The Dark Side of Zurich: A Walking Tour through Old Town

(33 reviews)

Zurich audio tour: The Dark Side of Zurich: A Walking Tour through Old Town

This is a 1.5mi walking tour

It takes an average of 120 mins to complete.

Zurich

Switzerland

$11.99

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About the Tour

Zurich is much more than just Switzerland’s financial heart. On this walking tour, you’ll be introduced to a side of the city that you won’t hear about in guidebooks. I’ll take you back 500 years to a time when executioners lived on the outskirts of the medieval city but were part of the fabric of daily life. While winding your way from Paradeplatz, where our tour starts, to Altstadt, Zurich’s Old Town, I’ll tell you about the trials and subsequent executions of people convicted of witchcraft and petty crimes.

You’ll also see where people were tortured in Zurich and find out about the methods of execution that they faced. I won’t only guide you through the key places associated with this darker side of the city’s history, I’ll also share true stories from the people involved.

On this tour you can expect to hear about:

The beautiful Elsbeth, suspected of witchcraft, who stoically endured her torture
The cruel methods of torture used on Adelheid, a maid, to extract a confession before she was burnt alive
Agatha who, despite her wealth, didn’t manage to escape a death sentence
How the city council decided on a method of execution for the guy who stole four bags of salt
Hans Waldmann, who lived an unusual life for a man in the 1400s and, despite his initial success in life, was beheaded in 1489
The city’s martyrs, Felix and Regula, and their execution

Along the way, you’ll also see the main sights of Zurich and a few lesser-known ones, including the executioner’s former house, and the Wasserkirche, Water Church. You’ll also see Zurich's Town Hall where death sentences were announced, and find out where a person could take their last sip of wine before being executed.

Please note: This tour may not be suitable for children under the age of 16. It also involves a few steep surfaces and so isn’t suitable for people with mobility issues.

Tour Producer

myFive

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Preview Location

Location 9

Monument to Hans Waldmann

Stop here in front of the monument please.

The life of Hans Waldmann is an example of a non-standard biography of a man of the 15th century.

Being a man of humble origin, he became one of the most influential and wealthy people of his time, not only in Zurich, but in Sw... Stop here in front of the monument please.

The life of Hans Waldmann is an example of a non-standard biography of a man of the 15th century.

Being a man of humble origin, he became one of the most influential and wealthy people of his time, not only in Zurich, but in Switzerland on the whole.

At first, he changed his engagement in peaceful crafts for participation in wars, where he was so successful that he was even knighted. This success predetermined the inclusion of Waldmann among the ambassadors to the King of France and Duke of Milan. They assigned him personal pensions for his distinction in wars and cash payments for his services in recruiting Swiss mercenaries.

For Zurich, which had been rapidly losing its political and economic positions over the previous decades, such success in international affairs meant the restoration of its former all-embracing power. Therefore, it is not surprising that Waldmann became one of the most popular and influential persons in his city. And, despite the fact that the city patrician of Zurich treated Waldmann as a cheeky fellow, he managed to take the position of burgomaster in 1483.

When he came to power, he immediately abridged the privileges of the upper strata of society and quickly established discipline: he began to punish riotous behaviour in taverns, limited the number of people at weddings, banned archery, banned kegling when not on religious holidays, and introduced laws on the wearing of jewellery and clothing.

Using the dissatisfaction of part of the population, Waldmann's opponents had managed to provoke serious disturbances among the inhabitants of the canton, and on this wave of general dissatisfaction, to overthrow him.

On 1 April 1489, Waldmann was arrested and tortured for several days. On 6 April of the same year, he was executed.

He was beheaded in a meadow outside the city walls. A detachment of two hundred security guards accompanied him to the place of execution. Many spectators gathered to see it: the data of historical sources are approximate, but they testify to about five or ten thousand people, as well as the presence of official representatives of other Swiss cantons at the execution. According to the testimonies, Waldmann died after confessing and taking communion.

It is known that noble spectators were watching the procedure directly near the scaffolding. At the scaffolding, Waldmann addressed those present with a speech asking for forgiveness from the people and God, called on everyone to pray for him and raise their hands in agreement, which they did. Then he read the prayers relevant for this case. In conclusion, he said a few words to the executioner — it was a familiar speech in which the law violator forgave his death to the executor.

In general, eyewitnesses note the courage of Waldmann. It is also reported that many expressed sympathy for him, and women even cried.

Behind Hans Waldmann Statue you will find Münsterbrücke bridge. Let's cross the bridge and head towards the Water Church. It's over the bridge on the right. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Paradeplatz
Fraumünster Church
Wühre an der Limmat
Wasserkirche
Felix & Regula Martyr stone
Grossmünsterplatz
Zürich's Town Hall
Zürich Rathaus
Täufergedenkplatte

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Getting There

Route Overview

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Start location
Bahnhofstrasse 24-26, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
Total distance

2km
Final location
Löwenstrasse 31-35, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
Distance back to start location

482.19m

Directions to Starting Point

The tour begins from Paradeplatz Square.

To get to this square from main train station, you may take tram Nr. 7 (direction Wollishoferplatz) or tram Nr. 11 (direction Rehalp) or tram Nr. 13 (direction Albisgütli) and in approximately 5 minutes you will be at the starting point.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

If after this tour, you are in the mood for some non-violent meal, please consider going to Hiltl - the world's oldest vegetarian restaurant.
It is located at at Sihlstrasse 28 - in about a two-minute walk from the place where our tour ends.

Best time of day

From dawn to dusk

Precautions

• As the tour contains information about tortures and death sentences, it is not recommended for children under 16 years.
• As part of the route contains steep surfaces, this activity is unsuitable for anyone who has difficulty walking.

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“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”