Zurich

Zurich (German: Zürich; Alemannic German: Züri; see below) is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. As of the end of 2025, the municipality had a population of 440,935, while the urban area was home to 1.45 million people (2020), and the Zurich metropolitan area had a total population of 2.1 million (2020). Zurich is a hub for railways, roads, and air traffic. Both Zurich Airport and Zurich's main railway station are the largest and busiest in the country. Zurich is a cosmopolitan city. While German is the official language and Zurich German, the most widely spoken variety, the use of both German and Swiss German at home is steadily declining, whereas the use of English has increased by 60% over ten years, reaching 14% of the population in 2024, and 40% of Zurich residents speak English at work. Evidence of early, sparse settlements in the area dates back more than 6,400 years, indicating human presence prior to the establishment of the town. Permanently settled for over 2,000 years, Zurich was eventually founded by the Romans, who called it Turicum. During the Middle Ages, Zurich gained the independent and privileged status of imperial immediacy and, in 1519, became a primary centre of the Protestant Reformation in Europe under the leadership of Huldrych Zwingli. With 7 of the 10 globally leading AI companies having major operations in the city and with the presence of ETH Zurich, Zurich is a world-renowned technology hub. It is also a major financial and insurance center - the leading one in continental Europe according to the Global Financial Centres Index in 2026. Many museums and art galleries can be found in the city, including the Swiss National Museum,...