The landmark of Zurich is the Grossmünster. Legend has it that the church stands on the former burial place of the city's saints Felix and Regula. Legend has it that Charlemagne discovered the graves of the city's saints Felix and Regula on the site of today's Grossmünster and had the first church built as a monastery for canons.
In the first half of the 16th century, the Grossmünster became the starting point of the German-Swiss Reformation under Huldrych Zwingli and Heinrich Bullinger. The theological school, which was affiliated with the monastery at the time, became the nucleus of the University of Zurich.
The stained glass window by Sigmar Polke, the Romanesque crypt, choir windows by Augusto Giacometti, bronze doors by Otto Münch and the Reformation Museum in the cloister are just a few of the highlights that can be admired in the Grossmünster. Church music concerts are regularly held in the Grossmünster.
Choir window by Augusto Giacometti
Augusto Giacometti is part of the famous Giacometti dynasty of painters. Growing up just a few meters from the house of his cousin Giovanni Giacometti, he began to devote himself to painting at a young age. Between 1894 and 1897 he completed his training as a drawing teacher at the Zurich School of Arts and Crafts. After studying with Eugène Grasset in Paris from 1897 to 1901 and after living in Florence and Zurich, he finally settled in Zurich in 1915.
In 1917 Giacometti met the Dadaists Tristan Tzara, Marcel Janco, Sophie Taeuber-Arp and Hugo Ball. He took part in the 8th Dada Soirée in Zurich's Kaufleutensaal and became a member of the artists' group "Das Neue Leben" (1918–1920).
With the execution of his design for the entrance hall of the police station in the Amtshaus I in Zurich between 1923 and 1925, Giacometti succeeded in creating one of his most important works, also known as the Giacometti Hall. Thanks to this commission, which immediately attracted a great deal of attention, the way was paved for him to further important commissions.
He was one of the first artists of the 20th century to grant painting almost complete autonomy and to venture into non-representationalism. As a result, Giacometti became a great colourist. His tombstone reads: "Master of Color."
In 1929 he created the stained glass window in the east wall of the Protestant town church in Frauenfeld, in 1933 the choir windows in the Grossmünster, in 1937 the choir windows of the village church Adelboden and in 1945 a church window in the Fraumünster.
The Grossmünster organ is an integral part of the church services, which are also enriched by the regular participation of choirs and ensembles. The wonderful instrument can also be experienced at numerous concerts.
The stained glass windows by Sigmar Polke
The project "Sigmar Polke – Church Window Grossmünster" goes back to a competition in 2005/06 organized by the parish of Grossmünster (competitors: Sylvie Derfraoui, Olafur Eliasson, Katharina Grosse and Christoph Rütimann). In his project, Polke refers to Augusto Giacometti's choir windows depicting the Nativity (1933). From the rear, western nave to the east – towards the choir windows – he places a time axis in the room. To the west there are seven windows made of agate cuts. They stand for the images of prehistoric times and the history of the earth coagulated in stone. Giacometti's choral painting is contrasted with five so-called prefigurations of Christ: these are Old Testament figures that, according to the Christian interpretation, point to Jesus. Polke's motifs, executed using traditional glass techniques, depict: the Son of Man, Elijah's Ascension, King David, the scapegoat and Isaac's sacrifice. – A work of international appeal.
Bibles and Scriptures
The Grossmünster houses a unique collection of Bibles and writings from the Reformation period. This treasure, until now under lock and key, is now being made available to the public. The permanent exhibition "Getruckt zů Zürich" in the gallery corner rooms of the two Grossmünster towers revolves around "Word and Image.
Valuable Bibles from the 16th to 18th centuries are on display, including the earliest translations by Zwingli and his companions, the first translations into Italian, French and Romansh, as well as the first Zurich State Bible, as well as authoritative Reformation writings.
Let the valuable exhibits in the new permanent exhibition "Getruckt zů Zürich" take you back to an earlier time – at the place where the Reformation began 500 years ago.
