Viewpoint on the city

You’ve now arrived at Lindenhof Square, offering a fantastic panoramic view over Zurich’s historic centre. Know that this place is more than just a spot for photos. You’re standing on what remains of an ancient glacier, atop the Lindenhof hill, which was formed by the moraines left from the Linth Glacier—now flattened over time. Just a quick note on glaciology: moraines are piles of soil and rock that glaciers scrape off mountains and carry along as they move. That’s right—Zurich used to be a glacial region. Around the 1st century BC, Celtic tribes settled near this hill, living in stilt houses along the lake’s shores. Around 15 BC, the Roman emperor Tiberius integrated this region to the Roman provinces and set up a customs post to tax merchandise flow with Italy. Several Roman stone buildings were built on and around the hill, and in 75 AD, a port was established on the banks of the Limmat River just below. Later, under Emperor Valentinian I, the Romans, trying to defend themselves from the northward migration of the Germanic Alamanni tribe, took advantage of the hill’s strategic location and built a fortress with at least ten towers and thick stone walls. During the medieval era, successive castles were built over the remains of the Roman fortress, first by the Carolingians, then by the Ottonians. The last castle eventually fell into ruin, and its stones were repurposed to build Zurich’s city walls, which stood until the 1830s. The area then became a peaceful public space — a park where to this day, locals enjoy games such as chess and bowling. At its center stands the Hedwig Fountain, built in 1912 to honour Zurich’s women defenders during the siege of 1292. Legend says the women, led by a helmeted commander, were dressed in full battle gear and gathered here to trick the invading Habsburg army into thinking the city was heavily defended—when in reality, the men were away campaigning in Winterthur. Lindenhof Hill is not only a place of beauty and calm, but also the very birthplace of Zurich’s long history.