The City of Zurich is divided into twelve districts (known as Kreise in German), numbered 1 to 12, each one of which containing, depending on the definition, anywhere between 1 to 4 quarters (or Quartiere in German). There are a total of 22 ceremonial quarters (6 of which being coterminous with their districts, namely the Altstadt, Wiedikon, Aussersihl, the Industriequartier, Riesbach, and Schwamendingen), 34 statistical quarters, and over 200 statistical areas. Zurich is also divided into 25 postal areas, which are typically aligned with district and quarter boundaries.
Two large expansions of the city limits occurred in 1893 and in 1934 when the City of Zurich merged with many surrounding municipalities with which it had started to overlap. Most of the district and quarter boundaries are fairly similar to the original boundaries of the previously-existing municipalities. Four currently-independent surrounding municipalities (Kilchberg, Oberengstringen, Schlieren, and Zollikon) had been seen as incorporation candidates, though the 1929 initiative which proposed to integrate them (alongside others) failed to gain the approval of the cantonal electorate, and they were subsequently not included in the 1934 incorporations.
Politically, the significance of the city districts has diminished, particularly as some districts have been merged together to form electoral districts. School districts are not fully aligned with city districts, and neither are notary districts or Roman Catholic church parishes (though Reformed parishes more closely follow district boundaries).
Ziegler, Peter (1977). Die Gemeindewappen des Kantons Zürich. Mitteilungen der Antiquarischen Gesellschaft in Zürich, Band 49, Neujahrsblatt Nr. 142, 1978. Zurich ZH, Switzerland: Verlag Berichthaus Zürich. ISBN978-3-85572-022-4.
Districts of Canton Zurich
