Zürich

Zürich is Switzerland’s largest city (population 380,000) and is home to the world’s most important gold and precious metal markets. River Limmat divides the city into the Niederdorf on the east bank and the old town on the west bank.

It’s believed that Zürich was founded in the first century BC by two deserters who fled a Roman legion. During the 11th and 12th centuries, the city created immense wealth from textiles trading. In the 14th century, though, the prosperity ended as the merchant nobility was forced out of power by workers guilds.

In 16th century Zürich, Catholic Mass was abolished and the Reformation embraced, resulting in a flow of dissident intellectuals. This popularity lasted for about 40 years before Zürich slid into a downfall. In the late 19th century, Zürich picked itself up and engaged in aggressive PR; it reinvented itself as the economic capital of Switzerland by promoting tourism, banking and manufacturing.

During WWI, European intellectuals arrived in neutral Zürich, including the founders of the Dada art movement, Ball and Hennings, and, more famously, Lenin and Joyce.

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