Paradeplatz

Geschichte

The Paradeplatz is a square at the Bahnhofstrasse in downtown Zürich. It is one of the most expensive pieces of real estate in Switzerland and has become synonymous with wealth and the Swiss banks, being the location of the headquarters of both UBS and Credit Suisse.The site of the square lay without the medieval city walls, and was incorporated into the town with the construction of the new ramparts in 1642. During the 17th century, it served as a livestock market, known as Säumärt ("pig market"), renamed to Neumarkt "new market" in 1819 and finally to its current name following the construction of Bahnhofstrasse (1865). The hotel Baur en Ville on the eastern end of the square opened in 1838. The Paradeplatz was the scene of clashes between insurgents and cantonal troops during the 1839 Züriputsch.The Confiserie Sprüngli at the southern end opened in 1859. The Credit Suisse (formerly Kreditanstalt) building at the northern end dates to 1873, the UBS (formerly Bankverein) building at the western end to 1897–99. The first horse-drawn trams circulated in 1882 and were electrified in 1896.Paradeplatz is one of the main nodal points of the Zürich tram network, and the stop is served by lines 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13 and 17.