Zürich (city)

City and capital of Switzerland, situated at the exit of the Limmat River from Lake Zürich; population (2000) 363,300. Lying at the foot of the Alps, it is the capital of Zürich canton, the principal financial and business centre of Switzerland, and one of the world's leading international banking and insurance centres (the ‘Gnomes of Zürich’). Manufactured goods include machinery, electrical goods, textiles, and printed works. It is the largest city in Switzerland.

The university was founded in 1833, and the Federal Institute of Technology (the Polytechnicum) was founded in 1855.