Amid the continued shortage of rented apartments in Zurich, many people are starting to push the boundaries in order to find a new home. Luckily, a four-room apartment recently opened up in Würenlos for just 1.550 francs a month. The catch? You have to live in the loudest, ugliest motorway service station in Switzerland.
On the face of it, the four-room apartment in Würenlos, Canton Aargau doesn’t sound too bad. 145 square metres of apartment could be yours for just 1.550 francs a month, a steal for a property located just a stone’s throw away from Zurich. The home features high-quality paving, a parquet floor, a “generous” fitted kitchen, a bathroom and a washing machine. It is also “flooded with light” on most days, the now taken-down listing read.
However, there is one tiny downside to this otherwise ideal apartment: it is situated on the second floor of the shopping rest stop Würenlos service area above the A1 motorway between Zurich and Baden. Built in 1972 and renovated in 2019, the service area is affectionately known as Switzerland's ugliest, loudest service area.
Prospective tenants will have to deal with near-constant traffic noise throughout the day and night, with SRF estimating that around 120.000 drivers pass underneath the service station (and apartment) every 24 hours. 20 Minuten added while the apartment boasts a very generous car park, the venue is also known to be used in the evenings by boy racers showboating in their used but "upgraded" vehicles.
“It’s an unusual, almost unique apartment,” conceded H&B Real Estate manager Jean-Francois Matter. Tapping into the positives, the real estate agent made the point that the home is ideal for someone who works at the service station or a driver who wants quick and easy access to the motorway - the apartment is a 20-minute walk away from the nearest public transport.
Speaking to 20 Minuten, Carmen Richner, property manager at Bovida Real Estate AG, the company that owns the building, confirmed that it is the only apartment in the service station. She added that she didn’t know why the 1970s planners decided to build an apartment there in the first place, nor whether the apartment had noise-proof windows to deal with the traffic.
However, she did confirm that the listing was taken down by the company on January 31, meaning despite the sacrifices, someone has decided to rent the apartment after all.
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