Zurich West in focus: my top tips for a neighborhood tour
Kind of funny. Weekend after weekend, Ms. Travelita travels around the world and tells in her blog how she scrambles around on mountains, visits small and large cities across Europe and also goes on an exploration tour across the pond. Exactly 605 blog posts have been typed since the summer of 2012. But in none of these blog posts do I show you “my” quarters. Züri West from Monday to Friday and then let’s go. That can’t be it, can it? Because the fact is: in the past four years, I have enjoyed Zurich West. I don’t automatically associate “home” with the Bern region anymore (although of course it’s out of competition), but I also feel at home here between the Limmat, industrial buildings and high-rise buildings. And when the Sheraton Hotel Zurich, a five-minute walk from my office, where I go in and out every day, recently offered me the opportunity to start a new working week on its roof, there was finally a good reason to show you “my” Zurich West. And if Zurich West and I hadn’t become friends by that time, we would have become friends by Monday, November 21st at 8:40 a.m. at the latest. What a great view!
A city walk through Zurich West
No other Zurich district has undergone such a major transformation in recent years as the former industrial area – the outermost part of district 5 – between Escher-Wyss-Platz and Hardturm. What has been built or converted in Zurich West in recent years is the piecemeal implementation of a development concept developed as part of a cooperative planning process. In 1999, the partners involved signed a joint declaration of intent with 12 urban planning principles. Since then, the district has been turned upside down piece by piece. I don’t think everything that has been built in Zurich West in recent years is great. It is remarkable, however, that a good balance has been found between development and preservation.
My tour starts at one of these places, where old and new are successfully combined. For me, the Puls 5 is one of the heart of Zurich West. The old foundry hall, built in 1898 by the Escher-Wyss machine factory, now houses restaurants and shops and, together with the adjacent Turbinenplatz, forms a popular lunchtime meeting place for the surrounding businesses.
North of Puls 5 is one of those buildings that irritates me every time I pass by. The architectural firm E2A did not have an easy task in the conversion or new construction of the Escher terraces. On the one hand, it was necessary to preserve the model magazine – an industrial witness of the times – and to combine the commercial artistic use (in which the rehearsal stage of the opera house is located) with a residential high-rise. The skyscraper reminds me of Miami and the strangely bricked-up windows of the model magazine cause claustrophobia just by looking at them. No, the Escher Terraces and I are not going to be friends.
On the other hand, I like the building opposite the model magazine. The façade reads “Zurich Paris” and on the ground floor there is a café, restaurant and bookshop all in one. The Sphères is a culinary and cultural meeting place and one of the few neighbourhood cafés that open at eight o’clock in the morning. Directly behind it starts the Fischerweg, which leads along the Limmat towards Werdinsel.
We follow the fisherman’s path and reach the back of the Limmatwest area. A long block building, which I like with its nested construction. Passing the former Hardturm fortified tower, we reach the Bernoulli houses. The listed terraced houses were designed by architect Hans Bernoulli between 1914 and 1929. The concept of the shared access side and the private front garden on the opposite side is exciting.
If you cross Hardturmstrasse at the Bernoulli-Häuser tram stop, you will pass the Kraftwerk 1 cooperative housing estate. In the 1990s, it set new standards in residential construction with a diverse mix of apartments and dense construction. There is currently a lot going on between Kraftwerk 1 and Pfingstweidstrasse. We discover raw facades, scaffolded terraced single-family houses in the Bernoulli style and freshly painted new buildings with entrances reminiscent of high-security wings.
In the meantime, it seemed to me that the construction work on the site of the former Toni dairy would go on forever. It is all the more astonishing that two years have passed since the opening of the new art academy in the Toni-Areal. The building completes the façade opposite the Migros Engrosmarkt, consisting of Hardturmpark, Sheraton Zurich and Toni-Areal. The students have also breathed much-needed “life” into the area. As an alternative to bad weather, the Museum of Design in the Toni area is a good choice.
We follow the Gleisbogenweg via Pfingstweidpark to Hardbrücke station. The five- to ten-metre-wide red ribbon opens up the industrial quarter for pedestrian and bicycle traffic and is a permanent backbone of the development concept. Green and recreational areas are arranged along the Gleisbogenweg. I like the concept idea and the little “pocket parks”. If you follow the Gleisbogenweg, you will see that Zurich West has not yet been fully developed, and you will discover brownfields with temporary uses between the new buildings. The Maag Village with the tallest building in the city of Zurich and residential buildings, some of which remind me of rabbit hutches, is completely built over. Four years ago, I briefly toyed with the idea of moving into one of these apartments. Fortunately, I didn’t, otherwise I would have to resist the Steiner airport on my way to work every day.
We walk under the Hardbrücke bridge and reach the Geroldareal with the striking Freitag Container Tower (including the Freitag Store) and the popular “Frau Gerolds Garten”. Here, between Hardbrücke station and the Aussersihl Viaduct, small businesses were able to survive. I hope that this use will be preserved on the site. It makes an important contribution to the diversity of neighbourhoods.
