Page 16 - ZSG Bordmagazin 2021 - Zürichsee Schifffahrt

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Water, water, everywhere ...
“Panta Rhei” – everything flows. The name of the newest vessel in the ZSG fleet could hardly be more fitting for a boat on Lake Zurich. In this city on the banks of the Limmat, the sound of water burbling, gushing and splashing is ever present.
Zurich has many faces – financial centre, ICT hub and seat of urban culture. Yet Switzerland’s largest city has also earned itself the name of “water city” (1). Those who know Zurich also know that the precious liquid is omnipresent here. There’s the lake (2) of course, and the Sihl and Limmat (3) rivers, all of
which provide the city with valuable recreational spaces as well as the inimitable “Zurich Riviera”. But the locals also celebrate “their” water in many other ways. From lidos and the countless drinking fountains through to swimming events and various festivities on and around the lake, almost everything in Zurich revolves around water – not forgetting the city’s beers, proudly brewed with Zurich water.
FLOATING WITH THE CURRENT OF TRADITION
Locals have around 30 lake and river lidos to choose from for their dip, as well as three traditional annual swimming events. The Zurich Limmat Swim (4)
first took place in 1945. At the event’s 55th edition in 2019, nearly 4500 water enthusiasts completed the 2000-metre swim down the river. Another firm favourite
3 is the Zurich City Lake Crossing. Due to its popularity, the number of participants completing the 1.5-kilometre swim across the lake has to be limited to 9000 people.
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But even in winter there’s outdoor water fun to be had. Every December, around 300 hardy daredevils take a refreshing plunge at the Samichlaus Swim – at least the obligatory Santa hat keeps their ears nice and warm.
QUENCH YOUR THIRST!
More than 1200 public fountains (5) adorn the city’s streets and squares. This means Zurich has one of the highest number of fountains among all the cities of the world. And what makes this particularly special is that top-quality drinking water pours forth from each and every one of them. Anyone looking for water in Zurich never has far to go. There’s a different fountain around every corner – each with its very own history. Commissioned in 1430 as one of Zurich’s first fountains, the Amazonenbrunnen (6) on Rennweg was also considered a work of public art. The city’s most recent addition, the Sardonabrunnen inaugurated in 2020, was named in reference to the Zurich water source area in the Glarus Alps. Has your thirst for knowledge been quenched? If not, you could always join one of the regular fountain tours provided by the Zurich water board. And there’s no need to go thirsty