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Zurich and Its Surroundings
 Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland, is the capital of the canton of the same name. Situa. ted on the lake of Zurich, with the Glarner Alps in the distance, it is the most cosmopolitan of all Swiss cities and at the same time the city with the loveliest natural setting. It is an intellectual, ban. king and commercial center, but the spirt of Ulrich Zwingli, who preached the Reformation in the Grossmünster from 1519-1530, still hangs over the city, making it a better place in which to work than in which to play."Zurich, with a population of 366,809 (December 2005), is the largest city in Switzerland. Situated on the lake of Zurich, with the Glarner Alps in the distance, Zurich, with its Sihl and Limmat rivers and its two ranges of low lying hills, has the most beautiful location of any Swiss city.
When other cities of Zurich's importance are just beginning to awake and enjoy themselves, Zurich pulls down its blinds and goes to sleep. The climate of Zurich, which is inclined to be grey and foggy, also contributes to the reserved auster¨ ity of its inhabitants. Occasionally the foreigner is tempted to ask himself why these people find it worthwhile to work so hard for a life from which they seem to derive so little pleasure. But the same Puritan tradition which has always held New England in its thrall is the answer to the Zurich mentality, just as it explains much of the aloofness of the old families of Geneva and Neuchatel. Whereas more light -- minded people associate pleasure with gaiety, the Zurcher associates plea, sure with work. He likes to work and consequently is really more contented than he seems. If he works hard, his conscience is quiet and after all, that is what counts.
Zurich's spring carnival -- Sechseläuten -- is one of the loveliest Swiss festivals. It is held each year on a Monday in the middle of April.
THE SWISS NATIONAL MUSEUM
The Swiss National Museum is well worth a visit, for it has an absolutely splendid historical collection beginning with reproductions of the villages of the prehistoric lake dwellers and leading all through Swiss history down to the present day. The tiled stoves here are particularly lovely as are the Wappenscheiben, or shields of stained glass which one finds hanging in so many Swiss homes. The Kunsthaus, at Pfauen, has the finest collection of the works of the Swiss painter, Ferdinand Hodler, whose work incorporates all the awkwardness and strength of the Swiss character, as well as the works of many other Swiss artists.
EXCURSIONS
Although the history of Zurich has centered more around its rivers than around its lake, certainly today the lake is of great importance to all lovers of sports. On every fine day in the sum¨ mer months its surface is dotted with sailboats, row boats, and sculls while the innumerable beaches and bathing establishments along its shores swarm with people. There are several good golf courses near Zurich and the Dolder swimming pool with its artificial waves and the indoor swimming pool, the Hallenbad, provide appropriate substitutes for those who like to swim but not in a lake. On the Zurichberg and Uetliberg, there are walks in the woods for those rare souls who still like to walk even if they can ride. And on the lake there are boats travelling cons¨ tantly up and down and across for those interested in this form of excursion.
A pleasant excursion from Zurich is to Rapperswil, picturesquely situated at the upper end of the lake and reached by either boat or train. The old castle, dating from the 14th century, contains a Polish collection of treasures and relics.
From Wädenswil a line branches off to the famous pilgrimage centre of Einsiedeln with its extensive Benedictine Monastery and sacred shrines. The Abbey was founded around the year 948 on the site of the cell of St. Meinrad, who was murdered in 861. It was richly dowered with lands by the Emperors Otho II ( 972) and Henry II ( 1018) and became an independent principality of the Holy Roman Empire. The Abbey, occupying an area of 16 acres, was rebuilt in sandstone in 1704¨18 and the Church, which was erected in 1719¨35, is the best example of the «Vorarlberg school» in Switzerland. In the boldly constructed octagonal chamber, just inside the main entrance is the black marble Gnaden¨Kapelle, rebuilt in 1817 after its destruction by the French in 1798, with the richly decked miracle working image -- the Black Virgin -- in wood, dating from the Gothic period.
Glarus, the capital of the canton of the same name, is situated at the foot of the Glärnisch and is within easy driving distance of Zurich. From here many pleasant excursions can be made -- as for instance, to Braunwald, where each summer a popular musical festival is held. A particularly satisfying trip is over the Klausen Pass by car to central Switzerland.
Glarus is a dairying country, but there are also many industries situated here and the landscape has its own fascination although the mountains are by no means as grandiose as in the Bernese Oberland, in the Valais or in the Grisons. Glarus is one of the cantons where the Landsgemeinde is still held and the modern aspect of the town can be largely explained by the fact that it was nearly completely destroyed by fire in the spring of 1861. In Näfels stands a monument to one of the most significant battles in Swiss history.
Leaving Zurich in the other direction, we come to Schaffhausen whose name is primarily associated with the Falls of the Rhine. The Romanesque Cathedral ( 1101 A. D.), now a Protestant Church, is of particular interest. The old bell, cast in 1486, with the inscription, « Vivos Voco, mortuos plango, fulgura frango, » suggested to Schiller his « Song of the Bell ». There is a fine museum in Schaffhausen -- the All Saint's Museum -- which was hit when American planes accidentally bombed Schaffhausen on April 1, 1944, but which has now been repaired. Schaffhausen, once a transhipping station for the traffic from the Lake of Constance down the river, which is here interrupted by the Falls of the Rhine, is picturesquely situated on the hilly right bank of the river. It was a free imperial town until it joined the Confe, derates in 1501 and is now the capital of the canton of the same name. The numerous oriel windows of the old patrician houses give an old¨fashioned air to the inner city and some of its old fortifications still remain.
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