4 reasons why every tourist in Zurich should know the PBZ
Here is a Zurich Insider tip that you won't find in the travel guides.
The PBZ is the abbreviation for Pestalozzi Library Zurich, which currently provides "library supply" in the city of Zurich with 14 locations. In the surrounding municipalities of the canton of Zurich, each has its own municipal libraries.
The PBZ is an institution in itself privately run in the legal form of an association. In fact, however, it is financed by the City of Zurich, which bears around 90% of the costs. You can borrow by signing up for a subscription or buys an annual pass. One-off loans are also possible for one-off fees
For tourists and other people, however, it is also interesting without an annual ticket and thus an actual insider tip that you hardly think of.
The PBZ is open to the public and during opening hours the library locations are freely accessible to everyone. All locations and opening hours can be found here. For each address, click the name of the site. A site plan is available here.
The PBZ offers 4 especially for tourists valuable and free services, which I show below.
In addition to the lending of books and other media, there are 4 reasons why every tourist in Zurich should know the PBZ.
1. Free Wifi
You can use the premises (or especially in front of the building) access the free Wifi of the PBZ. However, you will need the login details that you receive on a note at the reception. To do this, you do not need to be a registered member of the PBZ. You simply go to the librarian or librarian at the entrance and say that you want Wi-Fi access data and then get a small piece of paper printed that you can take with you. You then simply connect to the PBZ network on your device and enter the data. The connection is usually valid for 9 hours (until the end of the library day).
The libraries are also a press reader hotspot.
2nd. Free workstations and internet stations
You will find enough workplaces at almost all library locations where you can work in peace. Whether you're using your laptop or just writing or learning. You can also find power connections everywhere. However, they are not (not yet?) very comfortably accessible, as they are mostly integrated in the floor or placed somewhere on the wall. In any case, you will somehow get electricity everywhere.
Internet stations are not available at all but 11 of the 14 PBZ locations. You can easily go to the library and access it for free.
Rental laptops are also available at the old town and Schwamendingen locations.
3rd. Free daily newspapers and magazines
All locations of the Pestalozzi Library have an extensive range of daily newspapers and magazines, so you always have your news of the day. You can easily go into the library locations and take and read the newspapers and magazines.
Don't forget to put the publications back. All holdings of the library are electronically secured. If you accidentally pack something, you will be startled by loud alarms as you walk out of the library.
And last but not least:
4th. Free toilets
Something that every tourist in Zurich needs from time to time. You will find free toilets and sometimes changing facilities in every Pestalozzi library. At least the libraries Altstadt and Schütze are, to my knowledge, wheelchair accessible and accessible for the disabled (with corresponding toilets).
Bonus
And as a bonus to the 4 free services, you can get good coffee in most locations on coffee machines at very reasonable prices (CHF 1.30 – 1.80).
I hope I was able to give you valuable hints for your visit to Zurich on ZurichInsider.com with "4 reasons why every tourist in Zurich should know the PBZ".
