Switzerland · Kanton Zürich · Zürich
Zürich (Kreis 1), Zürich — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Kreis 1 is the Altstadt of Zürich, the whole city as it stood before 1893, ringed once by ramparts and dense with museums.
About Zürich (Kreis 1)
Where to stay in Zürich (Kreis 1)
Where you base yourself shapes the visit — here's the character of each area.
Staying in Kreis 1 puts the Kunsthaus Zürich, the Zentralbibliothek Zürich and the Wasserkirche inside one walk, since the district covers only the ground the old ramparts enclosed. Space is tight. The Wasserturm Schanzengraben marks one rim of those defences.
Choosing the Altstadt trades quiet for reach, with the Zürcher Spielzeugmuseum, the Literaturhaus Zürich and the preachers church all inside the same lanes.
About Zürich (Kreis 1)
What are the main landmarks in Zürich (Kreis 1)?
Museums crowd the old city. The Kunsthaus Zürich and the National Museum Zurich head the list, with the Zentralbibliothek Zürich and the Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich a few streets away. Wasserkirche and Liebfrauenkirche stand among the churches, with the preachers church and its monastery beside them.
Grimmen tower, the cloister of the former Barfüsser monastery and the Wasserturm Schanzengraben survive from the walled city. Turicum, Grosser Hafner and Zürich-Enge Alpenquai appear on the same heritage record.
What is the history of Zürich (Kreis 1)?
Zürich was once only this ground. Everything the municipality held before 1893 stood inside the ramparts, and the districts numbered 2 to 12 were folded in across the years from 1893 to 1934. That older core is what the administration calls Kreis 1. Monastic ground shaped it: the preachers monastery and the cloister of the former Barfüsser monastery kept their sites, while Grimmen tower survived inside the walls.
Where is Zürich (Kreis 1)?
Kreis 1 covers the ground the old ramparts enclosed, a small core of Zürich edged by the Schanzengraben and its surviving water tower.
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Updated September 2026