At the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich, canton of Zurich, Switzerland

 "Most of what makes up our personal picture of the world we have never seen with our own eyes -- or rather, we've seen it with our own eyes, but not on the spot: our knowledge comes to us from a distance, we are televiewers, telehearers, teleknowers." -- Max Frisch

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(at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich, in Switzerland) The largest city of Switzerland and capital of the canton of Zurich is found in an Alpine setting at the northwestern end of Lake Zurich, stretched between two forested chains of hills, about 40 miles (60 km) from the northern foothills of the Alps. Two rivers, the Limmat and Sihl, run through the city. Zurich’s western and northeastern limits are formed by the Albis mountains (which include the 2,850-foot [870-meter] Üetliberg, considered the “top” of Zürich, with an idyllic view of the lake, mountains, and city) and by Zürichberg, a wooded hilly area. A ritzy Alpine metropolis that delivers on culture, nightlife, and art, Zurich is a major contemporary art destination. Important artworks are displayed in the Kunsthaus and the Rietberg Museum, while those preoccupied with shopping more than art, can pursue their interests along Bahnhofstrasse and Niederdorf.
+ Situated at the meeting of river and lake, Zurich is regularly recognized as one of the world's most livable cities. Long known as a savvy, hard-working financial center, Switzerland's largest and wealthiest metropolis has also emerged in the 21st century as one of Central Europe's more progressive destinations, with a post-industrial edge that is epitomized in its exuberant summer Street Parade. Much of the ancient center, with its winding lanes and tall church steeples, has been kept lovingly intact. Yet Zurich has also clearly embraced contemporary trends, with the conversion of old factories into cultural centers and creative new living spaces. (Nowhere is that clearer than in Züri-West, the epicenter of the city’s nightlife.)
+ Zurich also boasts a long line of Nobel Prize winners among its citizenry, particularly in the fields of physics (Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, Albert Einstein, and Wolfgang Pauli). chemistry (Richard Ernst), and medicine (Rolf Zinkernagel). Noted Zürich-born authors include Gottfried Keller, Conrad Ferdinand Meyer, and Max Frisch.

+ The beginning of the 21st century was a difficult time for the city, whose finance-oriented economy was shaken by crises in the world financial markets in the wake of corporate collapses and the spiraling stock market in the United States. In 2001, the Zurich-based Swissair collapsed as one result of the airline crisis following the September 11th attacks in the United States. In 2002, however, elements of the former airline reemerged as Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS), which, soon grew rapidly. Similarly, the recovery of the financial markets in the following years brought a period of prosperity to the city in general, securing Zurich’s position as the uncontested economic capital of Switzerland.