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{{short description|City in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland}}
{{Infobox Swiss town
|subject_name         = Winterthur
|image_photo          = Blick auf die Winterthurer Altstadt.jpg
|image_caption        = View of the old town
|municipality_type    = municipality, town
|imagepath_flag       = CHE Winterthur Flag.svg
|imagepath_coa        = Wappen Winterthur.svg|pixel_coa=
|canton               = Zurich
|iso-code-region      = CH-ZH
|district             = [[Winterthur (district)|Winterthur]]
|coordinates          = {{coord|47|29|56|N|8|43|43|E|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code          = 8400, 8404, 8405, 8406, 8408, 8409, 8404 Stadel (Winterthur), 8404 Reutlingen (Winterthur), 8310 Kempthal, 8352 Ricketwil (Winterthur), 8482 Sennhof (Winterthur), 8542 Wiesendangen, 8545 Rickenbach Sulz
|municipality_code    = 0230
|area                 = 68.07
|elevation            = 439
|elevation_description= Bahnhofplatz
|highest              = [[Hulmen]]
|highest_m            = 687

|lowest               = Kläranlage Hard
|lowest_m             = 393
|population           = {{Swiss populations NC|CH-ZH|0230}} |populationof = {{Swiss populations YM|CH-ZH}} | popofyear = {{Swiss populations Y|CH-ZH}}
|mayor                = Michael Künzle |mayor_asof=2012 |mayor_party=CVP
|parliament_name      = [[#Parliament|Grosser Gemeinderat]]
|parliament_number_of_members = 60
|executive_name       = [[#Government|Stadtrat]]
|executive_number_of_members = 7
|mayor_title          = Stadtpräsident
|list_of_mayors       = List of mayors of Winterthur
|places               = [[Stadt (Winterthur)|Stadt]] (''city''), Dättnau, Deutweg, Ganzenbühl, Grüze, Hegi, Heiligberg, [[Mattenbach]], Oberseen, [[Oberwinterthur]], Rosenberg, Schlosstal, [[Seen (Winterthur)|Seen]], [[Töss]], [[Veltheim (Winterthur)|Veltheim]], [[Wülflingen]], Zinzikon
|demonym              = {{langx|de|link=no|Winterthurer(in)}}
|neighboring_municipalities = [[Brütten]], [[Dinhard]], [[Elsau]], [[Hettlingen]], [[Illnau-Effretikon]], [[Kyburg, Zurich|Kyburg]], [[Lindau, Switzerland|Lindau]], [[Neftenbach]], [[Oberembrach]], [[Pfungen]], [[Rickenbach, Zurich|Rickenbach]], [[Schlatt, Zurich|Schlatt]], [[Seuzach]], [[Wiesendangen]], [[Zell, Zurich|Zell]]
|twintowns            = [[Hall in Tirol]] (Austria), [[La Chaux-de-Fonds]] (Switzerland), [[Plzeň]] (Czech Republic), [[Yverdon-les-Bains]] (Switzerland)
|website              = stadt.winterthur.ch
}}
'''Winterthur''' ({{IPA|de|ˈvɪntɐtuːɐ̯|-|De-Winterthur.ogg}}; {{langx|fr|Winterthour}}) is a [[city]] in the [[canton of Zurich]] in northern Switzerland. With over 120,000 residents, it is the country's [[List of cities in Switzerland|sixth-largest city by population]], as well as its ninth-largest agglomeration with about 140,000 inhabitants.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/soziale-sicherheit/sozialberichterstattung/statistischer-sozialbericht-schweiz.assetdetail.80392.html |title= Städtische Bevölkerung: Agglomerationen und isolierte Städte |publisher= Swiss Federal Statistical Office |location=Neuchâtel, Switzerland |language=de, fr |date=26 August 2016 |access-date=14 December 2016}}</ref> Located about {{convert|20|km|0}} northeast of [[Zurich]], Winterthur is a service and high-tech industrial [[satellite city]] within [[Zurich Metropolitan Area]].

The official language of Winterthur is German,<ref group=note>The official language in any municipality in German-speaking Switzerland is always German. In this context, the term 'German' is used as an umbrella term for any variety of German. So, according to law, you are allowed to communicate with the authorities by using any kind of German, in written or oral form. However, the authorities will always use [[Swiss Standard German]] (aka the Swiss variety of [[Standard German]]) in documents, or any written form. And orally, it is either ''Hochdeutsch'' (i.e., Swiss Standard German or what the particular speaker considers as ''High German''), or then it depends on the speaker's origin, which dialectal variant (s)he is using.</ref> but the main spoken language is the local variant of the [[Alemannic German|Alemannic]] [[Swiss German]] dialect, [[Zurich German]]. Winterthur is usually abbreviated as ''Winti'' in the local dialect and by its inhabitants.

Winterthur is connected to Germany by direct trains and has links to [[Zurich Airport]]. It is also a regional transport 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 [[Winterthur railway station|railway station]] is the fourth busiest railway station in Switzerland,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Verkehr|url=https://reporting.sbb.ch/verkehr|access-date=2020-11-11|website=SBB Zahlen & Fakten|language=de}}</ref> and is 20 minutes away by train from Zurich.

==History==
''[[Vitudurum]]'' was a ''[[Vicus (Rome)|vicus]]'' in what is now [[Oberwinterthur]] during the [[Switzerland in the Roman era|Roman era]] (first century BC to third century AD). It was fortified into a ''[[castrum]]'' at the end of the third century, apparently in reaction to the incipient [[Alemanni#Conflicts with the Roman Empire|Alamannic invasion]].

