Description of the attraction
Wasserkirche (literally translated "Water Church") in Zurich, was first mentioned as "Ecclesia Aquatica Turicensi" around 1250. This church is located on the banks of the Limmat river between the two main churches of medieval Zurich - Grossmünster and Fraumünster.
Probably, it was built on a place used for religious rituals since ancient times. In Roman times, Saints Regula and Felix, now the patron saints of Zurich, were executed here. They are a brother and sister who were beheaded on a tiny island by the order of the Roman governor due to their refusal to give up their Christian faith.
The first church was built in the 10th century and was rebuilt many times, the last time in 1486. During the Reformation, Wasserkirche was named a place of idolatry and was secularized, becoming Zurich's first public library in 1634. Later, the church was used as a grain storage barn for some time. In 1940, archaeological excavations and work on its reconstruction began, after which services were resumed in it.
In 1253, a wooden house - Helmhaus was added to the temple. It hosted court hearings. This house became stone already in the 18th century. And the island, on which the church once stood, was connected to the right bank of the Limmat River in 1839, when the embankment was being built.
