The house at Spiegelgasse 14 in Zurich is particularly interesting to Russian tourists, as V.I. Lenin lived here from 1916 to 1917, renting a room with party funds. A memorial plaque is installed on the wall of the building to commemorate this. The house itself, built in the 16th century, was old. In the communal apartment, Lenin and Krupskaya lived together with the family of a shoemaker, who was the landlord, a large German family, a married couple of actors, and an Italian.

Vladimir Ilyich worked daily in the library, where he completed the essay "Imperialism as the Highest Stage of Capitalism." He also lectured workers at meetings in the People's House. In the evenings, Lenin visited the small restaurant "Cabaret Voltaire," which was nearby at Spiegelgasse 1. Absurdist performances with dancing, poetry readings, and music were often held there.

In the spring of 1917, the Ulyanovs left their room in Zurich upon learning from newspapers about the revolution that had begun in Russia, and they took a train to Petersburg. Newspapers with the news were displayed on the waterfront by the lake.