Weltgeist in Zürich

Zurich around 1720: The city is transforming from a small trading center into a social and cultural hotspot of Europe. The European elite is making a pilgrimage to the city on the Limmat during their Grand Tour to visit Scheuchzer, Bodmer, Breitinger, Sulzer, Hirzel, Pestalozzi, Lavater, and Füssli. They are the key figures of the Zurich Enlightenment and have a significant influence on the intellectual capitals of Europe. New ideas are passionately discussed in Winterthur and the surrounding countryside, leading to far-reaching consequences: in 1778, the first chemical factory in Switzerland is established in Winterthur. In the 1790s, Stäfa and other lakeside communities demand equality between city and countryside, inspired by the French Revolution. "World Spirit in Zurich" is a book about a time of upheaval and transformation in Zurich and Winterthur, encompassing all cultural, economic, and political aspects. It focuses on the most important figures of the Enlightenment, showcases their impact across Europe, travels with contemporaries Füssli, Graff, Sulzer, and Lips to London, Dresden, Berlin, and Weimar, and ascends the Üetliberg with Schinz.