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Winterthur

Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience

A scenic view of the historic old town of Winterthur, showcasing its charming buildings and architecture.

Winterthur is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. It is the country's sixth-largest city by population, with over 120,000 residents, and its ninth-largest agglomeration with about 140,000 inhabitants. The city is located about 20 kilometres (12 mi) northeast of Zurich and serves as a service and high-tech industrial satellite city within the Zurich Metropolitan Area.

The official language of Winterthur is German, but most people speak a local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect, known as Zurich German. Locals often shorten the city's name to Winti.

Winterthur is well-connected by transport. It has direct trains to Germany and is linked to Zurich Airport. The city is a regional transport hub where several major roads meet, including the A1 motorway from Geneva through to St. Margrethen, the A4 motorway heading toward Schaffhausen, and the A7 motorway near the Swiss-German border at Kreuzlingen. The city's railway station is the fourth busiest in Switzerland and just 20 minutes by train from Zurich.

History

Winterthur has a long history dating back to Roman times. The area, known then as Vitudurum, was an important settlement during the Roman era, located in what is now Oberwinterthur. Later, in the seventh century, it became home to a group of people called the Alamannics.

In the year 919, a big battle took place near Winterthur. Over the centuries, Winterthur changed rulers many times. It was once ruled by local leaders, then by powerful families from nearby areas, and later by the leaders of Zurich. In 1798, French soldiers took control of the town during a big conflict in Europe.

During the 1800s, Winterthur grew into an industrial center with many factories. However, tough economic times, like the Great Depression in the 1930s, made life hard for many people. Things improved when World War II began, and factories became busy again. By the year 2008, Winterthur had grown to have over 100,000 people living there.

Geography

Winterthur is a city in Switzerland, sitting at a height of 439 meters above sea level. It is found in a bowl-shaped area near two rivers: the Töss and the Eulach. The Eulach river flows right through the middle of the city, which is why some people call Winterthur "Eulachstadt."

The city covers an area of 68.1 km2. Some of this land is used for farming, some is covered with forests, and the rest has buildings and roads on it. A very small part of the area includes rivers and mountains. Over time, parts of the city have been changing with new construction happening.

Politics

Winterthur has seven areas called city districts: Stadt, Oberwinterthur, Seen, Töss, Veltheim, Wülflingen, and Mattenbach.

The City Council is the main governing group in Winterthur. It has seven members, each in charge of a different area of city work. They help make sure laws are followed and plans are put into action. The mayor, chosen by public vote, leads this group. Elections for the City Council happen every four years, and anyone who lives in Winterthur and can vote may be chosen to join.

City hall, designed by architect Gottfried Semper

The Large Municipal Council is Winterthur’s law-making group with 60 members. They create rules and laws for the city, which the City Council helps carry out. Meetings of this group are open to the public and happen once a month. The members are chosen every four years by people who live in Winterthur and can vote.

Winterthur has partnerships with other towns. It is twinned with Yverdon-les-Bains and La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland, Plzeň in the Czech Republic, and Hall in Tirol in Austria. There is also a place named after Winterthur in Delaware, US.

Demographics

Winterthur has many people living there. In 2020, about 114,000 people called Winterthur home. Over the past ten years, the number of people has grown by about 10%. Most people speak German.

Young people aged 0 to 19 make up almost 20% of the population. Adults aged 20 to 64 make up over 60%, and seniors older than 64 make up about 16%. There are many homes in Winterthur, with over 42,000 households.

The city church of Winterthur, a local landmark

Many people in Winterthur belong to different religious groups. Some are part of the Swiss Reformed Church, others are Catholic, and there are also people who follow other Christian beliefs like Lutheran, Christian Catholic, and Christian Orthodox. There are also people who follow Islam, and some who do not follow any specific religion.

Significant minority groups
NationalityPopulation (2015)
Germany4,942
Italy4,577
North Macedonia2,032
Turkey1,849
Kosovo1,439
Serbia1,285
Portugal1,049
Historical population
YearPop.±%
185013,651—    
186015,613+14.4%
187019,496+24.9%
188025,924+33.0%
188829,508+13.8%
190040,961+38.8%
191046,384+13.2%
192049,969+7.7%
193053,925+7.9%
194158,883+9.2%
195066,925+13.7%
196080,352+20.1%
197092,722+15.4%
198086,758−6.4%
199086,959+0.2%
200090,483+4.1%
2010101,308+12.0%
2020114,220+12.7%
Source:

Economy

Winterthur used to be an important place for making trains and other big machines, but most of those factories are closed now. One famous company from there is Sulzer. The big bank called Union Bank of Switzerland started in Winterthur.

Axa Winterthur headquarters

There is also a newspaper called Landbote in Winterthur. A special car company named Peraves has made unique motorcycles since the 1980s. Winterthur had a very big insurance company, but it was bought by a French company called Axa in 2007.

