# Amtshaus I

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Canonical page: https://mytuur.com/en/city/zurich/spot/amtshaus-i/

Content updated: 2026-06-22

Amtshaus I stands in Zurich as the last surviving structure of the former Oetenbach nunnery and carries the name Waisenhaus.

The name Waisenhaus means orphanage. The building once contained a wine cellar and later gained stepped gables and a simple Baroque south facade. Its history includes an orphanage, prison, penitentiary, military hospital, and administrative centre. The city police department occupies the former orphanage at Waisenhausstrasse, within Zurich’s Urania complex. Gustav Gull integrated the complex.

The entrance contains the Giacometti Halle, where Augusto Giacometti covered vaulted walls and ceilings with frescoes. The hall is also called Blüemlihalle. Floral ornaments and geometric patterns surround depictions of stone carvers, carpenters, astronomers, and magicians. The paintings combine al fresco and al secco techniques. The Giacometti Halle is listed as a Class A object in the Swiss inventory of cultural property. It has national importance.

- City: [Zurich](https://mytuur.com/en/city/zurich/)

## Photos

- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_AmtshausI_68631af4717a3e13abfb8d06_0.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Amthäuser_-_Waisenhaus_-_Limmatquai_2012-09-27_15-17-08.jpg)
- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_AmtshausI_68631af4717a3e13abfb8d06_1.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Amthaus_I_\(Waisenhaus-Stadtpolizei_Zürich\)_-_Limmatquai_2015-02-26_12-43-34.JPG)
- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_AmtshausI_68631af4717a3e13abfb8d06_2.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Amthaus_I_\(Waisenhaus\)_-_Lindenhofstrasse_2011-08-01_15-42-36_ShiftN.jpg)
- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_AmtshausI_68631af4717a3e13abfb8d06_3.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Zürich_-_Schipfe_IMG_0277.jpg)
- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_AmtshausI_68631af4717a3e13abfb8d06_4.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Amthaus_I_\(Waisenhaus\)_-_Bahnhofquai-Uraniastrasse_2011-08-01_15-38-34_ShiftN.jpg)

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