I recently made some panos of my hometown Zurich, Switzerland (pop. 365'000, metro 1.7 mio)

The old center from the ETH Terrasse
http://www.socio.ch/maro/images/zurichpanorama1.jpg


From Käferberg over the center in direction of the Alps
http://www.socio.ch/maro/images/zurichpanorama2.jpg

hope you like it.

ive been to zurich once but only in the airport terminal for 2 hours :(((
im planning to go there for visit thou :)

hey, nice to see my hometown in this forum :'-)

Nice panos of a city rarely seen on this forum!

great shots with those land scapes

Thanks for the panos. Zurich looks like it has a great setting, especially with the lake.

Vancover has been always compared to Zurich for a long time, especially because of the setting and the more or less equal size. But now they have much better new architecture than here. Skyscrapers were restricted in Zurich, only recently they start building up again some especially in Oerlikon (the North) and in the West End where old industrial areas (Oerlikon Bührle, ABB, Maag) will be totally rebuilt.

Yeah, there's really a lack of modern architecture in Zurich. I think some people in Zurich really think of living in a world city, but on the other hand there so many conservative people here. It's really a pity that most of the ambitious building projects disappear because of bureaucratic skirmish...

That's a pity. It's okay to preserve the old part (there were plans in the 50s and 60s to overbuild the whole center with skyscrapers and even make an artificial island in the middle of the lake with some 40 stories buildings), but the burocracy is too restrictive, it gets better now I have the impression. Once I saw a model of a build-up area over the traintracks in the West End - the highest building was looking similar to the pyramid in San Francisco. But that was only an idea - unfortunatly.

zurich could have a cool skyline,anyhow its one of the most famous financial centers in the world!

It truely is an important financial center. But the city itself is so into understatement...maybe it's because that's just a swiss habit. But other swiss cities such as Basel or Lucerne are a bit different in this respect.
I agree with you, Kuesel, that the old town needs to be preserved but for example in Zurich West there would be enough space for ambitious projects. The stadium is a good example...

:bash: yeah, the stadium, haha! If you know how long the planning and burocracy takes, then also and especially a mayor should be aware of that... as you said, in Basel, Geneva, Lugano things seem to take much fewer time. But I have hope - in the last 5 years a lot of progress has been made.

Because of the understatement and I don't want to sound too local patriotic, there is other places in the world I could say better things about, that's true, but don't forget:
- Zurich is a main tourist center in Europe
- is one of the 5 financial top cities in the world
- is always ranked in the top 3 of life quality
- has been voted as the city with the best cultural and subcultural life in Europe
- has the biggest party in the world with the street parade (bigger than Berlin and now also exported to Rio)
- has a very rich multicultural life, even if 21% foreigners a low number is for a swiss city
- and... has one of the most beautiful settings in Europe

but it doesn't belong to the 5 financial centers of the world,and there isn't the biggest party in the world :nono:

Maybe it's one of the top ten financial centers in the world. But the streetparade is at least the biggest party in europe, afaik.

There are certainly some superlatives in Zurich, especially in view of it's size (compared to other biggest cities in other countries Zurich is ridiculously small) - but there are just some architectural highlights which I miss to underline the relative 'grandeur' of the city.

Sorry, I was only reading in the newspaper that this year the street parade was the biggest party in the world, maybe they were wrong then - don't believe the press :-) The gay parade in Sao Paulo had between 0.8 and 1.2 mio, so could have been bigger.
But in November is the Polyball at the ETH where I have been participating in the decoration for 15 years now - and that's officially the biggest decorated ball in Europa at least.

awesome panos.. Zurich seems to be a beautiful city.. :D cool..

A city rarely see in this forum !! Nice panos

[i]FABULOUS !!!![i] :eek:

This is a pano from the Quaibridge to the old town:
http://www.socio.ch/maro/images/limmatpanorama.jpeg

2 pics from the Zürifest - a big event that takes part only every 3 years

Colour projections at the Grossmünster - every 3 minutes a change (it's the big hit here now: at every cityparty some buildings have a slideprojection)
http://www.socio.ch/maro/images/zuerifaescht3.jpg

A similar thing but this time on a waterwall
http://www.socio.ch/maro/images/zuerifaescht1.jpg

