Zurich’s Landesmuseum (6/1)

When I came through Zurich on my way to Munich, I noticed the huge Landesmuseum, close to the train station. (Actually, it’s hard NOT to notice it as it is a HUGE, and quite idiosyncratic, building that looks like a castle married to an exhibit hall.  Think Santa Clara Convention Center!) I looked it up and found that it is also called the Swiss National Museum. So, after a coffee and croissant, and the purchase of a three-day transport and museum pass, I headed to the Landesmuseum.

What an amazing museum with a really unusual collection! Probably the thing I enjoyed the most was the special exhibit on design that highlighted Switzerland’s history of producing textiles.  There was more about what had been developed in St. Gallen (where I visited the textile museum), as well as silk, lace and linen.  I loved seeing the design work.  The exhibit, since it was about design rather than “just” textiles, showed furniture, other crafts, bicycles, a sewing machine (this one was a Singer!), some music (presented on iPads with earphones), and some paintings, as well as “repetitive design” (like repeated patterns in wallpaper, fabrics, carved marble, etc.). At the beginning of the museum were some exhibits on Swiss history – as in the Reformation, the William Tell story, the Heidi novels, etc.. Once again, the technology that was used to display these things was amazing.  My favorite technology was a book-shaped stand with actual pages (made out of sturdy paper) that came out of the spine of the book. You could choose your language, and turn the pages, and the book would tell a story with words and pictures that explained the particular concept the “book” was trying to get across.  The pictures and words would appear on the page, probably from something like an LCD projector, but I don’t know where it came from or how it worked. What was really nice was the feeling of turning the pages of a book as you encountered the information, even though you knew it was coming from some kind of computer.

Another section of the museum was devoted to archeological finds in Switzerland. Just to further illustrate the museum’s use of technology, at the entrance to the archeology exhibit, there was an iPad with an invitation to play a matching game with photos of archeological “finds.”  It was a cute way to get kids involved with the archeology, and with focusing on these treasures. In that exhibit, there was a wonderful multimedia display on the development of civilizations in the area that is now Switzerland, with different levels of society – hunters and gatherers, farmers, etc. – portrayed on a large and changing screen.

There was also an area that illustrated the history of technology from about the beginning of the 1800s. There were all kinds of familiar technologies – again, a sewing machine, along with a telephone, indoor showers and indoor plumbing, typewriters, the letter press, and many others that don’t come to mind right now.  And there was a mural on one wall that traced developments from 1800 to the present, noting famous, historical events, as well as the publication of noteworthy books (like Das Kapital and A Tale of Two Cities), and simultaneously, listed technological developments like the lightbulb, the Trans-Atlantic cable, the elevator, and any number of other technologies. It was really interesting to see that juxtaposition.

One room focused on Swiss exports.  I found it fascinating to learn that the development of synthetic dyes, for fabric, came out of the chemical industry, the same industry that led to the pharmacological developments in Basel. Another room focused on the Swiss banking industry, and went into detail about the law that kept the owners of bank accounts secret (which looks to have originated in the early 1930s) and ended a few years ago, as prompted by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to identify those who were avoiding taxes.  I didn’t know the history of this law, and I was grateful to have a detailed – and accessible – explanation.

The museum is being worked on, so a couple of rooms I’d heard about were inaccessible right now. (Guess I’ll just have to come back!), and as the museum announced that it was about to close for the day, I realized that there were several parts of the museum I had failed to discover. If I am able, I may go back before I leave Zurich.

After leaving the museum, I wandered around the main part of town, strolling on the Banhofstrasse, which is a principal shopping street. I found the Urania Sternwarte, which is a building with a tower where there is a bar with a panoramic view of the city. I was happy with my “wasser mit gasse" as I gazed over the city and, particularly, over Lake Zurich.  What a beautiful city – and a beautiful geographical setting for a city, with two rivers going into a lake!  In the same area was a Victorinox store (the folks who make Swiss army knives), and I was able to get the knife for my Swiss Card. I usually carry my Swiss Card in my purse at home, and I try to remember to take it out of my purse before I get on a plane. Sometime in the last year, I forgot to do that, and the TSA people took the knife away from me before I boarded a plane. I don’t know what they expect me to do with it, such that it necessitates being taken away. I could probably cut through an ant – maybe a banana.  But I doubt it could do much harm to a person.  I learned today that the analogous people at airports in Switzerland do NOT remove the knives from Swiss Cards. Hmmmm. . . .

From there, I saw the clock tower on St. Peter’s Church, and walked toward it. It’s the tower with the largest clock face in Europe, which might explain why I was drawn to it. I could hear music coming out of the sanctuary as I approached. I walked into the sanctuary, and someone was playing the violin. I’m still not clear if it was supposed to be a concert, with VERY FEW attendees, or whether the violinist was rehearsing for a concert.  Regardless, the music was beautiful, and the sanctuary was large and very simple in its décor, which allowed the music to take over. Eventually, I left, and walked into an Anglican church, which was also beautiful.  By then, it looked as if it was going to sprinkle, and I decided to walk toward a place where I could catch a tram back to my room/apartment. As I was waiting for the tram, I spotted a Viet Namese restaurant, which sounded good, so I had dinner there.  By the time I was finished, it was pouring. It must rain here after a hot day.  Today wasn’t as hot as yesterday – in fact it started out cool, though warmed up a lot across the day – but the rain also cooled things down. I found the tram stop and soon my tram came along, and I made my way back to my room.  It feels good to leave the window – actually, the door to the balcony – open because the room was closed up all day. So, I guess I’ll rest up, and see what kind of mischief I can get into tomorrow!