Did you know? · Zurich
Zurich fun facts
Things you might not know about Zurich. Every fact comes from an official or primary source, named alongside it.
Updated October 2026
A snowman that forecasts the summer
At Sechseläuten, the pyre under the Böögg, a snowman 3.40 metres tall, is lit at 6 pm; the faster his head explodes, the finer the summer, Zurich says. In 2026 it took 12 minutes 48 seconds; in 2023, 57 minutes (zuerich.com).
The birthplace of Dada
Hugo Ball and Emmy Hennings founded the Cabaret Voltaire on the Spiegelgasse in 1916, in the middle of the First World War, and the Dada movement was born there (zuerich.com).
Le Corbusier’s last building
The Pavillon Le Corbusier on the Zürichhorn, completed in 1967, is the architect’s last building and his only one made of steel and glass (pavillon-le-corbusier.ch).
The world’s oldest watch shop
Beyer, on the Bahnhofstrasse, describes itself as the world’s oldest watch shop, founded in 1760; from 2027 its house becomes a Patek Philippe salon (beyer-ch.com).
One family, two chocolate names
David Sprüngli founded the firm in 1836; his grandchildren divided it, giving rise to the chocolate factory now known as Lindt & Sprüngli and to the confectionery that has stood on the Paradeplatz since 1859 (zuerich.com).
A concert hall opened by Brahms
The Tonhalle Zurich was inaugurated by Johannes Brahms in 1895; its large hall seats 1,500 (zuerich.com).
Questions and answers
What is the Böögg?
A snowman figure burned at Sechseläuten to welcome spring.