YOUR NEXT DESTINATION / January
W O O D E N F LO O R S
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When in the Zurich-West district, leave time
for a drink at Clouds, a bar with breathtaking
views of the city and the Alps.
Zurich-West is still kind
of the wildest neighbourhood
in the city
of Zurich-West often pops up in local
conversation. In an area where ships
were once built and engines bolted
together, now art, design, food, shopping,
and architecture are at the centre of
attention. The factories have moved
away, leaving vast expanses of space
that the city’s creative minds have taken
advantage of. Interestingly, these big
changes have taken place in just the
past decade.
Katja Weber, one of the key people in
Zurich-West’s development, says that she
initially did not think that the initiatives
she and her colleagues began would lead
to such noticeable changes in the city.
‘One of my friends received an offer to
rent some land, but nobody really knew
what to do with it,’ she says. ‘Besides, the
land was, by local standards, far from the
centre of the city. In Zurich, a ten-minute
drive from the Old Town is considered far.
And so we decided that we could open
a beer garden there, complete with a
kitchen garden.’
What started in summer 2012 as a
temporary project has since grown into
something of an institution, with shops,
art, a garden community, and a vibrant
programme of events. The urban island
of greenery at Frau Gerolds Garten
has transformed the austere industrial
location into a warm and friendly
meeting place for city lovers.
‘I don’t think we began this process,
but we were definitely a part of it.
Zurich-West is still kind of the wildest
neighbourhood in the city. It has
restaurants, clubs, and even a unique
outdoor surfing facility. It attracts
not only millennials but also people
who’ve worked in banks and insurance
companies for several decades but still
feel young at heart,’ says Weber. She
reminds me that the largest proportion of
Zurich’s population falls in the age range of
30 to 39, so ambitious changes in the urban
environment are only logical.
New residential complexes are currently
being built in Zurich-West, which has become a
prestigious and desirable location. The central
meeting place is a railway viaduct built in 1894.
Design boutiques, art galleries, and restaurants
have moved in under the 36 arches of the
marvellously chic, trendy, and well-designed
area that’s now referred to as Im Viadukt. At
the heart of it all is the Markthalle, or market
hall, where local farmers and food vendors offer
their products. The surrounding neighbourhood
is also dotted with nightclubs, theatres, and
funky stores.
I end my tour of Zurich-West at the 36-storey
Prime Tower, the second-tallest building in
Switzerland. More precisely, I’m at Clouds,
a bar at the top of the building that serves
delicious coffee and breathtaking views of the
city, Lake Zurich, and the Alps at sunset.
THE ALPS ARE WHAT I LOOK FOR IN
ZURICH EVERY DAY. THEY’RE NOT
ALWAYS VISIBLE, BUT THEY ARE EVER
PRESENT. Even when I find myself at one
of the most wonderful spas I’ve been to. And
believe me, I’ve enjoyed a lot of spas.