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About this place
St. Katharina Zürich is a Catholic parish church in the Affoltern district, on the city's northern side. Built of concrete in the early 1970s, it is one of the best-known works of Swiss architect Eugen O. Fischer and a stop for anyone interested in twentieth-century church architecture.
Where is St. Katharina and how do you get there?
The church stands at Wehntalerstrasse 451 in Zürich-Affoltern, at roughly 47.416° N, 8.512° E. The district lies north of the centre and is served by city public transport; check the ZVV timetable for the nearest stop. In 2026 the parish was pushing to have the nearby "Einfangstrasse" stop renamed after the church.
Who designed it and when was it built?
Wilhelm and Eugen O. Fischer designed the church, and it was built between 1970 and 1972. It grew out of a 1967 competition whose brief covered more than a sanctuary: a parish hall, youth club and presbytery were part of the programme. The result is a community hub as much as a place of worship.
What will you see?
The architecture is Brutalist, with exposed raw concrete and a clear debt to Le Corbusier. The floor plan is centralised and takes a honeycomb form set inside a larger group of buildings. Walk around the whole complex to see how the parts connect.
The building won the City of Zürich's award for good buildings, the first Catholic church to do so. Fischer is regarded as one of Switzerland's significant church architects of his generation.
What is the parish's history?
Affoltern's Catholics got their own church in 1928 and became an independent parish in 1933. The present church marks a later stage for a community in a fast-growing district. The parish published a 1983 history, "50 Jahre Pfarrei St. Katharina Zürich-Affoltern", and a foundation created in 2020 supports pastoral work and charity.
When should you visit?
The interior is mainly open during services and parish events, so check times on the parish website first. The exterior can be viewed at any hour, best in daylight when the texture of the concrete shows. Pair it with a walk through Affoltern or a trip back into central Zürich.
Frequently asked questions
Is St. Katharina a Catholic church? Yes. It is the parish church of the Catholic community in Zürich-Affoltern.
Who built it and when? Wilhelm and Eugen O. Fischer, between 1970 and 1972.
Why is it worth seeing? It is a Brutalist church with a honeycomb-shaped centralised plan, and the first Catholic church to receive the City of Zürich's award for good buildings.
Where exactly is it? At Wehntalerstrasse 451, in the Affoltern district in the north of Zürich.
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