Winterthur

Infobox Swiss town
subject_name = Winterthur
municipality_name = Winterthur
municipality_type = municipality
imagepath_coa = Wappen Winterthur.svg|pixel_coa=

---

languages = German
canton = Zurich
iso-code-region = CH-ZH
district = Winterthur
lat_d=47|lat_m=30|lat_NS=N|long_d=8|long_m=45|long_EW=E
postal_code = 8400
municipality_code =
area = 67.93
elevation = 439|elevation_description=|highest=Hulmen|highest_m=687|lowest=Kläranlage Hard|lowest_m=393
population = 100000|populationof = 2008
website = www.stadt-winterthur.ch
mayor = Ernst Wohlwend|mayor_asof=2008|mayor_party=SP
mayor_title = Stadtpräsident|list_of_mayors = List of mayors of Winterthur
places = Stadt ("city"), Mattenbach, Oberwinterthur, Seen, Töss, Veltheim and Wülflingen
demonym =
neighboring_municipalities= Brütten, Dinhard, Elsau, Hettlingen, Illnau-Effretikon, Kyburg, Lindau, Neftenbach, Oberembrach, Pfungen, Rickenbach, Schlatt, Seuzach, Wiesendangen, Zell
twintowns = Hall in Tirol (Austria), La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland), Pilsen (Czech Republic), Yverdon-les-Bains (Switzerland)|

Winterthur (pronounced: "Ger." /vɪn:tər,tur/, "Eng." /,tʊər/) is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. It has an estimated population of ca. 100'000 and is the sixth largest in Switzerland. In the local dialect and by its inhabitants, it is usually abbreviated to "Winti". Today Winterthur is a service and high tech industry centre, but many people make use of its proximity to Zurich, which is only 18 minutes by train.

Winterthur is connected to Germany and Italy by direct trains and enjoys excellent links to Zurich Airport. It is also a regional transportation hub: the A1 motorway from Geneva through to St. Margrethen connects in Winterthur with the A4 motorway heading north toward Schaffhausen and the A7 motorway heading close to the Swiss-German border at Kreuzlingen. There are also roads leading to other places such as Turbenthal. The Station of Winterthur is one of the highest frequent Stations of Switzerland. FC Winterthur is the local football side.

History

During Roman times the city was known as "Vitudurum". The counts of Kyburg founded the city in 1175. The charter included extensive privileges for the town. In 1264 the Habsburg family inherited Winterthur. They sold it to the city of Zurich in 1467.

Geography

Topography

Winterthur is located at coord|47|30|00|N|8|45|00|E|city| at an elevation of 439 meters (1,440 ft). The city is located in a basin south and east of the Töss river. The Eulach, a little river, flows in the middle by the city, because of this the town is called "Eulach-City". Zurich lies about twenty miles southwest of Winterthur.

Demographics

As of July 2008 the population of Winterthur is 100'000 [See http://www.nzz.ch/nachrichten/zuerich/winterthur_100000__1.776482.html] .

Economy

Economically, Winterthur was one of the homes of Switzerland's rail industry and an industrial centre. The rail industry and other heavy industry have largely disappeared. Amongst the most significant companies was Sulzer Brothers, today's Sulzer Ltd., "Sulzer AG", commonly abbreviated to "Sulzer". Textile production declined even earlier on. Also the "Rieter" company come from Winterthur.

Switzerland's largest bank, and one of the world's large banks, Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS), since 1998 UBS AG, was also founded in Winterthur.

Among other commercial organizations, Winterthur was home to Switzerland's largest insurance business "Winterthur Insurance". Until 2006, the company was the largest in Switzerland and was in Europe's top 10. On January 1, 2007 the Winterthur company was officially acquired by the French AXA group and is now known as AXA Winterthur.

Education

The town is renowned for its institute of higher education "Technikum", which is the largest school of technology in Switzerland. The institute has recently teamed up with schools from Zurich and is now known as "Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften (ZHAW)".

Culture

The city hall "Stadthaus", in which the concerts of the Musikkollegium take place, was built by Gottfried Semper.

Musikfestwochen, in late August and early September, sees Winterthur’s Old Town taken over for live music of all kinds, in the street and bars as well as in concert venues. Its chamber orchestra, Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur, which also plays at the Zurich Opera is exceptional.

The church of "St. Laurenz" in the city centre dates from 1264, the town hall was built in 1781, the assembly hall in 1865.

In 1989, Winterthur received the Wakker Prize for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage.

Tourism

Winterthur is not known as a classic tourist hotspot, as other destinations in Switzerland. As a result Winterthur does not offer a wide range of hotels to choose from.

Nevertheless Winterthur is mentioned in most tourist guides for its numerous museums, many of which offer world class art. The most famous are:

# Oskar Reinhart Collections - "Am Römerholz"
# Oskar Reinhart Collections - " [http://www.museumoskarreinhart.ch/ Am Stadtgarten] "
# Kunstmuseum Winterthur
# Villa Flora
# Fotomuseum Winterthur
# Technorama

Gastronomy

Winterthur's gastronomical scene has evolved significantly over the past 10 years. Following the trend of the locals to dine out more frequently and the rising desire for exotic food, Winterthur offers a wide range of restaurant types. Although the classic cool restaurant type, very popular in other destination, has not yet caught on, some restaurants as the “National”, the vegetarian “Tibits” or Switzerland’s first “Wagamama”, try to fill the void.

A very distinctive venue is the “Club zur Geduld”, unfortunately for tourists, a members only restaurant/bar modeled after the classic English gentlemen clubs, located in the heart of the old town. Just a few steps away you will find another Winterthur classic, the wine club “Meinweinkeller”, which invites everybody to wine and dine on Thursdays in a beautiful 17th century townhouse.
On the outskirts of the city you will find arguably the best restaurant, “Taggenberg”, offering modern cuisine. Not far from it is the 16th century “Schloss Wülflingen” which is currently being renovated.

References

External links

* http://www.winterthur-city.ch – Official Webpage of Winterthur
* http://www.standort-winterthur.ch – Official Webpage Economic Development Region of Winterthur
* http://www.musikkollegium.ch – Musikkollegium Winterthur
* http://www.stadtmusik-winterthur.ch - Homepage of Winterthur's city Orchestra
* http://www.meinweinkeller.ch - Homepage of Winterthur's wine club