Education

Winterthur has many places for people to learn. About 70.7% of adults between 25 and 64 have finished advanced school or gone to college.

ZHAW Campus and Roter Turm

The city is famous for its big technology school called Technikum, which now works with schools in Zurich and is known as Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften (ZHAW). The Club of Rome also has its main office in Winterthur. There is a campus for the SIS Swiss International School in the city. Another international school, International School Winterthur, closed in 2015.

Transport

Winterthur has a very busy train station, which is the fifth busiest in Switzerland. Every day, over 110,000 people use it. Because Winterthur is near Zurich, there are many trains going between the two cities. Trains come from all over Switzerland and even to nearby countries.

Winterthur railway station

There are also nine smaller train stations in Winterthur, all served by local trains. The city has its own bus system with twelve bus lines, including a special trolleybus line. There used to be trams here until 1951. Winterthur has two small airports, and the big Zurich Airport is not far away. The city is also connected to major roads.

Tourism

See also: Tourism in Switzerland

Winterthur has many places for visitors to see nearby, like Kyburg Castle, Laufen Castle, and the Rhine Falls. The city has a beautiful old town, interesting history, fancy houses, and parks. Winterthur is also known for its many museums. Some of these museums have amazing art from around the world, such as those from the Gottfried Keller-Stiftung. Some of the most famous museums are:

The [Winterthur Museum of Art](/wiki/Kunstmuseum_Winterthur)

Technorama

Culture

Architecture

The church of St. Laurenz in the city centre dates back to 1264, and the town hall was built in 1781. The assembly hall was constructed in 1865.

The city hall Stadthaus, where concerts by the Musikkollegium take place, was built by Gottfried Semper.

In 1989, Winterthur received the Wakker Prize for its work in preserving its buildings and history.

Music

Winterthur’s chamber orchestra Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur is the oldest in Switzerland and also performs at the Zurich Opera. From 1922 to 1950, a generous person named Werner Reinhart and a conductor named Hermann Scherchen helped shape the city’s music scene with many first performances of new music.

Each year in late August and early September, Musikfestwochen brings live music of all kinds to Winterthur’s Old Town, with performances in streets, bars, and concert venues.

The “Albanifest,” the largest yearly festival in a historic Swiss town, is named after Saint Alban, one of the city’s four saints. It is held over three days in late June each year. Though it is a newer event, it celebrates a charter given to the town in 1264 by Rudolf of Habsburg on June 22, which happened to be the saint’s day.

The Swiss folk metal band Eluveitie began in Winterthur. The Punkabilly band The Peacocks and the technical death metal band Punish also come from here.

Arts

Open Doors

Open Doors is a platform in Winterthur that supports artists by letting them show their work. It was started in 2008 by an artist named Michelle Bird who lives in Winterthur. Every year during the last weekend of September, artists open their studios to the public. Visitors can see the artists working and view their art. About 60 artists take part, including local and international artists, self-taught creators, and those who studied art in school. Open Doors Winterthur also publishes a magazine called MAP Magazine, which has articles about local art and profiles of local artists. The event uses a map to show where each artist’s studio is located.

Sport

Winterthur has several sports teams. EHC Winterthur is the city's main ice hockey team and plays in the Swiss League, which is the second-highest ice hockey league in Switzerland. They play their games at the Deutweg Arena, which can hold 3,000 people. In April 2011, this arena hosted part of the 2011 IIHF Women's World Championship together with the Hallenstadion in Zurich.

The city’s football (soccer) team is FC Winterthur, and they currently play in the top league of Switzerland, called the Swiss Super League. Their home ground is the Stadion Schützenwiese.

Another well-known team is Pfadi Winterthur, which plays handball and has won many national championships. They compete in the Swiss First League of Handball and play at the Winterthur Central Sports Hall, where they share the space with the top floorball club HC Rychenberg Winterthur.

A more recent addition to Winterthur’s sports scene is the Winterthur Lions AFC, founded in 2017. They play Australian rules football in the AFL Switzerland league since 2019.

Notable people

1800–1850

1851–1900

1901–1950

1951–2000

Notes and references

Images

The grand entrance portal of Stadthaus Winterthur, a beautiful public building.
A beautiful fountain and historic school building in the city of Winterthur.
A beautiful fountain reflecting the buildings of Steinberggasse in Winterthur, Switzerland.
A detailed map showing the natural terrain and geography of the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.
A historical engraving showing the city of Winterthur, Switzerland, as it appeared around the year 1642.
Aerial view of the city of Winterthur in the Canton of Zürich, Switzerland.
The Kunstmuseum Winterthur is a beautiful cultural building in Switzerland, showcasing art and historical collections.
Entrance to the Technorama science museum in Winterthur, Switzerland.
A colorful 1850s painting showing a bird's-eye view of the Swiss city of Winterthur.

Related articles

Zurich
City
Switzerland
Alemannic German
Great Depression
World War II

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