Limmatquai

Limmatquai

Limmatquai
Former name(s)	Sonnenquai; Rathausquai
Type	pedestrian zone, road, tramway
Length	1 kilometre (0.6 mi)
Addresses	Limmatquai
Location	Zürich, Switzerland
Postal code	8001
Coordinates	47°22′23″N 8°32′34″E / 47.372944°N 8.542767°E / 47.372944; 8.542767

Limmatquai is a street in the

The Limmatquai has its southern end adjacent to the Quaibrücke bridge and Bellevueplatz square, where the Limmat flows out of Lake Zürich. Its northern end is at the Bahnhofbrücke bridge and Central plaza. Between the Quaibrücke and the Bahnhofbrücke, the river is crossed by four other bridges all of which connect to the Limmatquai; from south to north these are the Münsterbrücke, Rathausbrücke, Rudolf-Brun-Brücke and Mühlesteg.

For most of its length, the street runs directly alongside the river, with buildings only on its eastern side, and with a clear view across the river to the west. The only buildings abutting the street from the west are the

History

In the 12th and 13th century, the houses alongside the east bank of the Limmat were built directly on the shore, and were accessed from Oberdorfstrasse and Niederdorfstrasse on their landward sides. Over the course of the following centuries, the Limmat was increasingly channeled, and it can be demonstrated that the right bank of the Limmat is now up to 28 metres (92 ft) in front of the original bank. Although the Limmatquai as a through road along the river side dates from the 19th century, it was actually built in several sections at different times and under different names, and the name Limmatquai has only applied to the full length of the current street since 1933.^[2][3]

The section downstream of the Marktgasse lane and the Rathaus was originally known as Marktststrasse or Altes Limmatquai, and was built in two stages, south of Rosengasse between 1823 and 1825, and to the north between 1855 and 1859. The section between the Rathaus and the steps up to Grossmünsterplatz was originally known as Rathausquai and was built in 1835/36, along with the Münsterbrücke. The section upstream of the steps was originally known as Sonnenquai and was built between 1835 and 1839. In the years 1887 to 1891 the whole street was broadened, and the Limmatquai assumed its present appearance.^[2][3]

Points of interest

The churches of

parliaments.

Views across the river from the Limmatquai include the

Hotel zum Storchen, the Schipfe and the Lindenhof

. The Limmatquai is also one of the main attractions for tourists, and has many small shops, cafés and restaurants.

Transport

The best-known event on the Limmatquai is the annual Sechseläuten parade which traverses the street on its way to Sechseläutenplatz.

The fictitious 2007 Swiss mystery film