Hardbrücke vs Veggie Bridge: Hateable new vs lovable old Bridge

Welcome back to my series: Is Zurich Like Every Other European City?

According to Itchy Feet’s satirical map, one telltale feature of such a city is that it boasts a:

A lovable old bridge and a hateable new bridge.

This immediately conjures up images like Florence’s Ponte Vecchio—beloved, centuries-old, and steeped in history. After damage during WWII, a temporary bridge was erected nearby and later replaced by the modern Ponte della Libertà. So far, so textbook.

But Zurich? Well, Zurich doesn’t do things quite the same way.

The Lovable Bridge

The beloved bridge I chose in Zurich is so subtle, you might miss it entirely. See that white-and-blue-striped umbrella in the photo?

That’s not the umbrella of a riverside café. It’s the tent of an old-fashioned carousel, right in the middle of the Rathausbrücke, or “City Hall Bridge.”

By Swiss standards, it's impressively wide for an Old Town bridge. It’s traffic-free and doubles as a pedestrian plaza and market square, a vibrant meeting spot for locals, traders, and carousel-riders alike.

Locals often refer to it as the Gemüsebrücke (“vegetable bridge”), a nod to the historic produce market once held here. On Saturday mornings, that spirit lives on with a small, charming market. Honestly, grocery shopping doesn’t get more picturesque than this.

But change is coming.

The Future of the Vegetable Bridge

The current structure is due for a facelift. A new bridge will replace the aging superstructure, improving both its durability and the flow of the Limmat River (post goes live on Sunday) beneath. You can barely tell it’s a bridge in this photo - but yes, that’s the one.

Construction is set to begin in 2026 and wrap up by 2029, timed to coincide with the restoration of the nearby town hall.

Until then, the veggie bridge remains a favorite lunch spot and meeting place for Zurich locals.

The “Hateable” Bridge?

Will the new version of the Gemüsebrücke become a “hateable new bridge”? Time will tell. But if we must pick a bridge that fits that title today, our eyes turn west to Hardbrücke.

The original Hardbrücke, a truss bridge built in 1897, connected Hardplatz to Pfingstweidstrasse. The current girder-style version went up between 1969 and 1972, a product of post-war urban planning and the need to accommodate booming car traffic.

Back then, the Zurich West area was a far cry from today’s trendy urban hub. It was marshy and prone to flooding, with the name “Hard” referring to the wooded, slightly elevated terrain that once rose above the surrounding wetlands.

Over time, the land was drained and transformed—first for industry and infrastructure, and eventually for offices, apartments, and nightlife.

Today, beneath Hardbrücke rumbles the S-Bahn station, used by over 80,000 commuters daily. It’s just under 2 km from Zurich’s Hauptbahnhof Zurich main station, which sees around 367,000 daily passengers.

Apples and Oranges… and Bridges

Sure, Gemüsebrücke and Hardbrücke serve vastly different functions. One is quaint and historical; the other, utilitarian and infrastructural. Passenger numbers, design, and vibe - everything about them is different.

So is it fair to love one and hate the other? Probably not.

But for the sake of this post—and in true Itchy Feet spirit—I’ve made my choice, and I stand by it.

Thoughts?