Lindenhof

The Lindenhof is a small raised square in the heart of the Old Town, and it is where Zurich began. The hill rises about 25 metres above the Limmat. A Roman fort was built here under Emperor Valentinian I in the 4th century, covering about 4,500 square metres, on the site of an earlier customs post. In the Carolingian era a royal residence stood here, and later an imperial palace, which was demolished in 1218. For centuries afterwards the open ground served as a meeting place for the townspeople, and in 1798 citizens swore the oath on the Helvetic constitution here.

Today the Lindenhof is a quiet public park planted with lime trees. A chronicle records 52 lime trees being planted in 1774, and the space was laid out as a formal park in 1780, reaching its present form around 1900. The fountain at the centre dates from 1688 and recalls the legend of the 1292 siege, when Zurich's women are said to have put on armour and marched onto the hill to make the enemy think the town still had a large army.

The main reason to come is the view. From the terrace wall you look straight across the Limmat to the Old Town on the right bank, the Grossmünster, the Rathaus and, higher up, the main building of the university and the ETH. It is a good spot for photographs at any time of day, and many people come back in the evening. Chess players have long used the square as a meeting point, and you will often find a game in progress.

The square is open at all hours and is free. It is more a place to pause than a destination for a whole morning, and 20 to 30 minutes is usually enough. Families appreciate the open space away from traffic. Expect a short uphill walk from the surrounding lanes, since the square sits well above the river.

The Lindenhof is a short walk from the main station and from the Rennweg tram stop on Bahnhofstrasse. Combine it with St. Peter, a few steps south, the old riverside quarter of the Schipfe below and the shops of Rennweg.