Switzerland is a showcase of architecture – outstanding sites recommended
by appunto — your friendly PR agency in Zurich
Switzerland has a lot to offer to those
interested in architecture, both modern and historical.
Modern architecture
Some of the world’s most
famous architects designed buildings in Switzerland. Quite a few of these
people are actually Swiss.
Mario
Botta (Swiss, from Ticino) |
BIZ Building, Aeschenplatz, Basel
Banca del Gottardo, Lugano (Ticino)
Tschuggen Grand Hotel, spa, Arosa (Graubünden)
Werner Oechslin Library in Einsiedeln near Zurich
Hotel of Modern Art (Eden Roc), in Ascona (Ticino)
Santa Maria degli Angeli Chapel, Monte Tamaro (Ticino)
Mogno church, Valle Maggia (Ticino)
Werner Oechslin Library in Einsiedeln near
Zurich |
|
Mogno church, Valle Maggia (Ticino)
Residence in Riva San Vitale and Cadenazzo
(Ticino)
School in Morbio Inferiore (Ticino)
|
Other remarkable buildings
by Mario Botta:
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco (US)
Scala Opera House extension, Milan (IT) |
Jacques Herzog & Pierre de Meuron (Swiss, Basel)
|
Tower
Hotel (in construction), Schatzalp, Davos
Schaulager Museum, Münchenstein (near Basel)
Arts Museum, Aarau
St. Jakob Stadium, Commercial building Elsässertor, Central
signal-box, main station, Basel |
|
Arts Museum, Aarau |
Other remarkable buildings
by Herzog & de Meuron:
Tate Modern, Laban Dance Centre, London (UK); National Stadium for
the Olympic Games 2008, Beijing (Chin); Prada store, Tokyo (Jap);
Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg (GE); M. H. de Young Museum in San Francisco;
Dominus Winery, Napa Valley, Cal. (US); Informations-, Kommunikations-
und Medienzentrum an der BTU-Cottbus, Cottbus (DE) |
Peter Zumthor (Swiss, Chur)
|
Felsen-Therme
spa, Vals (Graubünden)
Sogn Benedetg chapel, Sumvitg (Graubünden)
Graubünden Art Museum, Home for Senior Citizens, Chur (Graubünden)
Kunsthaus (Art museum), Bregenz, Austria (close to the swiss border)
Zumthor's spa in Vals |
|
|
Le Corbusier (Swiss, La Chaux-de-Fonds)
|
Heidi
Weber Pavilion, Zurich
Villa Le Lac, Corseaux, Vevey
Maison Clarté, Geneva
Le Corbusier Pavilion in Zurich
|
|
|
Other remarkable buildings
by Le Corbusier:
Ronchamp chapel, Ronchamp (FR) Cité Radieuse, Marseille (FR),
Pavillon Suisse à la Cité Uiniversitaire, Paris (FR),
National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo (Jap.); City planning and
govenment buildings in Chandigarh, India |
Annette Gigon and Mike Guyer (Swiss)
|
Kirchner Museum, Davos (Graubünden)
Oskar Reinhart art museum, Römerholz, Winterthur
Restaurant pavilion, Swiss transport museum, Lucerne
Housing estate Susenbergstrasse 75, Zurich
Central signal-box, main station, main station, Zurich |
|
Kirchner Museum, Davos |
Santiago Calatrava (Spanish)
|
Santiago Calatrava studied Construction
engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. His architecture
firm is in Zurich.
Lucerne railway station
Postal center, Lucerne
Zurich Stadelhofen railway station
Law library, University of Zurich, Rämistrase 74–76,
Zurich
Housing estate Buchen, Würenlingen
Wohlen High school, Wohlen |
|
The Law Library in Zurich |
Other remarkable buildings
by Santiago Calatrava:
The new bridge over the Canal Grande, Venice (IT), Palacio de las
Artes Reina Sofia, Museu de les Ciènces, L'Hemisferic IMAX,
Valencia (SP); Oriente station, Lisbon (PT); Oberbaum bridge, Kronprinzen
bridge, Jahn sports park, Berlin (DE); Satolas railway station,
Lyon (FR) Alamillo bridge, Sevilla (SP), St. John the Divine cathedral,
Biosphere, Manhattan, New York (US); Milwaukee Art Museum, Quadracci
Pavilion, Milwaukee (US), Montjuic-radio tower, Barcelona (SP) |
Jean Nouvel (French)
|
Culture und Congress Center (KKL),
Lucerne (right beside the railway station)
Astoria Hotel, Lucerne |
|
The Culture and Congress Center |
Sir Norman Foster (British)
|
Dolder Grand Hotel, Zurich
Kempinski Grand Hotel, The Murezzan, St. Moritz (Graubünden)
Chesa Futura (a futuristic house), St. Moritz (Graubünden) |
|
The Dolder Grand with the new wings by Sir Norman Foster |
Other remarkable buildings
by Sir Norman Foster:
Swiss Re Tower (“The Gherkin”), Millennium Bridge, London;
Reichstag cupola, Berlin |
Renzo Piano (Italian)
|
Beyeler Foundation museum, Riehen,
Basel
Paul Klee museum, Berne
|
|
The Beyeler Foundation Museum |
Other remarkable buildings
by Renzo Piano:
Centre Pompidou, Paris; Parco della Musica, Rome
Daimler City, Potsdamer Platz, Berlin
Kansai airport, Osaka, Japan |
Historical architecture
Gottfried
Semper (German) |
Swiss Federal Institute
of Technology (ETH), Tannenstrasse, Zurich
Eidgenössische Sternwarte (near ETH), Zurich
Town Hall, Winterthur |
|
The main building of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology |
Other remarkable buildings
by Gottfried Semper:
Semper Opera, Dresden (DE)
Burgtheater, Arts museum, Natural history museum, Vienna (AT) |
Churches
St.
