ABSTRACT
The origin of modem Ziirich is significant. It resulted in 1893 from the fusion of twelve independent communes. Formerly, the city had consisted only of what is now known as the 'old city' (Altstadt) with about 28,000 inhabitants, then eleven outlying communes were added. These had grown from peasant communities during the nineteenth century into real suburbs, and together they possessed three times the population of the city they enclosed. The first incorporation was followed by a second in 1934, by which eight further suburban communes were added to the city. The importance of this second incorporation was considerably smaller than that of 1893; still the population of the city was further increased by roughly one-fifth.
