Kreis 5

From Industrial Estate to Trend Quarter

Where Escher Wyss once built turbines and steamboats were riveted together in the Schiffbau halls, Zurich’s most urban quarter stands today. The transformation of Zurich West is the city’s showcase: the Löwenbräu brewery became an art complex, the Toni dairy became the campus of the Zurich University of the Arts, and towering above it all is the Prime Tower – at 126 metres, for years the tallest building in Switzerland and still the quarter’s landmark. The raw industrial charm has remained; in between, lofts, rooftop bars and some of the city’s most exciting addresses have emerged.

Geroldstrasse: Summer Garden, Containers, Surfing

Geroldstrasse, between Hardbrücke station and the tracks, is the creative core of the quarter: at Frau Gerolds Garten you eat and drink open-air in summer among urban gardens, art and stacked shipping containers, while the walkable Freitag tower of freight containers next door offers the best free view in the quarter. And the most surprising part: at Urbansurf, right by Hardbrücke station, you can surf a standing wave during the warmer months – in the middle of the city, board rental included.

Frau Gerolds Garten – a summer tavern among containers and urban vegetable beds.

Im Viadukt: Shopping in the Arches

Under the arches of the 1894 railway viaduct, Im Viadukt lines up arch after arch: boutiques, studios and design shops, plus the market hall with regional produce, cheese, bread and lunch counters. This is where the neighbourhood shops – between quarry-stone walls, with a train rolling past overhead every few minutes.

Im Viadukt – shops, market hall and dining under the railway arches.

Culture: from Schiffbau to Löwenbräukunst

The former shipbuilding hall is now home to the Schauspielhaus theatre; in the same building, the internationally renowned jazz club Moods plays on, and the LaSalle restaurant serves dinner in a glass cube beneath the old crane tracks. A few streets away, the Löwenbräukunst complex – with Kunsthalle Zürich, the Migros Museum of Contemporary Art and international galleries – shows world-class contemporary art in the old brewery with its iconic brick lettering.

Josefwiese and the Limmat

The quarter’s green living room is the Josefwiese: a large lawn, a fountain, a kiosk serving coffee and ice cream – with the viaduct arches as a backdrop. A few minutes further on lies the Letten area on the Limmat: at the Oberer Letten river pool, half of Zurich floats down the canal with the current in summer, surrounded by strolling, barbecuing and skating.

The Josefwiese – neighbourhood park with kiosk, right by the viaduct arches.

One Stop from the Main Station

Hardbrücke station is among the busiest in Switzerland: S-Bahn trains run every few minutes, the main station is one stop away, and the airport can be reached in around 20 minutes. At Escher-Wyss-Platz, tram lines cross towards the city centre, Höngg and Altstetten – and at night, the dense night network gets you home safely after the concert.

Living in District 5

Modern, urban, in the thick of it – that’s living in Zurich West. Lofts in old factories, new builds with city views, and a quarter where office, art and the Limmat are all within walking distance. We offer furnished apartments and short-term rentals across Zurich – our apartments on Badenerstrasse in District 4 are just a few tram minutes from Zurich West.

Perfect for: Anyone who appreciates modern design, urban dining and short distances – and would rather surf than commute after work.

Character

• Atmosphere: Trendy, modern, urban
• Restaurants: Fine dining to street food
• Shopping: Design and fashion in the Viadukt, market hall
• Nightlife: Clubs, jazz at Moods, rooftop bars
• Quietness: Busy by day, quieter at night than District 4

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Image credits: Prime Tower at night – FreeclimbZurich, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Frau Gerolds Garten and Im Viadukt – Fred Romero, CC BY 2.0 · Josefwiese – Katja Hottingen, CC BY-SA 4.0, all via Wikimedia Commons.