Zurich is a beautiful city with an exquisitely preserved and maintained old town. It’s Switzerland’s largest city with a population of over 400,000 within the city and one million more in the metropolitan area. Foreign nationals make up 25% of the population.
It is a city of fountains. Over 1200 fountains can be found in small squares and larger public plazas. Each fountain is unique, some celebrating Swiss history and myth while others are modern with graceful complementary curves. The water is drinking quality and you’ll see tourists topping off their water bottles.
The fountain below, located next to the Fraumünster church, can be plumbed to disperse wine or beer from the smaller pipe. This feature has been used for wedding receptions and public celebrations.
Zurich was established by the Romans in 15 BC. It is located on the Limmat River and served as a Roman tax collection point for goods trafficked on the river. The river divides the old town area in two. The east side, Niederdorf, has narrow winding streets and is home to the University of Zurich and the Polytechnic college (ETH). Einstein received his academic diploma from ETH in 1900 and his doctorate from the University of Zurich in 1905. This is the same year he published four scientific ground breaking studies.
On the west side of the river, the streets are wider and the population more affluent. Efficient local trams run along the major streets. The world renowned shopping area along Bahnhofstrasse is home to Louis Vuitton, Piaget, Cartier, Chanel and very soon, an Apple Store. The streets are clean, the trams are quiet and people move about the streets at an appropriately brisk pace.
My preconceived notions of Zurich assumed a steady and stodgy economy with minimal innovation. My notion was dispelled during a Saturday Morning Walking Chocolate Tour. Our guide took us to three chocolate shops. The first, Spruengli, is a well known and established confectioner (1836) known for both their truffles and macaroons. The store is located on Bahnhofstrasse directly across from Credite Suisse and next to UBS.
The next store was established just 4 years ago. Dieter Meier Chocolates uses a revolutionary cold extraction process developed with ETH. The cocoa bean is precipitated into four components; cocoa butter, cocoa powder, polyphenols (which includes the bitter compounds) and pure flavorings. Contrast this to conventional chocolate production where the beans are roasted at 275 degrees. The roasting destroys several subtle flavor notes. Further heating and mixing provides a tasty but homogeneous mass dominated by the flavors produced during the roasting.
Their chocolate is extraordinary. Even the white chocolate was wonderful. The beans for their dark chocolate are sourced from Cuba, Peru, Guatemala and Costa Rica.
The only bad news is their website is in German and they’re not yet shipping product to the US.
The third stop was Max Chocolatier, established just ten years ago. Their niche is high quality chocolate with interesting and unusual flavor blends. Their back story is also of interest. The founder’s son, Max, has Downs Syndrome. Max’s father, Peter Koenig, wants the business to echo his son’s values, honesty and contentment. The company employs Downs Systems adults and contributes to Swiss programs for the physically and mentally challenged.
Max Chocolatier has a small selection of high quality chocolates and truffles that change with the seasons. In the autumn, they’ll offer forest fruits and rose petals, sticky ginger, and Tahitian vanilla. They have an English option on their website and they ship to the US!
My trip has been about much more than chocolate, so perhaps I can touch on politics and Swiss neutrality in the next post.
Since I’m in a German Canton, Auf Wiedersehen!