The so called ‘Haus zum Schwert’ is a building from the middle ages in the old part of Zurich city with its address Weinplatz 10. To the viewer the building introduces itself as a well-preserved and restored old building. However on further analyzation it offers much more properties and facets to explore.
The structure of the walls and the plaster of the whole building change with each floor wich gives every floor its own character. The only given constants are the chosen colors.
The passengers eye is here drawn to the blue shatters. They stand out of brightly painted upper floors. The in darker gray painted ground floor gives the building a contemporary and modern look.
Due to the very central location of the building in the city, large shop windows serve as potential retail space. They open the floor to passengers and separate it from four other floors, wich are used as private living apartments or leased to different companies.
In 1344, on the river side, a house with a floor plan of 18×18 meters was built. It connected two existing towers and was grounded for the most parts on piles piled into the river.
With this construction the four floor complex had reached its present size. In 1534 the wooden structure and walls became supported by a stonewall.
At the beginning of the 15th century, the building served as restaurant. Today the modern ground floor is used as the first branch office of the IQOS-company in Switzerland.
