The past, present, and future of Zurich, the German-speaking city of Switzerland, were mirrored in Lake Zurich, a resort of charm, elegance, and tranquility. Calvinist heritage of old times and modern commerce and industries stood side by side. The cathedral and church spires and the factory chimneys boasted their heights. The chiming of bell towers mingled with black smoke columns depicted a prosperous city of old and new. Albert Einstein stepped out from the train station and was plunged into a strange place. People from all walks of life—laborers and investors, pacifists and political refugees, as well as students from the poor nations of central, eastern, and southern Europe—came to the largest metropolis of the country of permanent neutrality, seeking new opportunities (Fig. 2.1).