former Grandhotel Bellevue on its north side, it is one of the nodal points for ro ...

'', where stops for the Zürich tram lines 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11 and 15 are located. On November 30, 2011, the government of Zürich announced that some streets would be renamed by redesigning the public area at Sechseläutenplatz. Theaterplatz will be part of the Sechseläutenplatz area, and Gottfried-Keller-Strasse and Goethestrasse partially repealed. Residents have been informed that these will be addressed as ''Sechseläutenplatz 1'' to ''10''. In all, Sechseläutenplatz covers an area of about .

History

Prehistory

The area has been internationally known since 2009, when digging for an underground parking facility uncovered the remains of prehistoric pile dwellings. Remains were found in the immediate vicinity of this wetland soil settlement, ''

Kleiner Hafner Kleiner Hafner is one of the 111 serial sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Site ''Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps'', of which are 56 located in Switzerland. Geography Kleiner Hafner was located on the then swamp land between the ri ...

'', in the lower basin of Lake Zürich. The construction works were suspended for nine months and the settlement remains were systematically archaeologically recorded. The results of the

excavations In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

are permanently displayed in a pavilion next to the lakeshore. Located on what was then swampland between the river

and Lake Zürich, around present-day Sechseläutzenplatz–Bürkliplatz, the prehistoric dwellings were set on piles to protect against occasional flooding by the rivers

Linth The Linth (pronounced "lint") is a Swiss river that rises near the village of Linthal in the mountains of the canton of Glarus, and eventually flows into the Obersee section of Lake Zurich. It is about in length. The water power of the Linth ...

and

Jona Jona may refer to: * Jona, Switzerland, a village of the municipality Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland * Jona (river), in the cantons of Zürich and St. Gallen in Switzerland * Jona (album), ''Jona'' (album), an album by Jona Viray People with the giv ...

. The Neolithic settlement ''

Zürich–Enge Alpenquai Zürich–Enge Alpenquai is one of the 111 serial sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Site ''Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps'', of which 56 are located in Switzerland. Geography Located on the then-swampland between Limmat and Lake ...

'' is located at the Bürkliplatz in Enge, a locality of the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

of Zürich. It was neighbored by the settlements at ''Kleiner Hafner'' (a former island/peninsula at Sechseläutenplatz) and ''Grosser Hafner'' island (which was also part of the

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

and

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...

settlement area) in the effluence of the Limmat, within an area of about 0.2 square kilometres (50 acres) in the heart of the city of Zürich. Archäologie im Parkhaus Opéra - Pavillion Sechseläutenplatz 2014-10-31 17-05-29.JPG, Entrance to the archaeological exhibition Archäologie im Parkhaus Opéra - Ausstellung im Tiefparkhaus Sechseläutenplatz - Horgener Kultur - Fragment eines Topfes mit (!) Verzierungen 2014-10-31 17-09-36.jpg,

Horgen culture The Horgen culture is one of several archaeological cultures belonging to the Neolithic period of Switzerland. The Horgen culture may derive from the Pfyn culture and early Horgen pottery is similar to the earlier Cortaillod culture pottery of ...

, fragment of ceramics, ''

'' Archäologie im Parkhaus Opéra - Ausstellung im Tiefparkhaus Sechseläutenplatz - Horgener Kultur - Steinbeil in 'Zwischenfutter' aus Hirschgeweih aus Originalsediment 2014-10-31 17-10-11.jpg, Horgen culture, fragment of a shafted stone axe File:Archäologie im Parkhaus Opéra - Ausstellung im Tiefparkhaus Sechseläutenplatz - Horgener Kultur - Silexdolch aus Norditalien (Replik) und Pfeilspitzen 2014-10-31 17-13-33.jpg, Horgen culture, silex knife and stone arrowheads Archäologie im Parkhaus Opéra - Ausstellung im Tiefparkhaus Sechseläutenplatz 2014-10-31 17-09-11.jpg, multimedia presentation at the lakeshore pavillon ''Kleiner Hafner'' and ''Grosser Hafner'' are very rare sites, representing all periods of pile dwelling. There are finds from the Neolithic ''Egolzwil'', ''

Cortaillod Cortaillod is a municipality in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. The Neolithic Cortaillod culture was named after Cortaillod, where four Neolithic villages have been discovered. History Cortaillod is first mentioned in 1311 as ''Corta ...

