Zurich Hauptbahnhof, often shortened to Zurich HB or just HB, is Switzerland's largest railway station and one of the busiest in Europe, handling around 2,900 trains and over half a million passengers every day. The grand 1871 sandstone Hauptgebäude — the work of Jakob Friedrich Wanner — fronts onto the Bahnhofplatz, with the modern through-platforms hidden behind.
Most visitors only pass through, but the building rewards a slow look: the soaring main hall with its iron-and-glass roof, the painted vaulting of the Bahnhofhalle, and Niki de Saint Phalle's giant protective angel sculpture suspended overhead. The lower level holds the ShopVille shopping concourse — over 200 shops in Switzerland's largest underground retail centre, open on Sundays when most other shops in Zurich are closed (a rare freedom). The food court is reasonably priced by Zurich standards.