Zurich in black and white, a photo from Zurich, East

Photographer's Note

I return to my archives with this short series of pictures taken on a stopover in Zurich in July 1981. All were shot on slide film, probably Agfachrome at that time. They have been scanned and converted to digital using Photoshop.

Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the north-western tip of Lake Zurich on the river Limmat. While the municipality itself has approximately 380,500 inhabitants, the Zurich metropolitan area is an urbanised area of international importance constituted by a population of nearly 2 million inhabitants. The city is a mixed transport hub for railways, roads, and air traffic. Both Zurich Airport and its railway station are the largest and busiest in the country.

Permanently settled for around 7,000 years, the history of Zurich goes back to its founding by the Romans, who, in 15 BC, called it Turicum. During the Middle Ages Zurich gained the independent and privileged status of imperial immediacy and, in 1519, was the place of origin and centre of the Protestant Reformation in German-speaking Switzerland, led by Ulrich Zwingli.

Zurich is a leading global city and among the world's largest financial centres. The city is home to a large number of financial institutions and banking giants. Also, most of the research and development centres are concentrated in Zurich and the low rate of tax attracts overseas companies to set up their headquarters there. According to several surveys from 2006 to 2008, Zurich was named the city with the best quality of life in the world as well as the wealthiest city in Europe.

An impressive number of museums and art galleries can be found in the city, including the Swiss National Museum and the Kunsthaus. Zurich also hosts one of the most important theatres in the German-speaking world.

Thanks to Wikipedea for the above.

Map references are only approximate after all these years.

papagolf21, Budapestman, besnard, jlbrthnn, delpeoples, Cricri has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

rodgerg (55767) 2011-12-11 0:28

Hello Stephen,

1981! Une très belle pièce extraite de tes archives avec un bon travail de scan. Une belle utilisation du B&W avec des contrastes forts. POV bien choisi également et agréable profondeur.
Have a nice Sunday,
Roger

lousat (57594) 2011-12-11 0:28

Salut Steph,une photo tres jolie,on pourrait dire une image historique,tres belle prise de vue et excellent travail de digitalisation,mes compliments et belle Dimanche,Luciano

papagolf21 (76495) 2011-12-11 1:18

Bonjour, cher Stephen,
Bravo pour cette très belle carte postale de Zurich.
Le cliché n'a rien perdu de sa beauté.
Le noir et blanc est parfait pour restituer cette très bonne composition.
Amitiés.
Philippe

Budapestman (82620) 2011-12-11 1:49

Hi Stephen,
a beautiful B&W photo of this picturesque city the composition is very nice, superb details and the POV is attractive, Tfs! Have a nice Sunday! Kellemes Vasárnapot kívánok!
György

ChrisJ (86818) 2011-12-11 2:06

Hello Stephen,

A superb b&w shot with good tonal range, light contrasts & sharpness. I would blur some parts of the sky to obliterate dusk marks. The white swan in the distance is a nice focal point. Tfs & bon Dimanche!

wolf38 (28146) 2011-12-11 2:24

Hi Stephen. Here the past comes alive again. Old photos of any kind I've always liked. You can see it and think about after the passage of time. Informative text. Rgds, Wolfgang.

besnard (48759) 2011-12-11 2:26

Bonjour Stephen
Tu nous proposes une carte postale à l'ancienne qui semble sortie d'un album de photo familial.
Merci pour le partage et bon dimanche.
Nicole

timecapturer (30256) 2011-12-11 2:36

Hi Stephen
wonderful B&W shot of this great City. It is a fascinating skyline and one wonders if it looks the same some 30 years on. I suspect being Swiss very little has changed. Excellent transfer!

Wishing you a peaceful Sunday - Brian.

jlbrthnn (79773) 2011-12-11 3:31

Bonjour Stephen,
Ta note est un excellent résumé de ce qu'il faut savoir sur cette ville. La photo est habilement composée avec les barques en avant-plan. Très bonne lumière, et numérisation de qualité. Bravo.
Bon dimanche
Amicalement
Joël

lakshmip1949 (19110) 2011-12-11 3:36

Hello Stephen,

A nice old shot in B&W of this very picturesque place.Like the sharpness and tones. The boat in the foreground and the white swan in the center attract the attention.

Lakshmi

Fis2 (73056) 2011-12-11 7:14

Witaj Stephen!
Wonderful archive picture.
Nice composition and frame.
I like towers.
The black and white increase this emotion.
Goor work.
Nice evening
Krzysztof

carper (96) 2011-12-11 8:15

very nice one Stephen
a very nice place and a well taken shot here, fine balance and a well taken shot here, well done.
regard jaap

mauro61 (52527) 2011-12-11 11:46

ciao Stephen,
hai fatto bene a presentare questa vecchia foto dela città.
Immagini d'epoca, per così dire, che stanno sempre bene in galleria,
saluti
maurizio

Nicou (97583) 2011-12-12 1:01

Hello

Qeulle nostalgie dans cette image Zurichoise cette barque, sueprbe compo et iamge le NB colle parfaitement du savais déjà cadré parfaitement en 1981, merci pour cette beauté.

Bravo et amitié

Nicou

delpeoples (44904) 2011-12-12 4:18

Hi Stephen

At first glance I thought this was Venice! But I'm surprised to learn it's Zurich. I haven't seen many photos of this city here on TE, amazing when you think it's one of the great cities of the world. Anyway, nice scene, good choice with the B&W and a very well-composed and well-balanced image.

Thanks for sharing, have a great day'
Lisa

serp2000 (29158) 2011-12-12 5:42

Hi, Stephen,
Original presentation of Zurich. I have never been here, but I remember so picturesque photos from this wonderful place. Anyway, I like this verion too. Fine details, excellent composition.
Best regards,
Serghei

Cricri (86347) 2011-12-12 11:31

Hi Stephen
Une très belle image des années passé avec un bon choix du POV et un très bon contraste du N/B, belle réalisation
Belle soirée
cricri

williewhistler (7257) 2011-12-13 8:33

Hello Stephen, not bad for a 30 year old,I imagine the scene will be much the same today,this is a view that was worth retrieving,nicely composed with a deal of architectural interest.
Best wishes Les.