Martin, Zillis (Graubünden, near Chur) |
This
small romanesque church delights you with a unique painted ceiling
of the 12th century. 153 painted panels tell the story of St.
Martin and other biblic stories.
You can easily reach
Zillis on a ride to or from St. Moritz or the Engadine. Stop in
Thusis and take a postal bus to Zillis (15 min., restaurants).
From the bus stop, walk downhill to the church. Take binoculars
for better viewing.
From Zillis, there is
at least one bus per hour back to Thusis. And from there there
are two trains every hour to Chur. |
|
One of the 153 magnificent panels |
Einsiedeln
monastery (Schwyz, near Zurich) |
This Benedictine monastery was
founded in the year 934. The splendid baroque church, famous among
others for its black Madonna and its organ, dates from the beginning
of the 18th century. Einsiedeln is also a pilgrimage place on the
trail to Santiago. The monastery built from 1656 to 1723 and its
historic library can be visited. To get there, take any Interregio
(IR) or S-Bahn train at Zurich main station towards Ziegelbrücke
(–Chur or –Glarus). Change in Wädenswil to an S13
train to Einsiedeln (final stop). The trip takes 50 min. and there
is a train every 30 min. to travel back. In Einsiedeln there is
plenty of hotels and restaurants. |
|
The baroque cathedral
of Einsiedeln with the lady's fountain
You’ll find your way to the monastery easily. The region
is also a nice spot to relax and stroll in the beautiful neighbouring
nature.
|
Fraumünster
cathedral, Zurich (with glass windows by Marc Chagall) |
When in Zurich, do not miss to
visit Fraumünster, 2 minutes from downtown Paradeplatz banking
square. This cathedral, founded, in 853, is known for its magnificent
stained glass choir windows created by the French-Russian painter
Marc Chagall in 1967. The windows by the Swiss painter Augusto Giacometti
are worth seeing, too. Take a rest from the bustling city in the
intimate Romanesque choir adjacent to the church, dating from 1250–70. |
|
One of the Chagall windows |
Bridges
Switzerland is also known for
some world famous bridge builders who built world heritage rank bridges.
It is little known that the George Washington Bridge, the Bayonne Bridge
and Verrazano Narrows Bridge in New York were built by Swiss engineer
Othmar Ammann who also worked as a consultant for the construction of
Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco.
Robert
Maillart |
Salginatobel bridge,
Schiers, (Graubünden). This bridge was classified as a "World
monument" by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Inn bridge Zuoz (Graubünden) (first armed concrete bridge of
the world)
Tavanasa Rhine bridge, Tavanasa (Graubünden)
Stauffacher bridge, Zurich |
|
Salgina Tobel bridge by R. Maillart |
Müller & Zeerleder
|
Landwasser railway bridge near
Filisur (Graubünden) |
|
|
Christian Menn
|
Sunniberg bridge, Klosters (near
Klosters and Davos, Graubünden)
Rhine bridge near Tamins (Graubünden)
Felsenau bridge (A1), Berne
Biaschina bridge, Giornico, Ticino
Ganter bridge, Simplon motorway (A9), near Brig (Valais)
Nanin bridge and Cascella bridge (A13), Mesocco (Graubünden)
Wooden bridge between Intragna and Loco in Valle Onsernone, Ticino |
|
Sunniberg bridge |
Other remarkable
bridges by Christian Menn:
Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge (Charles River), Boston Mass. (US)
Christian Menn designed around 100 bridges in his life. |
Some other superb concrete and stone bridges
|
Wiesen
railway bridge, Wiesen (near Davos, Graubünden)
Langwies railway bridge,
Langwies; (near Arosa, Graubünden) (the highest concrete
bridge of the world and the one with the widest span)
The motorway bridges (A9) above Chillon castle, Lake Geneva
The Biaschina motorway bridges near Giornico on the south side
of San Gottardo motorway (A2)
|
|
Wiesen railway bridge, Wiesen (near Davos, Graubünden)
Langwies railway bridge near Arosa
|
The most beautiful old stone bridge
|
Lavertezzo bridge (16th century),
Verzasca valley, (Ticino) |
|
Lavertezzo bridge, Ticino |
Covered bridges
|
Chapel
bridge (around 1300), Lucerne
Spreuer bridge (around 1300), Lucerne
Timber bridge over river Aare (1535), Bremgarten (near Berne)
Register of all timber
bridges of Switzerland:
»
Swiss Timber Bridges |
|
Chapel bridge, Lucerne |
|