Historical Points

Highlights in Zürich

Birth of the Swiss Reformation

Zürich made its most significant mark on Christian history in the early 16th century with Huldrych Zwingli and the Swiss Reformation. Zwingli spent his career working for church reforms, having grown disillusioned with the corruption and distortion prevalent in Rome. He publicly denounced the Catholic church’s reliance on saints as spiritual mediators. So engaged were the Zürchers of the early 16th century that they quickly embraced Zwingli’s Protestant doctrine, and in 1523 Zürich’s city council elected to become a Protestant city.

The Anabaptists

Among Zwingli’s closest followers were Conrad Grebel and Felix Manz. The Anabaptists, as they were called, pressed for separation of church and state, adult baptism, freedom from taxation and military conscription. Zwingli couldn’t agree to such radical measures, nor could the Zürich city council. After refusing either to conform or to leave Zürich, the Anabaptists experienced their first martyrdom in 1527 when Felix Manz was executed by drowning. But while Manz was dead, he had begun a movement that would last, spreading throughout Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands, and giving root to the modern-day Mennonite and Amish communities in North America. Several Lake Zürich towns were founded by Anabaptist communities in exile, where they resided or worshiped in secrecy caves. A visit to the Anabaptist cave in Bäretswil is a powerful reminder of the lengths early believers took to worship as they saw fit.

Lakeside metropolis

A lakeside metropolis with views of the snow-covered Alps, Zürich offers a mix of unique activities waiting to be discovered. A shopping paradise with renowned international as well as unique local brands. Delicious culinary treats, over 50 museums and more than 100 galleries, a world clas((s Opera House and numerous events invite visitors to spend time here and to explore the well- preserved Old Town, which can look back on a 2,000-year history.