It is colloquially named Gmüesbrugg (Swiss German for "vegetable bridge"), and is a popular public square connecting Limmatquai, and the Weinplatz plaza and the historical Schipfe quarter.

Rathausbrücke is situated in the historical center of Zurich, previously known as Celtic-Roman Turicum, on the southeastern foothill of the Lindenhof, near the Lindenhof–Weinplatz–Münsterhof area on the eastern bank of the Limmat.

The medieval bridge was wider than necessary, and housed the mills of the Oetenbach Nunnery, as shown by the altarpiece of the Grossmünster Zwölfbotenkapelle by Hans Leu.

the bridge was bound on the east by the former Hotel Zum Schwert (now a commercial building), and in the west with a wooden platform made of oak planks.

Opposite of the building, the former seat of the medieval Mülner family is located, the Haus zum Schwert, named after the sword holder on the banner of the Zurich.

[5] Some medieval sources mention the Rother Turm building, meaning the "red tower" which was used by the House of Rapperswil as its seat in Zurich in the early 13th century; much later it became a 'literature café' and was demolished.

[6] In July 2015 the city's authorities announced plans to either rebuild or replace the bridge, as the concrete construction of does not meet the modern flood code.