Cabaret Voltaire and Spiegelgasse

Why is it significant?

Stand outside the unassuming doorway of the Cabaret Voltaire on the steep cobblestones of Spiegelgasse and listen for the echoes of an artistic world revolution.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Stand outside the unassuming doorway of the Cabaret Voltaire on the steep cobblestones of Spiegelgasse and listen for the echoes of an artistic world revolution. In the darkest days of the First World War, on February 5, 1916, German writer Hugo Ball and poet Emmy Hennings opened an unconventional artists' tavern in this modest tavern. Revolted by the senseless slaughter gripping Europe, they and their international friends launched a radical new movement: Dadaism.

Here, Tristan Tzara, Marcel Janco, Hans Arp, and Richard Huelsenbeck recited sound poetry, chanted simultaneous verses in multiple languages, and donned cardboard masks for primal dances. Their mission was to shatter bourgeois complacency through absolute nonsense, irony, and spontaneous joy. Dada quickly grew to become the most influential avant-garde art movement of the twentieth century.

Remarkably, just a few doors away at Spiegelgasse number fourteen, Vladimir Lenin lived in exile during that very same winter of 1916. While the Dadaists dismantled language in the tavern, Lenin planned the Bolshevik Revolution in his quiet furnished room, leaving Zurich in April 1917 in a sealed train car bound for Russia. The architectural details of the masonry and the historic aura of the site continuously captivate visitors and residents alike. An attentive walk through these storied corners demonstrates how harmoniously Zurich's deep history merges with its contemporary urban rhythm.

Rescued by artists in 2002 from commercial redevelopment, the Cabaret Voltaire is today a vibrant cultural center run by the city of Zurich. Its walls display historic Dada manifestos, artworks, and performance relics that evoke the creative chaos of that wartime sanctuary. Generations of proud local residents have shaped this remarkable landmark, passing its timeless stories down to present-day travelers. Throughout the surrounding neighborhoods, visitors can clearly sense the harmonious blend of historic tradition and cosmopolitan energy.

Continue uphill along Spiegelgasse and turn left into the serene, picturesque lane of the Neumarkt.