And some impressions from the Street Parade (it's not me :-) )
http://www.socio.ch/maro/images/sp_stelzen.jpg

http://www.socio.ch/maro/images/sp_lovemobile1.jpg

Although Zurich do not have a lot of skyscrapers, its landscape is so nice. There r many historical buildings in this city, i like it. It gives me a feeling that it is nice to live in here;)

well done! ,)

here are some more...

http://www.zuerifaescht.ch/images/plan/bild017.jpg

http://www.zuerifaescht.ch/images/plan/bild016.jpg

http://www.zuerifaescht.ch/images/plan/bild022.jpg

http://www.zuerifaescht.ch/images/plan/bild061.jpg

http://www.zuerifaescht.ch/images/plan/bild104.jpg

http://www.zuerifaescht.ch/images/plan/bild067.jpg

http://www.zuerifaescht.ch/images/plan/bild055.jpg

http://www.zuerifaescht.ch/images/plan/bild034.jpg

http://www.zuerifaescht.ch/images/plan/bild1305.jpg

http://www.zuerifaescht.ch/images/plan/bild063.jpg

Hey thanks Jakob - I nearly wanted to go out to take samo pics, but in this horrible weather... was not worth it anyway... you safed my dry skin, hahaha! Great pics anyway!!!

Gimme some more Zurich :pepper: :lol:

This place is gorgeous. The areas in the pics are the sorts of places that need to be preserved as they are. Im sure there is plenty of space to expand if the need for new, modern buildings arose, or some run down areas to be reinvested in? Definately no need for skyscrapers where ive seen from those pics tho!!!

The most famous modern architecture in Zurich is for sure Santiago Calatrava's Stadelhofen Station:

the train tracks:
http://data.GreatBuildings.com/gbc/images/cid_2438105.jpg

the underground shopping:
http://data.GreatBuildings.com/gbc/images/cid_2437299.jpg
http://www.0lll.com/lud/pages/architecture/archgallery/calatrava_stadelhofen/images/stadelhofen_05.jpg

Some modern towers outside of the center:

Sunrise (once Diax) in Oerlikon, 2003:
http://www.sarnafil.ch/deutsch/news/prsunrise/bild1.jpg

Swisshotel Oerlikon, 1972:
http://www.woodyweb.com/Oerlikon_Swissotel1.jpg

mobimo (aka Bluewin Tower) in Zürich West:
http://www.mobimo.ch/portfolio/zuerich/pic/hochhaus.jpg

And the shame of our city: Hardau, 1978... no comment
http://www.loeligerstrub.ch/bilder/hardaugr1.jpg

I just found another Pano - this is not by me, but it is great! It shows the view from the highest point of the city down to the center and the lake:

http://www.jenskleemann.de/wissen/bildung/media/f/ff/zuerich.jpg

Beautiful! What is the pop of Zurich? The biggest city in Swiss, am I right?

City: about 350'000
Metro: about 1'000'000

The street level is really cool! :okay:

City: about 350'000
Metro: about 1'000'000

Sorry, this is not quite right. 1mio is the "agglomeration" defined for national plannings (especially commuters) by the Bundesamt für Statistik BfS (the national statistical agency), but the scame agency defines Zurich Metro in a international context (according to how French and German metros are defined). This has 1.7 mio (including cities that are nearly grown together with the Zurich agglo and have a strong connection to it, like Baden, Winterthur and Baden). I have a map somewhere. If I find it I will make a post. Economists talk even about the "Wirtschaftsraum Zürich", according to American metros, this has 3mio and includes also parts of south Germany, Luzern and St.Gallen.

This is also the reason why you find so different facts about Milano metro (from 3.5 to 5.4 up to 7mio (inlcuding Lugano in Swizterland). Just look once at Grande Sao Paulo - it has the size of our biggest canton and so much forests and green area inbetween the suburbs, that you never will find here. It's very difficult to compare international statistics...

(Edit): I found the map: these are the Swiss Metros as defined by the BfS:
http://www.are.admin.ch/imperia/md/images/are/agglomerationspolitik2/schaufenstermur/themenkreisb3/56.gif

More infos here: http://www.are.admin.ch/are/de/raum/politiquedesagglomerations_7/unterseite02286/unterseite02289/index.html

Any photos of Western part of Zurich?

This thread is still alive? - Cool... I will look for some pics. I live in the west, but not in the "in" area... ;)

Look here - I did it :cheers:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=5205788

http://i35.tinypic.com/281c1v5.jpg

Kusel panoramic photos were indeed great, very nice :)