'' and ''

Horgen Horgen is a municipality in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. It is one of the larger towns along the south bank of the Lake of Zurich. On 1 January 2018 the former municipality of Hirzel merged into the municipali ...

'' cultures, forming an important reference which allows study of the cultural development during the late 5th and early 4th millennia BC. They and other prehistoric settlements in the lower Lake Zürich area are part of

Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps are a series of prehistoric pile dwelling (or stilt house) settlements in and around the Alps built from about 5000 to 500 BC on the edges of lakes, rivers or wetlands. In 2011, 111 sites located various ...

, an

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

, recognized as one of 111 world locations with the greatest scientific potential.

Since the Middle Ages

In the late European

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, the Sechseläutenplatz area was the location of the former military harbour of the city of Zürich, part of the ''Stadelhoferbollwerk'' bastion on the Lake Zürich shore. The former Stadelhofer bulwark was built as part of the fourth city fortifications in 1643 AD, its

bastion A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...

built partly into the lake. In 1673, the Stadelhofen ravelin was attached. These fortifications, which had become obsolete, were completely demolished in 1837–38. The restaurant Kornhaus operated on the site from 1839 to 1860. In 1867, the building was taken over as a temporary facility of the Tonhalle orchestra, and demolished sometime after. First mentioned in 1896 as ''Sechseläutenplatz'', from the 1910s to 2008 the place was a meadow commonly known as ''Sechseläutenwiese''. Since 1902, it was used for the spring ''Sechseläuten'' celebration and other events, including shows by

Circus Knie Circus Knie (german: Schweizer National-Circus Knie, french: Cirque National Suisse Knie) is the largest circus of Switzerland, based in Rapperswil. The circus was founded in 1803 by the Knie family and has existed in its present form since 1919 ...

. It also became the home of the Opernhaus Zürich and of the Grand Café Esplanade built by J. Pfister Picault in 1925. On 19 December 1941, the

Bernhard-Theater Zürich The Bernhard-Theater Zürich or Bernhard Theater is a theatre in German-speaking Switzerland situated at Sechseläutenplatz in Zürich. It is part of the building complex '' Opernhaus Zürich'' and also houses the ''Restaurant Belcanto''. The th ...

opened as an entertainment theater for plays, farces and comedies in the Swiss-German language. To ensure the food supply of the city population in wartime,

potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...

es were planted in the meadow in November 1940. In May 1981, the Esplanade building was demolished and the present Bernhard-Theater was re-opened on 27–28 December 1984 after three years of transition. In the nearby '' Schanzengraben'', the Old Botanical Garden is located. The area towards the Opernhaus-Bernhardtheater was used as a parking facility from the 1960s until 2008. Carolinum Zürich - Stadelhofen - Reformationschronik von 1605 Heinrich Bullinger 2015-11-06 17-09-52.JPG, Iconoclasm during the

Reformation in Zürich The Reformation in Zürich was promoted initially by Huldrych Zwingli, who gained the support of the magistrates of the city of Zürich and the princess abbess Katharina von Zimmern of the Fraumünster Abbey, and the population of the city of Hist ...

, Stadelhofen, illustrated Bullinger chronicle Grabung Parkhaus Opéra - Stadelhoferbollwerk 2010-09-19 14-27-38.JPG, map of 1705 Bellevue-Utoquai-Stadelhoferplatz Zürich um 1846 - Grabung-Parkhaus Opéra - 2010-09-19 14-29-20 Ausschnitt.jpg, Stadelhoferplatz and former medieval harbour in 1846 Schanzen beim Stadelhoferbollwerk - 2014 Sechseläutenplatz-'fäscht' 2014 2014-04-26 18-22-22 (P7700).JPG, ''Stadelhoferbollwerk'' bastion Bellevue Zürich vor 1896 - Grabung Parkhaus Opéra - 2010-09-19 14-28-24.JPG, Tonhalle and lakeshore area in 1896 Opernhaus - Sechseläutenplatz - Bellevue Zürich 2014-01-28 16-30-07 (P7700).JPG, Opernhaus and Bernhard Theater

Redesign

Due to a referendum, the construction work was delayed a year from its planned commencement. In January 2013, the main work began and about a year later the redesigned Sechseläutenplatz was inaugurated. The cost for the city of Zürich amounted to 17.2 million

Swiss Francs The Swiss franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is also legal tender in the Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia which is surrounded by Swiss territory. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) issues banknotes and the f ...

