Culture
Kunsthaus Zürich, Altstadt
Kunsthaus emerged in 1797 from the humble beginnings of a small group of artists who traded drawings among one other. Today the museum boasts one of the largest art collections in Switzerland, drawing more than half a million visitors every year. In 2021 a David Chipperfield-designed building was added to the campus, making Kunsthaus the largest art museum in Switzerland. The gallery offers multi-language tours and private workshops helmed by experts, as well as an inviting bar for a cocktail at the end of an art-fuelled afternoon.
Cabaret Voltaire, Aldstadt
During the First World War, many young avant-garde thinkers congregated in politically neutral Switzerland, which eventually gave rise to the anti-establishment art movement known as Dadaism. It was in Cabaret Voltaire, an eccentric café-cum-cabaret, where the movement first disseminated its anti-war manifesto. Open until the small hours, today the centre’s writing sessions, workshops, performances and exhibitions amount to a creative space that feels like both a cultural centre and a club, subverting categorisation in a typical Dadaist manner.
Edition VFO, Gewerbeschule
One of the world’s leading advocates for printmaking and editioned artworks. Founded in 1948, Edition VFO is a gallery, publisher and arts institute housed in the Löwenbräukunst-Areal arts centre. Guests can see exclusive prints by up-and-coming artists as well as pieces by leading contemporary figures. Working to preserve old-school production methods while celebrating local and international artists, Edition VFO guarantees a unique and refreshing gallery experience.
Larkin Erdmann Gallery, Altstadt
Stepping away from the sterile white-cube aesthetic, Larkin Erdmann’s gallery in Altstadt embraces warmth, with plenty of natural light and carefully selected wood details sourced from Kyoto. The gallery focuses on the work of about 20 artists from the modern and postwar period. Over the years it has become a key contact point for collectors interested in figures such as Max Bill, Alighiero Boetti and Alberto Giacometti.
Flussbad Oberer Letten, Gewerseschule
Flussbad Oberer Letten is perched on the banks of the Limmat in the heart of Zürich. The flussbad (river pool) was designed by architect couple Elsa and Ernst Burckhardt-Blum in 1952 and comprises a two-metre-high diving platform and 400-metre-long swimming channel. The main draw of Oberer Letten, however, is its racing current: the water here is fast – and fun. Bathers jump in, are propelled along an aquatic highway to Pier West and hop out further downstream. If you’re peckish, trot up the stairs to Panama Bar for the huevos rancheros or an Apérol spritz. For a pristine view of the Limmat and the boats floating along it, head upstream to Badi Unterer Letten, the city’s oldest river bath.
