The Department of Earth Sciences at the ETH Zurich has created a free exhibition space in their building called focusTerra. The idea came about during the most recent renovation of the building in 2005 and it has been a hit ever since.
Not only is the hall itself a stunning piece of architecture, and the exhibitions are also interspersed well throughout the space. There is a special exhibition in the center on the ground floor, while the permanent exhibitions are on the sides on the various floors of the building. And, the students still actively use the area for studying, so keep that in mind during your visit.
This is a great place to visit with children on a rainy day, however, I went alone and certainly had fun, and learned a lot during my visit. The only thing to keep in mind is that although there are lots of interactive things to see and do, all the signs are in German.
There area various exhibitions permanently on display such as
- Archives of the Earth
- Treasures of the Earth
- Dynamics of the Earth
- Mountain Reliefs
All of these permanent exhibitions are in various places throughout the building and give visitors a range of things to explore from the Earth Sciences at the ETH. You get to learn about such things as Planetary sciences, Natural sciences, natural history, precious stones, current research findings
General information
Here is some useful information about focusTerra at the ETH:
- Address: Sonneggstrasse 5, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland (Google Maps)
- Phone: +41 44 632 6281
- Entry Price: Free admission
- Opening Times: Monday – Friday 9 am – 5 pm, Sunday 10 am – 4 pm
- Website: www.focusterra.ethz.ch
Special Exhibition at focusTerra ETH
The highlight of focusTerra ETH, however, is always the special exhibition, which was about Waves during 2022. They change this once or twice a year, so there is always something new to see at focusTerra.
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Virtual Exhibitions
The team at focusTerra understands that not everyone can make it to the ETH museum, so they have also created some virtual exhibitions. Currently, these feature such topics as Climate Change, Wild Rocks, and Travel Stones.
Getting There
focusTerra is located in one of ETH Zurich’s buildings on Sonneggstrasse. It is approximately a 10-15 minute walk from Zurich HB or slightly less from Zurich Central.
Public Transport
You can take trams 10 or 6 from Zurich HB or Central, and it is a 5-7 minute ride to the ETH/Universitätsspital tram stop. From there, it is around a 5-minute walk to focusTerra.
By Car
I would not recommend going to focusTerra by car because of the limited parking in that area of Zurich. However, if you wish to drive, the closest parking is at University Hospital.