I think the conversion of the disused viaduct into a shopping and gastronomy scene “in the viaduct” is a success. Admittedly, I am rarely found in the shops here, although the mix of small shops is really casual. The friend thinks that he could easily stock up on a new wardrobe here. My favorite is the Kitchener (that’s the Bernese roots). Also cool is the footpath connection on the upper floor. It’s the Zurich version of the High Line, so to speak.
This leads us with a view of the Josefswiese either to the other side of the Limmat or to the Löwenbräu area. The design by the architectural firm Gigon Guyer meets my taste. In addition to residential and office use, part of the building was converted into an art centre with galleries, publishing houses, the Migros Museum of Contemporary Art and the Kunsthalle Zürich.
The walk through Zurich West takes a good two to three hours. Also interesting is a detour to the Steinfels area. Between 1993 and 1996, curd soap was used to produce curd soap and was the site of the first mixed-use space for living, working and entertainment in Zurich West. Quasi the initial spark of all the further development steps. You can also find exciting inputs for your walk under Kulturmeile.ch.
Zurich West: Shopping tips around Hardbrücke station
The first address for an afternoon of shopping is the viaduct arches. During the walk I discovered more great addresses. The new building opposite the shipbuilding building has only recently been ready for occupancy. Helsinki Design has opened a shop there on the ground floor. Word of this is sure to get around quickly among lovers of Scandinavian design pieces. Right next door, the “FOIFI“, a zerowaste shop café, will open at the beginning of 2017.
Soeder relies on sustainable, locally produced everyday basics. Until the end of the year, the creative collective will operate a small branch on Geroldstrasse. A second shop is located at Ankerstrasse 124. I like the philosophy and the great product range. Right next door (at Geroldstrasse 15) is a shop that could put my wallet in dire straits. When I redecorate my apartment from A to Z, I become a regular customer at Walter Vintage Möbel.
Zurich West: Restaurant tips between Limmatplatz and Hardturmstrasse
Brunch Classic: Maison Blunt |
In Zurich West, you can not only marvel at all kinds of architecture and shop for designer furniture, but also eat well. For the culinary tips, I took the liberty of “enlarging” Zurich West up to Limmatplatz. I hope District 5 will forgive me for this impudence. I have a bit of a hard time with a good breakfast cookie in Zurich West. The Sphères is great but doesn’t offer brunch. According to Harry’s thing, brunch at Clouds, at the top of Prime Tower, is supposed to be really good. My favorite is the Blunts house breakfast for 22 CHF at Maison Blunt.
Casual alternative: Les Halles |
A Zurich West classic are Moules Frites at Les Halles (Pfingstweidstrasse 6). At lunchtime, I also like to have the tartare or the salad with goat cheese. If you’re feeling peckish, I can recommend a trip to Wurst & Moritz (Hardstrasse 318). A weekly fixture with work colleagues (p.s. the offer includes vegan curry sausages).
A Piece of Vietnam: Co Chin Chin |
Right next to Maison Blunt, a new Vietnamese restaurant has opened. At Co Chin Chin, they cook authentically with many ingredients imported directly from Vietnam. Word got around quickly and the restaurant enjoyed great popularity just a few weeks after opening.
Bourgeois: Alpenrose |
At the end of July 2016, an era came to an end in the Alpenrose restaurant at the Quellenstrasse tram stop. The two picklers Tine Giacobbo and Katharina Sinniger closed the business after 22 years. The restaurant has been open again since mid-October. The Arbeitskette Foundation has taken over the business and focuses on traditional Swiss cuisine. What I particularly like is that young people and adults with mental impairments are offered the opportunity to (re)enter the workforce. A simple, charming pub with a really good cuisine!
Kreativ: Paradiso Station |
For paradise, we hop briefly across the Limmat, where chef Margaretha Jüngling conjures up creative, Nordic-inspired dishes in a mini kitchen in a disused railway carriage during the winter months. I like her style. Exciting combinations without frills. It’s cosy and cramped at the Stazione Paradiso, and whether you like it or not, you’re bound to be drawn into interesting conversations by someone sitting next to you. The 4-course menu costs 75 CHF.
For meat tigers: Route Twenty-Six |
If you’re in the mood for a really good piece of meat, the steak restaurant Route Twenty-Six at the Sheraton is the right place for you. Until the beginning of this year, the focus here was on Swiss cuisine. I think the change of concept is successful and the friend is of the opinion that he will spend his next men’s evening here. As an alternative, a few meters away is the restaurant Naanu with Nepalese cuisine (also a good option if you want to go faster over lunch).
And my trip through Zurich West doesn’t end in my own bed (although it’s less than ten minutes away), but on the top floor of the Sheraton Zurich West, with the most beautiful view of a mixture of connecting and separating infrastructures, commercial enterprises, high-density cooperative buildings and high-rise buildings with luxury apartments. A vibrant city life. Yes, I like Zurich West.
This excursion tip doesn’t quite meet your expectations? No problem! In the article linked below you will find further suggestions on what you can do around Zurich: 9 great excursion destinations and short hikes in the vicinity of Zurich
Note: The Sheraton Zurich contacted me with the rooftop photo spot idea and motivated me – it was high time anyway – to finally dedicate a blog post to “my” district. Thank you for that! All opinions/impressions are, as always, ours
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