Winterthur
| Winterthur | ||||||||||
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| Population | 101,203 (Dec 2010) | |||||||||
| - Density | 1,490 /km (3,859 /sq mi) | |||||||||
| Area | 68.07 km (26.28 sq mi) | |||||||||
| Elevation | 439 m (1,440 ft) | |||||||||
| - Highest | ||||||||||
| - Lowest | 393 m - Kläranlage Hard | |||||||||
| Postal code | 8400 | |||||||||
| SFOS number | 0230 | |||||||||
| Mayor (list) | Ernst Wohlwend (as of 2008) SPS/PSS | |||||||||
| Localities | Stadt (city), Mattenbach, Oberwinterthur, Seen, Töss, Veltheim and Wülflingen | |||||||||
| Surrounded by | Brütten, Dinhard, Elsau, Hettlingen, Illnau-Effretikon, Kyburg, Lindau, Neftenbach, Oberembrach, Pfungen, Rickenbach, Schlatt, Seuzach, Wiesendangen, Zell | |||||||||
| Twin towns | Hall in Tirol (Austria), La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland), Pilsen (Czech Republic), Yverdon-les-Bains (Switzerland) | |||||||||
| Website | www.stadt-winterthur.ch SFSO statistics | |||||||||
  Winterthur | ||||||||||
Winterthur (German pronunciation: , English: ) is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. It has the country's sixth largest population with an estimate of more than 100,000 people. 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 Zürich, which lies approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) to the south-west, and only 18 minutes by train.
Winterthur is connected to Germany and Italy by direct trains and enjoys 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. Winterthur Hauptbahnhof is one of the busiest train stations in Switzerland.
History
During the Roman era, from 70 AD to around 400 AD, there was a Roman settlement in what would become Oberwinterthur. This settlement, known as Vitudurum, was initially a Vicus that later included a fort.
Geography
Topography
Demographics
Politics
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 , 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.
Winterthur has an unemployment rate of 3.13%. As of 2005, there were 594 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 97 businesses involved in this sector. 11603 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 717 businesses in this sector. 39982 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 3570 businesses in this sector. As of 2007 47.9% of the working population were employed full-time, and 52.1% were employed part-time.
Education
In Winterthur about 70.7% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).
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).
The headquarters of the Club Of Rome are located in Winterthur.
Transport
Culture
Winterthur's chamber orchestra, Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur, which also plays at the Zurich Opera is exceptional. Between 1922 and 1950, the philanthropist Werner Reinhart and the conductor Hermann Scherchen played a leading role in shaping the musical life of Winterthur, with numerous premiere performances emphasizing contemporary music.
The city hall , 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.
Sport
FC Winterthur are the city's football club and currently play in the Swiss Challenge League. They play at the Stadion Schützenwiese.
In April 2011, the 2011 IIHF Women's World Championship top division were held at and at Hallenstadion ice rink hockey arena (in Zurich).
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. Also, it's so easy to reach from Zurich that the tourists who do come to Winterthur are often simply staying in Zurich.
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 Collection 'Am Römerholz'
- Oskar Reinhart Collection am Stadtgarten
- Kunstmuseum Winterthur
- Fotomuseum Winterthur
References
External links
- http://www.stadt.winterthur.ch – Official Webpage of Winterthur
- http://www.standort-winterthur.ch – Official Webpage Economic Development Region of Winterthur
- http://www.winterthur-tourismus.ch - Tourismusbüro Winterthur
- http://www.musikkollegium.ch – Musikkollegium Winterthur
- http://www.stadtmusik-winterthur.ch - Homepage of Winterthur's city Orchestra
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