Zurich, Switzerland

Zurich boasts over 1,200 public drinking fountains, more than any other city in the world, many offering continuously flowing, high-quality potable water directly from natural springs or Lake Zurich.

Zurich was a pivotal center for the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, led by Huldrych Zwingli, whose reforms significantly shaped Swiss theology, education, and social welfare.

ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) and the University of Zurich are consistently ranked among the world's top universities, boasting numerous Nobel laureates and leading global research in science, technology, and humanities.

Lake Zurich, which borders the city, is so exceptionally clean that its water is directly supplied to the taps of Zurich residents as high-quality drinking water without extensive treatment.

The 'Sechseläuten' spring festival culminates in the burning of the 'Böögg,' a large snowman-like figure whose head is packed with firecrackers; the faster his head explodes, the better the summer weather forecast.

The Fraumünster church is renowned not just for its historic architecture but also for its stunning stained-glass windows, five of which were created by Marc Chagall and one large rose window by Augusto Giacometti.

Zurich's Cabaret Voltaire was the birthplace of Dadaism in 1916, an avant-garde art movement that profoundly influenced modern art, literature, and culture worldwide as a reaction to World War I.

Despite being a bustling financial center, Zurich transforms into a swimmer's paradise in summer, with over 40 official 'Badis' (public swimming areas) along the lake and Limmat River, some even featuring historic wooden changing rooms.