Swiss National Museum Zurich, National museum and cultural property in central Zurich, Switzerland
The Swiss National Museum Zurich is a large cultural building set between the Sihl and Limmat rivers with multiple towers and interior courtyards. The structure combines Renaissance château-style architecture and includes an Armoury section and coin collection.
The building opened in 1898 following designs by architect Gustav Gull and was created to make Swiss history accessible to the public. The collection grew from the start and received early films from François-Henri Lavanchy-Clarke, a pioneer in cinema.
The collections show what mattered to Swiss people across centuries and how they expressed their beliefs through art. Religious wooden sculptures and gothic artworks reveal the spiritual life that shaped communities throughout the country.
The museum stands beside Zürich Hauptbahnhof, with the closest tram and trolleybus stop at Bahnhofquai/HB. Round trips of the Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft boats leave from the Limmat at the museum. The entrance to the courtyard passes through a portal in the tall tower.
The museum's opening in 1898 was filmed by François-Henri Lavanchy-Clarke, the first non-French concessionary of the Lumière brothers. The building also incorporates historic interiors moved here, including a late-Gothic council chamber from Mellingen's town hall and a ceiling from Arbon.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,781 contributors worldwide.
