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Hans Waldmann (1435 – 6 April 1489) was mayor of Zurich and Swiss military leader.

Waldmann in the Burgundian Wars defeated Charles the Bold with an army estimated at 12,000 men. As mayor of Zurich, he sought to impose higher taxes on neighboring rural villages which, led to a peasant revolt. 500 peasants from Knonau toppled Waldmann as mayor in 1489. He was beheaded on April 6, 1489 following accusations of financial corruption, foreign connections and sodomy.

The equestrian monument in front of the Fraumünster was unveiled on 6 April 1937, aiming to rehabilitate Waldmann who some say was the victim of a judicial murder. It was the subject of controversy for artistic reasons, deemed by conservative critics as being overly modern for the historical city centre.

In the background is the Grossmünster is a Romanesque-style Protestant church. The present building near the banks of the Limmat River was constructed on the site of a Carolingian church, which was, according to legend, originally commissioned by Charlemagne. Construction of the present structure commenced around 1100 and it was inaugurated around 1220.

According to legend, the Grossmünster was founded by Charlemagne, whose horse fell to its knees over the tombs of Felix and Regula, Zürich's patron saints. The legend helps support a claim of seniority over the Fraumünster, which was founded by Louis the German, Charlemagne's grandson. Recent archaeological evidence confirms the presence of a Roman burial ground at the site.