Collector's item: Floods of (a previous) century

In the year 1342 the city of Zurich was severely hit by floods. The following text, adapted from the medieval original, can be read in the “brief and orderly indexe of floodyes over six and one half thousand years from the beginning of the worlde to the present time”:

"The Limmat did swellyth in Zurich to suche proportions that people did taketh to ships and travel to Frawen Münster, and the big house on the bridge was carryd awaye.”

The book provides a list of all floods and high water levels “from the worlde’s begynninge” up to the year 1615, the year of publication.

Today only tourists navigate the city’s narrow streets by boat.

Nobody back then had to flee to the tree tops, and yet people were talking of the “flood of the century”.

The “brief and orderly indexe” dating from 1615 was not only concerned with flooding, but also warned of other dangers emanating from ‘wet’ elements. An appendix is dedicated to the “dear vyne” and “how God always punisheth its abuse”.

"Collector's Items" originate from Knowledge & Information Management and the Company Archive at Swiss Re.