Print

Zurich has several notable cultural institutions with world class performances.

Theater

The Schauspielhaus Zurich is the main theater complex of the city and one of the most prominent and important theaters in the German-speaking world. It was home to Bertolt Brecht or Thomas Mann, and saw premieres of works of Max Frisch, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Botho Strauss or Elfriede Jelinek.
Students (with student ID) can generally get cheap tickets at the least minute, about 10 minutes before the show. These discounted tickets are usually around 20 CHF.
The complex includes:
Pfauen - in the Central City District
Schiffbauhalle - (old industrial hall) in Zurich West.

The Theater am Neumarkt is one of the oldest theaters of the city. Established by the old guilds in the Old City District, it is located in a baroque palace near Niederdorf Street. It has two stages staging and usually features avant garde works by European directors.

Rote Fabrik, or the Red Factory, is an old silk factory converted to a center of youth culture and art in the 1980s. There are a variety of events, including music, film, and theater.

Zürcher Theater Spektakel (Theaterspektakel) - mid-August to early September, many lesser-known actors are given the rare opportunity to take to the stage at many of the city's most noteworthy theaters and similar venues

The Zurcher Theater Spektakel is an international theater festival, ranking among the most important European festivals for contemporary performing arts.

Opera

The Zurcher Opernhaus (Zurich Opera House) is one of the principal opera houses in Europe. It was the first permanent theater in the heart of Zurich built in 1834. In 1890, the theater was re-built as an ornate building with a neo-classical architecture. Once a year, it hosts the Zurcher Opernball with the President of the Swiss Confederation and the economic and cultural elite of Switzerland.
Students can get last-minute discount tickets at about 45 CHF.

Orchestra

The Tonhalle Orchestra is a symphony orchestra made of 100 professional musicians of different nationalities. It was founded in 1868 and gets its name from the prestigious Tonhalle in Zurich.

Museums

Zurich features the highest of cultural riches. There are over 50 museums and more than 100 galleries. The city is one of the world's major art trade centers.

Kunsthaus Zurich (Zurich Museum of Art)
This is one of the most significant art museums of Europe. It holds one of the largest collections in Classic Modern Art in the world, including Munch, Picasso, Braque, Giacometti, and more. The museum also features a large library collection of photographs.

Landesmuseum Zurich (The National Museum)
Displays objects that illustrate the cultural and historical background of Switzerland. Contains many ancient artifacts, including stained glass, costumes, painted furniture and weapons.

Center Le Corbusier (Heidi Weber Museum)
This is an art museum dedicated to the work of the Swiss architect Le Corbusier, inside the last house he designed.

Rietberg Museum
One of the great repositories of art and culture in Zurich. The museum also displays exhibits gathered from various corners of the world: bronze artifacts from Tibet, ceramics and jade, Indian sculpture, Chinese grave decorations, and masks by African tribes.

Museum of Design
The Museum of Design is a museum for industrial design, visual communication, architecture and craft. It is part of the Department of Cultural Analysis of the Zurich University of the Arts.

Haus Konstruktiv
A museum of wide recognition for it's constructive, concrete and conceptual art and design. It testimonies to Zurich’s industrial architecture in the immediate vicinity of the Main Station.

Uhrenmuseum Beyer
The Clock and Watch Museum documents the history of timekeeping and timekeepers. The museum is home to a large collection of mechanical timepieces as well as a collection of primitive time keeping devices such as water clocks, sundials and hourglasses.