About ETH, Zurich and Switzerland
In 1855, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) was founded mainly as a school for engineers, but also as a compensation to Zurich for not being the capital city of Switzerland. Between 1861 and 1864, the impressive main building was created by Gottfried Semper. Ever since it was first founded, ETH Zurich has been a driving force behind Swiss industry, whose innovative products and services are in demand worldwide. In the history of ETH, many well known scientists and 21 Nobel price winners are associated with this school. 21,400 students, including 4,180 doctoral students, from over 120 countries are matriculated in 16 departments of all technical and scientific disciplines.
The City of Zurich
More than 2000 years ago Zurich was founded by the Romans as a fortress. Today Zurich has about 400’000 inhabitants and is the largest city in Switzerland. Zurich is the main town of a canton also named Zurich. The city has a picturesque downtown with many tourist attractions and is located at the end of the Lake of Zurich. Zurich is not only important for its universities but is also the commercial centre of Switzerland and a platform for international trade.
Switzerland is well known for its food (especially chocolat and cheese), skiing in Zermatt, Gstaad, St. Moritz and many other famous places in the alps, hiking in the Engadine or watching the mountain panorama out of the Glacier-Express train. Many famous places of interest are very close to Zurich and easy to reach by train. Enjoy some days before or after the conference at the Lake of Lucerne, on the Jungfraujoch or at many other beautiful landmarks.