Neu-Oerlikon

I am not often in Oerlikon but when my friend suggested I should come and see Neu-Oerlikon (the newer part of that area) with him, I was totally stunned what they made out of the former industrial area of Oerlikon and how many new buildings and parks they built. Many people that live in the centre of Zurich around the old town or the popular Langstrasse (literally "long street") probably don't even know about it yet, because they rarely leave the centre – just like me. But I had to realise once again that Zurich has so many different faces and Neu-Oerlikon definitely deserves an entry on my blog for my Zurich City Guide.

There are two buildings I like in particular in Neu-Oerlikon. Above pictured is the MFO-Park, which is situated behind the railway station of Oerlikon. The park has two parts: a big steel construction shrouded in climbing plants and a square beneath. You can walk up on the sides of the construction over different stairs and passages until you reach the top where you get a view over the area. There are benches all along the way. The water supply for the climbing plants comes from the rain collected by the steel construction. Give it a few more years and the whole steel frame will probably be covered in plants.

(click to enlarge)

Pictures below show a tower situated in the Oerlikerpark and one of the buildings surrounding that park. The tower's height is 35 metres and you can climb it via the stairs. Once you made it up there you get another view over Neu-Oerlikon and the rest of the city. The tower is supposed to be an element of the park that reminds people of the chimneys that used to be in the industrial area. There is another park called Wahlenpark nearby of which I didn't take any pictures because it looks better in the night and I was only there during the early evening with my camera. You will find a long beam where you can sit or lay down. The construction of the beam contains 7000 glass elements which are illuminated from the inside at night.

(click to enlarge)

Addresses:
MFO-Park
Sophie-Täuber-Strasse/James-Joyce-Strasse
8050 Zürich

Oerlikerpark
Birchstrasse/Emil-Rüti-Weg
8050 Zürich

Wahlenpark
Ruedi-Walter-Strasse/Otto-Schütz-Weg
8050 Zürich

Don't forget to take a look at the other places in my Zurich City Guide.