The new Storchen - Hotel zum Storchen

A hotel writes history

Hospitality for more than 650 years
Paracelsus knew it, Grimmelshausen stayed here, Richard Wagner was a
guest at the “Storchen”: For more than 650 years, the hospitality of the
“Storchen” at the Weinplatz in Zurich has been renowned. The wellknown
author John Irving immortalised the “Storchen” in “A Son of the
Circus” and “A Widow for One Year”. And in the early twentieth century,
the industrialist E.G. Bührle transformed it into what it is today. Let us
leaf back through a few pages in the wonderful history of the “Storchen”.
Let us hear of the old days.
paracelsus
Theophrastus Bombastus Philippus von
Hohenheim (1493-1541) was a physician,
pharmacist, alchemist, mystic and philosopher.
He bequeathed numerous notes and
books in German. According to Paracelsus,
medicine has to be based on a knowledge of
Nature and God.
It is no longer possible today to determine
how the hotel obtained its name “Zum
Storchen”. It is very likely, however, that
storks often nesting there gave it its
name. In 1357, the “Hus zum Storchen”
was mentioned in the tax records of the
city of Zurich for the first time. A little
more than 100 years later it was expressly
described as being an inn. However, right
from the outset, important personages
stayed at the “Storchen”. Envoys of the
Swedish King Gustav Adolf stayed at the
“Storchen”, delegates to the diet of the
Swiss Confederation, princes, Gottfried
Keller and many other illustrious guests.
The location of the “Storchen” is no accident,
but to a certain extent historical and
geographic logic. The river Limmat is
narrowest here and therefore the first
bridge over the Limmat was constructed
here. Here was the intersection of the
trade routes to Italy and Germany. A garrison
was located here in ancient times
already. Gauls, Rhaetians, Romans and
Teutons met here. Turicum became Zurich.
And from here ships laden with merchandise,
pilgrims and festive people set
sail across Lake Zurich and towards the
Benedictine abbey of Einsiedeln. At such
a prominent location, an inn had inevitably
to come into being! And the “Storchen”
still stands at exactly the right
place: in the romantic heart of Zurich, in
zunft zur schiffleuten
The Zunft zur Schiffleuten, the Shippers
Guild, is Switzerland’s oldest still existing
guild of fishermen and shippers, it has had its
guild restaurant in the “Storchen” since 1939.
“True on the waves and at anchor” is their
motto.
the centre of the old city, directly on the
river Limmat and just a few yards away
from Paradeplatz and Bahnhofstrasse,
the Fraumünster church (Chagall windows),
the Opera House and Tonhalle
Concert Hall, from alleys and squares and
all the marvellous opportunities for shopping.
In old Zurich, guild and society halls were
regarded almost exclusively as being the
centre of sociable life. In 1498, for instance,
Zurich received a high-ranking
visit by the burgesses of Schwyz, 200 of
whom came to the carnival. The custom
of hospitality was that the Zurich authorities
entertained lavishly, namely in part
at the “Storchen” which shows that the
inn enjoyed a good reputation. The links
with central Switzerland must have been
good. As one of the most famous guests,
the mystic, natural philosopher and physician,
Theophrastus Bombastus Paracelsus
von Hohenheim from Einsiedeln
stayed at the “Storchen” in 1535.
The “Haus zum Storchen” was a complicated
structure consisting of various
interconnected buildings with shops.
Thanks to its direct vicinity to the town
hall, high-ranking guests from all over
the world were often put up at the
“Storchen” by the rulers of Zurich. The
“Gasthaus zum Storchen” played a com-
opera house, concert hall
Cecilia Bartoli and Thomas Hampson, among
others, like to appear as guests in the Opera
House and Heinz Spoerli’s Zurich Ballet
performs world class dancing. The Tonhalle
Orchestra performs in the Tonhalle Concert
Hall. Frequent guests are Alfred Brendel,
András Schiff, Murray Perahia and many
other renowned artists.

