
Zunfthaus zur Waag
Guildhall restaurant on a medieval square, its blue facade concealing a seventeenth-century rebuild
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Zunfthaus zur Waag on Zurich's Munsterhof square starts from a claim on its own sign: that the building is seven hundred years old. It traces the name back to 1315, to an apothecary named Peter Schmid and the scale, or Waag, he hung outside his shop, then follows how linen and wool weavers inherited both the house and its nickname over the next century. Along the way you'll meet the guild hall's walnut paneling and its painted stove upstairs. The question the guide keeps circling is whether the number on the sign is really about the building at all.
This audio guide was created using AI.
Similar places
Zunfthaus zur Meisen
Rococo guild palace of gilt stucco and painted ceilings, once home to a porcelain and faience museum.
Zunfthaus zur Zimmerleuten
Arcaded medieval guild hall on the river, its stone porticos the stage for an Easter coin-and-egg game.
Zeughauskeller
Fifteenth-century city arsenal turned beer hall, its weapon racks now hung as decoration overhead.
Augustinergasse
Medieval lane of colorfully painted houses with carved oriel windows, once home to craftsmen and merchants.
Zürich's Town Hall
Baroque riverside seat of government with gilded portal lions and a preserved seventeenth-century council chamber.
Sechseläutenplatz
Vast stone plaza where centuries-old guild parades converge and a firework-stuffed snowman goes up in flames each spring.