Rennweg (Zürich)

Rennweg is one of the oldest streets of the old town of Zurich. It leads from the main street in a southeasterly direction about 250 meters diagonally up a moraine hills, where he goes at the highest point in the Strehlgasse that dropping back down to the River Limmat.

Name

The origin of the name seems controversial. One explanation derives from "Rain" ( = slope ). , The name is derived from the function of the road to another as a medieval bridle, which were also used in Zurich proven products for competition and tournaments. According to a study of the history of the race route in Freiburg im Breisgau assumed to have been rode on this ungepflästerten Because the horses.

History

The first few permanent houses at the Rennweg, as the narrow road from the southern end of the Lindenhof in a northwesterly direction led down to the Sihl then, probably originated around the year 1000, when the Carolingian palace was built on the Lindenhof. The construction of large Ottonian Palatinate promoted the importance of Rennwegquartiers at the foot of the Lindenhof hill.

From these individual buildings located on a small suburb that was already completed at the end with a goal developed to Rennweg and Fortunagasse. This development goes back to the time of Zaehringen that were Reichsvögte 1218 in Zurich from 1097 to its extinction. He was a consequence of the expansion of the city to the west of the old settlement at the Lindenhof. He was with his long, closed rows of houses and a rectangular cross Zürich's widest street and stood out with his straight line from the winding streets around the Strehlgasse that emerged from the Roman settlement on the left bank of the Limmat.

It is first mentioned in a deed of Rennweg on 7 December 1221 in the context of a pastor for the hospice at the Sihl B. et. Hu. be called to the Renwege as witnesses. Three years later, a Bertholus is mentioned on the race routes, and later the terms Renniwegi, Renne ways and Renniwege appear. In various documents and sledding appear numerous professions that were represented at the Rennweg, such as butchers, bakers, table makers, woodcarvers, saddlery or carpenter.

At the lower end of the race route was on frogs ditch the Rennwegtor, which is first mentioned in 1355 as part of the western extension to the west. It solved the Kecinstürlin from the main passage to the bridge at St. Jakob an der Sihl, where the road began to Baden.

Since the Rennwegtor was the only main gate to the left of the Limmat, the whole Transport squeezed in a westerly direction from the town across the Rennweg down through the gate out on to the street.

In the 16th and 17th centuries took place on the Rennweg troops marches and parades.

The Rennweg is car-free since 2004. The tram stop Rennweg the Zurich Transport is located on the Bahnhofstrasse.

Rennweg Quarter Club

The Rennweg Quarters Club was founded in 1888 with the aim to maintain the Rennweg quarter. He is one of the oldest neighborhood associations in the city. ]

The Rennwegtor before 1865