Altstadt — Uncover the Nazi Gold Trail

Your investigation begins at Bürkliplatz, a public square developed between 1880 and 1881 during the expansion of Zurich's lake quay. Named after State Councillor Ferdinand Wilhelm Burkli, this 12,000 m² area became a departure point for boats on Lake Zurich from 1882. It also served as a historical site for popular demonstrations, notably during the general strike of 1918, a prelude to the social and economic tensions that would mark the 20th century and set the stage for affairs like the gold scandal. Zurich's secrets begin here, beneath your feet, near the calm waters of the lake, where political and financial decisions often intersected.

Walking along Stadthausquai, you arrive in front of the City Hall (Stadthaus), a late Baroque edifice built between 1693 and 1698 by Hans Jakob Baur. Its facade, adorned with 13 allegorical statues 2.5 m high sculpted by Jeremias Bauschulte in 1698, represents the civic virtues that were meant to guide the Zurich cantonal government, which has been its seat since 1698. This building, with its 300 m² council chamber, embodies Zurich's stability and power, qualities that also allowed the city to become an international financial center, capable of managing complex, sometimes obscure, money flows, such as those you are investigating.

Your route then takes you to Bahnhofstrasse, a shopping street created between 1864 and 1867 after the medieval city moats were filled in. 600 m long, it is considered one of the most expensive streets in the world, with average rents reaching 15,000 CHF/m²/year in 2023. It was here, at the heart of this opulence, that the 'Zürcher Goldaffäre' erupted in 1962, revealing a post-World War II recycled Nazi gold trafficking. Bahnhofstrasse, though modern, testifies to the financial stakes that have shaped the history of Zurich and Switzerland, a Swiss Historical Monument ISOS and a Cultural Property of National Importance.

Ascending Rennweg, a medieval paved road dating from the 13th century and an integral part of the Altstadt's ramparts, you take a leap into Zurich's past. Formerly a horse racing street until the 17th century, 8 m wide and lined with Renaissance arcades, it houses 15th-century patrician houses, including the Haus zum Rüden built in 1530. This historic path reminds you that the city is not just a financial hub, but also a place of deep history, where Ulrich Zwingli, Protestant reformer (1484-1531), left his mark, and where figures like Hans Waldmann (1435-1489), mayor of Zurich, left their imprint.

Your investigation concludes near the Grossmünster, this Romanesque church founded around 1100 with its twin towers completed in 1220, soaring to 65 m. The seat of the Protestant Reformation in Zurich in 1523 under Ulrich Zwingli, and adorned with stained-glass windows by Sigmar Polke installed in 2009 over 120 m², it symbolizes the conscience and morality that have often guided, or sometimes been tested by, Zurich's history. This journey through Switzerland's Cultural Properties of National Importance will have allowed you to connect the facts of the 'Zürcher Goldaffäre' to Zurich's rich historical and architectural heritage, a city that has always managed to preserve its secrets while revealing itself to those who dare to seek.