, of which CHF 10,250,000 were used on the renewal, road drainage and superstructure of the neighboring roads. The costs for the square's design and construction works totalled to around CHF 28 million, of which 11 million was paid by the canton of Zürich. The loss of a car lane on the ''Utoquai'' roadway caused a bitter dispute between the city and the canton of Zürich, with the district court deciding in favour of the city. The planning works were done by Zach + Zünd Architekten, Vetsch Nipkow Landschaftsarchitekten, Heyer Kaufmann Bauingenieure. Grabung Parkhaus Opéra - Stadtmauer Stadelhoferbollwerk 2010-06-16 17-07-00.JPG, remains of ''Stadelhoferbollwerk'', June 2010 Bellevue-Sechseläutenplatz-Theaterplatz - vormals 'Grabung Parkhaus Opéra' 2011-03-30 16-22-52 ShiftN.jpg, construction works in June 2011 File:Opernhaus Zürich - Neugestaltung - Sechseläutenplatz 2013-05-07 18-26-15 (P7700) ShiftN.jpg, construction works in May 2013 Valser Quarzit - Sechseläutenplatz Zürich 2013-05-07 - 16-51 (Xperia Z).jpeg, Vals quartzite 2013 Sechseläuten - Böögg - Vorbereitungen durch Grün Stadt Zürich - Opernhaus - Sechseläutenplatz 2013-04-15 13-20-27.JPG, Sechseläuten on 15 April 2013

Architecture

Surface parking was replaced by an underground parking facility, for the ''Opéra'' and the

Münsterhof Münsterhof (literally: Fraumünster abbey courtyard) is a town square situated in the Lindenhof quarter in the historical center of Zürich, Switzerland. Münsterhof is the largest town square within the ''Altstadt'' (old town) of Zürich, and is ...

square, and the public square was expanded towards the

Opera House An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically for o ...

. The aim of the city government was to "upgrade for pedestrians in Zürich at a central location, to create a place with international appeal". A total of 110,000 blocks of stone from Vals

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tect ...

– 10 to wide and between 50 and long – form the square. The material was "thoroughly tested over a long period", with respect to cleaning, slip resistance or behavior during prolonged heat. To exclude damage on burning of the ''Böögg'' (a winter effigy burned during ''Sechseläuten''), a shell of firebrick was installed. Additionally, the impact of elephant dung on the Vals quartzite was tested and anchorages for the Knie's circus tent firmly integrated in the surface structure. The natural stone tiles of the Vals quartzite occupies an area of . The last stones were laid on 19 November 2013, three weeks earlier than planned. In February and March 2014, 56 seven-year-old

red oaks The genus ''Quercus'' contains about 500 species, some of which are listed here. The genus, as is the case with many large genera, is divided into subgenera and sections. Traditionally, the genus ''Quercus'' was divided into the two subgenera ''C ...

and

tulip trees ''Liriodendron'' () is a genus of two species of characteristically large trees, deciduous tree, deciduous over most of their populations, in the magnolia family (biology), family (Magnoliaceae). These trees are widely known by the common name ...

were planted. These varieties were particularly suitable for the inner-city location.

Infrastructure and fountain

Rooms under the square, below the groundwater level, provide the hidden infrastructure for lighting, electrical power distribution, and the pumps and control systems for the fountains. , it is the most elaborate water feature in Zürich, with individual programmable control to each nozel which can jet fountains up to in height, and can accompany a piece of music. Each nozzle has a white

LED light An LED lamp or LED light bulb is an electric light that produces light using light-emitting diodes (LEDs). LED lamps are significantly more energy-efficient than equivalent incandescent lamps and can be significantly more efficient than mos ...

that can illuminate the water from below at night. Drainage systems receive the fountain water though a series of chambers which collect detritus, filter the water, and process it with

chlorine Chlorine is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate betwee ...

