Bellevue (Zurich)

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Bellevue to the west
Bellevue to the east
Haus Bellevue shortly before completion of the renovation

The Bellevue is a spacious, central square in the heart of Zurich and an important urban transport hub. It is located at the southern end of the old town on the right side of the outflow from Lake Zurich into the Limmat .

Bellevue Square

The actual Bellevue Square with the tram station (large pavilion from 1939) is only part of the larger square area that the population understands as "Bellevue" . This extends further south over the wide Theaterstrasse and the adjoining Sechseläutenplatz to the opera house .

The old Tonhalle, which was built in 1838/39 by Alois Negrelli as a granary, stood on Sechseläutenplatz . In 1867 it was transformed into a concert hall. In addition to classical concerts, club events, lectures and events of all kinds took place. The building was demolished in 1896 and the area has been kept free ever since.

The square was named after the former Grand Hotel Bellevue, which was built in 1856 and later housed the Bellevue cinema owned by Kino-Theater AG . The Bellevue building was renovated in 2007 by the owner UBS AG for 50 million francs and returned to its original condition.

  • 1884, view to the southwest. To the left of the poplars is the old concert hall

  • 1890: View to the southeast into what was then Tonhallenstrasse.

  • Grandhotel Bellevue 1890, the Bauschänzli at the bottom right

  • The old Tonhalle around 1895

  • Hotel Bellevue 1896

traffic

View through the Rämistrasse over the Bellevue

Due to its location, the Bellevue is an important traffic junction for downtown Zurich.

Private transport

From Bellevue, Bellerivestrasse leads south towards Tiefenbrunnen and Rapperswil-Jona . The Quaibrücke , which is crossed by more than 50,000 cars every day, leads over the Limmat to the southwest to Bürkliplatz . The Rämistrasse leads north-east to the university district and on to Zurich-North.

Public transport

Fountain at Bellevue: Möwe by Otto Münch

The Bellevue tram station is one of the most important nodes in the Zurich tram network , with 250,000 transfer passengers per day and seven lines passing by . In addition, two regional bus routes operated by the Zurich - Zollikon - Küsnacht (AZZK) bus companies operate from Bellevue, as well as all urban night bus routes on weekends. The Stadelhofen S-Bahn station is just a few steps away. With 150,000 users, it is also an important transport hub.

Occasions

Due to its central location, the Bellevue is a popular place for parties, street parties and rallies.

In addition to the annual Sechseläuten, other events take place on the Sechseläutenwiese , including the performances of the Knie Circus in May, a temporary amusement park with Ferris wheel in summer , annual markets (e.g. at the Zürifäscht ) and public viewing events.

Attractions

The tram house with its protruding roof, which is now a listed building, was designed by city architect Hermann Herter and completed for the 1939 state exhibition .

The Zurich Opera House is located south of Bellevue at the other end of Sechseläutenplatz. From Bellevue you can reach the lake promenade that leads along the lake towards Tiefenbrunnen. At Bellevue, the Niederdorf and Limmatquai begin with the Grossmünster and the town hall .

Worth mentioning are the traditional cafés Odeon and Kronenhalle adjoining the square . Down the river, the Hechtplatz joins the Theater am Hechtplatz . Shops, restaurants, the “Corso” cinema and the “Mascotte” club can be found in the pedestrian zone between Bellevue-Platz and Stadelhofen train station (Theaterstrasse) .

literature

  • Walter Baumann (texts); Robert Hofer, Nicolas Crispini (photos): Zurich, yesterday and today from the same perspective , Slatkine, Geneva 1984, ISBN 2-05-100630-X .
  • Jürg Fierz (Ed.): Zurich - Who else is there? Orell Füssli, Zurich 1972 DNB 573940630 .
  • Thomas Germann, Jürg E. Schneider: Zurich in slow motion . Volume II: From 1621 to the first municipal association in 1893 , Werd, Zurich, 2002, ISBN 3-85932-322-9 .
  • Fred Rihner: Illustrated history of Zurich's old town. Bosch Verlag, Zurich 1975.

Web links

Commons : Bellevue (Zurich)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 47 ° 22 ′ 1 "  N , 8 ° 32 ′ 42"  E ; CH1903:  683 569  /  two hundred forty-six thousand eight hundred twenty-two