mendable role during a state action in
1707. Since time immemorial, the city of
Zurich had wanted to gain control of the
most important transport route from the
Italian maritime cities to northern France,
the Netherlands and western Germany.
The trade route led over the passes in the
Grisons. Since the discovery of America,
it had become important as a link from
the Atlantic ports to Italy. And thus the
burgesses of Zurich were anxious to
always maintain a good relationship with
the Three Leagues. Thus, on 28 April
1707, the high-ranking representatives
of the Grisons rode into Zurich. Old alliances
were strengthened and new ones
agreed on. And, of course, the guests
were entertained generously at the
“Storchen”.
Looking back, the history of the house
has to be compiled from contracts of
purchase and sale, case records, etc. This
situation only changed towards the end
of the eighteenth century. Innkeepers
now had to report their guests to the police
daily. Thus not only are the names of
prominent guests to be found on the socalled
“night slips”, but also unknown
pilgrims, market travellers and many
seasonal labourers. After the “Storchen”
had accommodated the guild “Gesellschaft
zur Constaffel” (Society of the
Constable) for a long time, in 1894 it became
the hall of the “Zunft der Schiffleuten”
(Shippers Guild). The guilds still
shape Zurich’s social life today, among
other things with their spring festival
“Sechseläuten”. The old guesthouse era
came to a temporary end in 1897: the
hotel first became a “Bazaar zum Storchen”
and from 1904 on was one of
Zurich’s most modern department stores.
paradeplatz
The Paradeplatz is to be found at one of the
city’s most expensive locations and has been
the synonym for banks and Swiss prosperity
for years. The two major Swiss banks, Credit
Suisse and UBS have their head offices here,
as does the Confiserie Sprüngli. In the Swiss
edition of the Monopoly game, the
Paradeplatz is the most expensive site.
1
3
5
chagall windows
The cycle of windows in the chancel of the
Fraumünster and the rosette in the transept
are works by Marc Chagall. The church
together with a women’s convent was founded
by King Louis the German in 853 and
accommodated women from the south
German aristocracy. It had the right of coinage
in Zurich until the 13th century.
2
4
1 The “Storchen” stood at the centre at all
times. The Weinplatz was a market place
(towards the end of the 18th century).
2 For centuries, the river Limmat was also
the transport route before the Limmatquai
took over the traffic (View of the
Limmatquai with horse tramway, 1883).
3 The location of the Hotel zum Storchen has
always been incomparable. Today, cars are
banned from the Weinplatz and guests sit
beneath the trees (picture around 1960).
4 Storchen and Weinplatz in the final years
before the rebuilding.
5 A bill from 2 May 1826. Lunch cost 1
Swiss franc, a room 55 centimes, a small
evening meal 25 and a coffee 16.

The new Storchen
19 March 1938 was the birthday of the
“new Storchen”. A consortium acquired
the old complex of buildings, a complete
rebuilding was unavoidable. So the new
“Storchen” was constructed in time for the
Swiss National Exhibition in 1939. However,
even before the new building was
completed, the owners got into financial
difficulties.
sechseläuten
The “Sechseläuten” is a spring festival in
Zurich. At its centre is the figure of the
“Böögg”, an artificial snowman, personifying
winter. On the day before there is a children’s
parade. On “Sechseläuten” itself, the 25
Zurich guilds with some 3500 members and
guests in costumes, traditional dresses and
uniforms, over 350 riders, some 50 horsedrawn
carriages as well as nearly 30 bands
proceed along the Bahnhofstrasse and the
Limmatquai to the Bellevue.
Emil Georg Bührle’s moment had come.
The industrialist recognised the opportunity
to build a hotel with a promising future
at the best location. Right into the 21st
century the “Hotel zum Storchen” has
been repeatedly adapted to the latest requirements.
The owners – the Bührle family
- are still linked with the hotel. Hortense
Anda was thirteen when her father
built the “Hotel zum Storchen”. She is
strongly attached to the “Storchen”. “To
receive guests is a wonderful metier. It has
to do with people. And therefore it gives
so much pleasure!”
e.g. bührle
Emil Georg Bührle (1890-1956) was an
industrialist and art collector. Apart from the
“Storchen”, his descendants also own the
E.G. Bührle Collection Foundation, the
Privatbank IHAG Zürich AG, the Hotel
Castello del Sole in Ascona and the Terreni
all Maggia in Ascona.
The Géza Anda Foundation, which is closely
linked with the Privatbank IHAG Zürich AG,
has been supporting young pianists with the
“Géza Anda Competition” since 1976.
The “new Storchen”
was opened in 1939.
It was built to the plans
of the architect
Dr. E. Gull, taking
nearly one year
(perspective section
through the new hotel).
storchen
Hotel — Bar — Rôtisserie
Weinplatz 2 — 8001 Zürich — Switzerland
T +41 44 227 27 27 — F +41 44 227 27 00
www.storchen.ch — info@storchen.ch