Is Paradeplatz in Zürich hiding a secret under the pavement?

Zürich is the finance capital of Switzerland, and Paradeplatz is a Mecca for the affluent families and ambitious bankers from all over the world.

As you get off at the Paradeplatz tram stop or walk along Bahnhofstrasse to the square, you will be surrounded by historic headquarters of Swiss banks.

Interestingly, back in the 17th century, the square was a livestock market called Säumärt ("pig market"). The construction of Bahnhofstrasse from 1864 to 1865 seems to have brought more businesses to the market. An Austrian bank founded by the Rothschild family moved in at the northern end of the market in 1873.

(Copyright Walter Baumann/Wikipedia)

By 1882, horse-drawn trams were circulated by a private company:

(Copyright Wikipedia)

Centuries later, the building is now the head office of Credit Suisse, looking down on the electric trams operated by the city of Zürich. When I first stood in front of the building, as a curious tourist (not a generous client), Dimitri whispered me the legend of the gold storage under the Paradeplatz.

Since that day, I cannot stop staring at a manhole cover in the middle of Paradeplatz and imagine how to reach that Swiss gold mine...