and glass water; the purified water is then returned to the pumps to be reused. In all, 1.5 million Swiss Francs were paid for the design. 2014 Sechseläutenplatz-'fäscht' - Springbrunnen 2014-04-26 18-04-09 (P7700).JPG, 2014 Sechseläutenplatz-'fäscht' - Springbrunnen 2014-04-26 18-11-54 (P7700).JPG, fountain nozzle 2014 Sechseläutenplatz-'fäscht' - Springbrunnen 2014-04-26 18-00-49 (P7700).JPG, Sechseläutenplatz - Opernhaus - Springbrunnen - Bellevue Zürich 2014-10-29 12-59-21 (P7800).JPG,

Activities and sights

According to the government's concept, Sechseläutenplatz may be used for events 180 days per year. Among them are ''

'', ''

'' and the

Zürich Film Festival Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) is an annual film festival that has been held in Zürich, Switzerland, since 2005. The festival's main focus is to promote emerging filmmakers from all over the world. In three competition categories only first, second ...

. In the summer months, the square must have full public access for at least 120 days to fulfill its function as the main inner-city space, so summertime events are limited to the area of the former Sechseläutenwiese. The former ''Theaterplatz'' square in front of the Opera House serves as the connection between Stadelhoferplatz and the Lake Zürich lakeshore. The city's authorities declared the area between Stadelhofen station and ''Sechseläutenplatz'' as a

car-free zone Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...

. ''Wienachtsmärt'', a Christmas fair, is a new event first held in 2015, opened on 19 November by Zürich's mayor,

Corine Mauch Corine Mauch (born May 28, 1960 in Iowa City) is a Swiss Social Democrat politician who serves as mayor of Zurich. She is the first female and first openly lesbian person to be elected mayor of the city. Political career Mauch was elected mayor ...

. It had about 100 huts presenting modern design products and traditional handicrafts.

Parking Opéra

Opened in May 2012, the underground parking garage houses two parking levels for 299 cars. The parking facility is operated by the Opéra AG, a consortium of the companies Hardturmstrasse AG and AMAG. Up to 50 parking spaces are reserved for long-term tenants. The entrance is situated at Falkenstrasse/Schillerstrasse. On Sechseläutenplatz, pedestrian access to the facility is provided by two pavilions, one of which houses a boulevard

café A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...

. The second pavilion has a display presenting an overview of the archaeological findings from the excavation (''Archäologie im Parkhaus Opera'').

Cultural heritage and protection

As part of the 56 Swiss sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Site ''Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps'', the Neolithic, Celtic and Gallo-Roman settlements are also listed in the

Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance #REDIRECT Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance {{R from other capitalisation ...

as ''Class objects''. Hence, the area is provided as a historical site under federal protection, within the meaning of the Swiss Federal Act on natural and cultural heritage (German: Bundesgesetz über den Natur- und Heimatschutz NHG) of 1 July 1966. Unauthorised researching and purposeful gathering of findings represent a criminal offense according to 24.

Literature

* Margrit Balmer: "Zürich in der Spätlatène- und frühen Kaiserzeit. Vom keltischen Oppidum zum römischen Vicus Turicum." In: Monographien der Kantonsarchäologie Zürich 39, Hochbaudepartement/Amt für Städtebau/Stadtarchäologie (Hrsg.), Fotorotar-Verlag, Zürich und Egg 2009, . *

Dölf Wild Dölf Wild (born 1954) is a Swiss historian, archaeologist and science writer, and works as the chief archaeologist of the city of Zürich. He is best known for his research into the building industry of medieval Zürich and for his contribution t ...

et al.: ''Stadtmauern. Ein neues Bild der Stadtbefestigung Zürich. Schrift zur Ausstellung im Haus zum Rech, Zürich 6. Februar bis 30. April 2004''. In: Stadtgeschichte und Städtebau in Zürich. Schriften zur Archäologie, Denkmalpflege und Stadtplanung. Volume 5. Werd-Verlag, Zürich 2004, .

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sechselautenplatz History of Zürich Altstadt (Zürich) Squares in Zürich Archaeological sites in Switzerland Parking facilities Museums in Zürich