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There are fourteen historical Zünfte (guilds, singular Zunft) of Zürich, under the system established in 1336 with the "guild revolution" of Rudolf Brun. They are the 13 guilds that predated 1336, plus the Gesellschaft zur Constaffel, originally consisting of the city's nobles.
Guilds founded in 1336
There have been two mergers of historical guilds since, so that there are 12 contemporary Zünfte continuing the medieval guilds:
Originally members of the nobility. From 6 December 1490 ("Constaffelbrief") until 1798, all adult Zürich citizens (including women), not belonging to another guild.
Two separate guilds, the linen weavers (Zunft der Leinenweber) and the wool weavers (Zunft der Wollweber), united in 1440. The new guild took the name of its house and became the Zunft zur Waag (= balance). Since then it brought together the wool and linen weavers, the hatters and the linen merchants
In the 19th century, with the expansion of Zürich, incorporating various formerly separate villages, a number of new "guilds" were established to represent these. By this time the old guilds had ceased to be tied to specific trades and had acquired a mostly folkloristic and societal function, uniting the upper strata of old and well-to-do clans of Zürich and Ägeri.
