Archaeological Window at the Parkhaus Opéra

Zurich was already inhabited over 5,000 years ago. The people lived in so-called pile dwellings, or stilt houses, erected high over the water in a kind of terraced house settlement. It is estimated that from 3234–2727 BC, between 130 and 300 people lived in a village built on the site where Sechseläutenplatz is located today.

This prehistoric settlement was discovered in the course of exploration work carried out on the building site of the present-day Opéra underground car park. Archaeological experts discovered valuable cultural layers dating back over 5,000 years. This led to a rescue excavation being conducted – for only then could the underground garage be built. Nowadays, these and other pile dwellings discovered around Zurich’s lake basin are designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites.

A unique museum located in the underground garage under Sechseläutenplatz exhibits the most important finds: in a so-called “archaeological window”, visitors can view original finds and layers of sediment deposits from the site. A two-story-high media wall shows video clips on the theme of archaeology in Zurich.