Zürich
Friday 11 April 2003
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Grasshopper-Club's Hardturm stadium (©UEFA)
By Peterjon Cresswell
Chic, affluent Zürich is an unlikely hotbed of football, but the financial centre of Switzerland has strong historical links with the game. The flagship side, Grasshopper-Club, was formed as long ago as 1886, and they would dominate the early years of the burgeoning Swiss league at the turn of the century. While their cross-city rivals FC Zürich were also notching up titles, FIFA sited their main office on the outskirts of town, where it remains to this day. Meanwhile, after hosting a handful of games for the 1954 FIFA World Cup, Zürich is getting a whole new stadium in time to stage UEFA EURO 2008. Grasshoppers' rebuilt Hardturm Stadium is scheduled to be in place by 2006, although FCZ's Letzigrund is not considered suitable.
Attractions
Zürich is a pretty, business-minded city delineated by the quay-lined Limmat river which divides it into two distinct halves: the commercial quarter to the west, and the cobbled streets and cafes to the east. Picturesque bridges line the Limmat down to the lake, Zürichsee, to the south. Major sites dot the attractive horizon on either side of the river: the Museum of Fine Arts at Heimplatz 1, the best gallery in Switzerland, with a superb collection of works by Marc Chagall, Edvard Munch, Venetian and Flemish masters; Fraumunster Church, with a thin Gothic spire and stained-glass windows designed by Marc Chagall; and the Grossmunster Cathedral with a window designed by Augusto Giacometti. Here Protestant reformer Huldrych Zwingli preached in the 16th century, changing the face of Zürich forever.
Club guide
Zürich's two main clubs, Grasshoppers and FCZ, have both enjoyed considerable domestic success. Of the two, Grasshoppers have the more pedigree, notching up a string of league titles in almost every decade, more than any other club, in fact: 25 in all. Currently leading the Swiss table, they may well have another one by May. Key players have included the Abegglen brothers, Max and Trello, from the 1930s; Claudio Sulser from the 1970s and Ciriaco Sforza and Alain Sutter from the 1990s. In terms of management, organisation and financial clout, few Swiss clubs can match Grasshoppers - not least once the Hardturm is rebuilt by 2006. Their city rivals, FCZ, also have a long history, dating back to 1896 and the merger of three local clubs, FC Turicum, FC Excelsior and FC Viktoria. After two early title wins, FCZ enjoyed a period of success in the 1960s, which saw Ladislav Kubala and Kobi Kuhn help the blue-and-whites to three championships and European appearances. Although the club have not picked up a title since 1981, they continue to create the occasional surprise at home and abroad, in recent years thanks to foreign strikers such as Rachidi Yekini and Shabani Nonda.
Stadium guide
Grasshoppers' tidy Hardturm Stadium was built in the late 1920s, although it was not long before the main stand - a wooden one - was burned down. Rebuilt in time to host matches in the 1954 World Cup, the Hardturm soon boasted a main stand, the Treml stand, which provided 5,000 seats of the total 35,000 capacity. After floodlights were added, another fire damaged the main stand; four would be built by the 1980s. It will soon be torn down and rebuilt as the FIFA-Stadion in time for EURO 2008, with work on the 30,000-capacity, multifunctional venue due to start in autumn this year. The ground is an easy tram ride from the main train station, a journey of 15 minutes. Match tickets can be bought at www.gcz.ch. FCZ's Letzigrund is on the other side of the railway tracks from the Hardturm. Built in 1925, it has undergone several changes and improvements, but has always featured a running track around the football pitch. With a capacity of 24,000, half of it seated, the Letzigrund is ideal for modest Swiss league purposes. Tickets can be bought at the office behind the two main stands. Inside the ground, the Café Letzigrund under the west stand depicts the history of the ground on its walls.
Accommodation
Although Zürich is geared towards the business community, the city has a large enough stock of hotels to satisfy travellers on most budgets. Information can be found at www.zurichtourism.ch, and at the main tourist office at the railway station, where there is a free hotel reservation service (41 1 215 4040). At the higher end of the price scale, in the €170 range, the Gasthof Hirschen am See (Seestrasse 856, 41 1 925 0500, www.hirschen-meilen.ch) has a terrace restaurant, and the Zürich Marriott (Neumuhlequai 42, 41 1 360 7070) a sauna and indoor swimming pool. At the lower end, at around €90 the comfortable Zic-Zac Rock Hotel is a musically-themed hotel within easy range of the nightlife quarter of Niederdorfstrasse.
Nightlife
Zürich is the nightlife capital of Switzerland. With a significant student population, a tradition of non-conventional cultural trends and locals with high spending power, in entertainment terms Zürich is head and shoulders above more staid towns in Switzerland. The hub of the scene is Niederdorfstrasse, lined with bars and cafes, including the cosy Zuri Bar at number 26. Nearby, the Nachtcafe at Munstergasse 26 was the former home of the Cabaret Voltaire art movement, now a cool bar. In summer, clubs are set up down by the Limmat river; the Club Q at Furrilbuckstrasse is a perennial favourite.
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