Winterthour (in German Winterthur ) is the sixth Ville of Switzerland located at approximately 25 km in the east of Zurich. It is located in the canton of Zurich. The commune of Winterthour counts 94.709 inhabitants (in 2006)

Geography

Sixth Swiss town of in population after Zurich, Geneva, Basle, Bern and Lausanne, Winterthour is a center of the Swiss industry of the machines and shelters companies of international importance.

History

A colony helvético-Roman was established in what was then Vitudurum, on the edges of Eulach, in Ier century before our era. A stone of the enclosing wall, carrying an inscription Latin and going back to 294, points out the origins of the place.

Towards 1170, the count Hartmann III of Kybourg establishes a market with the crossroads of the roads of Basle to Saint-Gall and of Zurich to Schaffhouse. It is made by it mention for the first time in a document of 1180.

Until 1204, the city belongs to the counts de Kybourg.

At the XIXe century, thanks to its companies of textiles, the city entered the industrial era and made spectacular great strides. Its engines, manufactured by Sulzer, are known in the whole world.

In 1921, the five suburbs (Oberwinterthour, Seen, Töss, Veltheim and Wülflingen) are attached to the city, which counts then: 50000 inhabitants.

Policy

The city is directed by a left majority since 2002, initially made up of three Socialists and évangélique (2002) (line being represented by two radicals and a Christian-Democrat), then (2006) of three Socialists, a green and évangélique (a radical and a Christian-Democrat on the right).

Economy

• Winterthur, insurance company
• Sulzer, industry of the machines
• Rieter, textile machinery and automobile equipment
• Kistler, manufacturer of sensors
• Winterthur Technology, manufacturer of abrasives
• the group of clothes industry PKZ was founded there in 1881 per Paul Kehl.
• Stadler, railway manufacturer of rolling stock

Transport

• Railway line CF Zurich - Saint-Gall
• Railway line CF Zurich - Schaffhouse
• Highway A1, left 68,69 and 71

Formation

• High specialized school

Demonstrations

• Albanifest
• international Days of short-measuring

Media

• Der Landbote (regional newspaper)
• Radio operator Signal

Personalities

• max Bill, architect, painter and sculptor
• Emil Brunner, theologist
• Walter Corti, founder of the village of children Pestalozzi
• Paul Burkhard, type-setter
• Rudolf Friedrich, politician and federal adviser
• Jonas Furrer, politician and federal adviser
• Voli Geiler, actress
• Theodor Gohl, architect
• Karl von Greyerz, figurehead of the antimilitarism
• Jakob Christoph Heer, writer
• Willy Hess, type-setter
• Markus Imhoof, scenario writer
• Lilo Keller, musician
• Happy Raaflaub, leader and chief of chorus
• Oskar Reinhart, collector and patron
• Johann Jakob Scherer, politician and federal adviser
• Ernst Wetter, politician and federal adviser
• Jean-Claude Zehnder, organist
• Dario Zuffi, footballer

Sports

• FC Winterthur

Curiosities

• Museum Oskar Reinhart
• Technorama, technical museum
• Museum of photography

Monuments

• the Castle of Wülflingen

Distinctions

• It obtains the Prix Wakker in 1989.

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