The Street

In light of what you have learned about City Road, describe some of the inequalities on a street which you know.

In this composition I am going to talk about daily life in the Hauptgasse in Solothurn, one of the major shopping areas in the city of Solothurn in Switzerland. The street is situated in the center of the city, it is a pedestrian zone, only open for pedestrians and cyclists and as it cuts through the city center from east to west, it is very much used by all different kinds of people as thoroughfare to get to and from school or work.

At its eastern end, Hauptgasse is concluded by Baseltor, the medival citygate, and the St. Ursen Kathedrale, a huge catholic church, which is also a tourist attraction. You also find the “Hotel Krone” here, where rooms are at rates from 170,00 SFr per night to 300,00 SFr. The hotel also holds a beautiful restaurant and banquet rooms, where “as a discerning gourmet you will enjoy our sophisticated cuisine” (‘www.hotelkrone-solothurn.ch’), as is said on the hotel’s website. In front of this place you might see a Romanian beggar, asking people for money. For her, this place is a possibility to contact people who have the means to help to her to make a living. The amount you spend on a meal at the “Hotel Krone” could easily support her family for a week. Years ago there was an open drug scene close to the western end of Hauptgasse, which has been closed down in order to make the neighborhood more attractive.

The street is lined by shops on the left and on the right, on Saturdays the eastern half of the cobblestone road, from the Baseltor to the Marktplatz, hosts a huge farmers market. Here one can find all kinds of different market stalls, farm products from the surrounding villages as well as vendors from distant kantons like Schaffhausen or Thurgau. There are people who celebrate the ritual of going to farmers market on Saturday morning, buy fresh vegetables, meat, cheese or flowers, enjoy a cup of coffee, if the...