There was an [[Alamanni]]c settlement on the site in the seventh century.

In a [[Battle of Winterthur (919)|battle near Winterthur]] in 919, [[Burchard II, Duke of Swabia|Burchard II of Swabia]] asserted his control over the [[Turgowe|Thurgau]] within the [[Duchy of Swabia]] against the claims of [[Rudolph II of Burgundy]].

The [[counts of Winterthur]], a cadet branch of the family of the [[counts of Bregenz]], built [[Kyburg castle]] in the tenth century. With the extinction of the counts of Winterthur in 1053, the castle passed to the [[counts of Dillingen]]. Winterthur as a city (presumably on the site of a pre-existing village) was founded by Hartmann III of Dillingen in 1180, shortly before his death in the same year. From 1180 to 1263, Winterthur was ruled by the cadet line of the [[Kyburg family|House of Kyburg]].

When the counts of Kyburg became extinct in the male line in 1263, Winterthur passed to the [[House of Habsburg]], who established a [[count (nobility)|comital]] line of ''Neu-Kyburg'' in 1264 and granted [[city rights]] to Winterthur in the same year.<ref>Ernst Theodor Gaupp: ''Deutsche Stadtrechte im Mittelalter, mit rechtsgeschichtlichen Erläuterungen''. Erster Band: ''Die Stadtrechte von Straßburg, Hagenau, Molsheim, Colmar, Annweiler, Winterthur, Landshut in Bayern, Regensburg, Nürnberg, Eger, Eisenach und Altenburg''. Breslau 1851, S. 129–147, [https://books.google.com/books?id=sFEUAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA129 online] {{in lang|de}}</ref> From 1415 until 1442 Winterthur was ''[[Imperial immediacy|reichsfrei]]'' (subject only to the [[Holy Roman Emperor]]). However, in the [[Old Zürich War]] they lost this freedom and came back under the control of the Austrian Habsburgs. Needing money, in 1467, the Habsburgs sold Winterthur to the city of [[Zurich]].

[[File:Merian Winterthur 1642.jpg|thumb|Winterthur in 1642]]
While it was under the leadership of Zurich, Winterthur's economic freedom was restricted. It lost many of its market rights and the right to trade in some goods. This ended in 1798, when [[Napoleon]]ic troops took the town. On 27 May 1799, it was the site of the [[Battle of Winterthur]] between elements of the [[French First Republic|French]] [[Army of the Danube]] and elements of the Habsburg army, commanded by [[Friedrich Freiherr von Hotze|Friedrich, Baron von Hotze]] during the [[War of the Second Coalition]], in the [[French Revolutionary Wars]]. Because Winterthur lies near Zurich and at the junction of seven roads, the army that held the town held the access to most of Switzerland and points crossing the [[Rhine]] into southern Germany. Although the forces involved were small, the ability of the Austrians to sustain an 11-hour assault against the French line, on the plateau north of Zurich, resulted in the consolidation of three Austrian forces. This led to the French [[First Battle of Zurich|defeat]] a few days later.

[[File:Winterthur aus der Vogelschau 1850.jpg|thumb|Early-1850s bird's-eye view.]]
In the 19th century, Winterthur became an industrial town when companies, like [[Sulzer (manufacturer)|Sulzer]], [[Rieter]] and [[Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works|SLM]], built large industrial plants. Winterthur suffered severely from its investments in and guarantee of loans to the National Railway of Switzerland (a private enterprise). In 1878, Winterthur had to sell its shares in the line, and from 1881 to 1885 it was in great difficulties due to a loan of nine million francs guaranteed in 1874 by the town, together with three others in Aargau, to the enterprise. As the three co-guarantor towns were unable to pay their shares, the whole burden fell on Winterthur, which struggled to meet its liabilities. But it was assisted by large loans from the cantonal and federal governments.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Winterthur|volume=28|last= Coolidge |first= William Augustus Brevoort |author-link= W. A. B. Coolidge|page=735|short=1}}</ref>

The [[Great Depression]], in the 1930s, hit Winterthur extremely hard. Sixty percent of the total employees in town worked in the [[machine industry]]. Jobs became extremely hard to find. However, with the outbreak of [[World War II]], industry grew again in the city.

In 2008, Winterthur reached 100,000 inhabitants.
[[File:ETH-BIB-Winterthur-LBS H1-021022.tif|thumb|Aerial view (1958)]]

==Geography==

===Topography===
[[File:2011-05-09 09-58-55 Switzerland Kanton Zürich Bläsihof.jpg|thumb|May 2011 aerial view of Winterthur]]
Winterthur is located at an elevation of {{convert|439|m|sp=us}}. The city is located in a basin south and east of the river [[Töss (river)|Töss]] before it meets the [[High Rhine]] after 10&nbsp;kilometers. The [[Eulach (river)|Eulach]], a small river, flows from the town's east end through the middle of the town to meet the Töss at the west exit of the city. Because of this the town is colloquially also called "Eulachstadt". Zurich lies about {{convert|20|km|0|abbr=on}} southwest of Winterthur.

=== Area ===
{{as of|2004-2009}}, Winterthur has an area of {{convert|68.1|km2|abbr=on}}; 24.8% is used for agricultural purposes, 40.4% is forested, 33.6% is settled (buildings or roads) and 1.1% is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).<ref name=SFSO/> {{as of|1996|alt=In 1996}} housing and buildings made up 21.9% of the total area, while transportation infrastructure made up the rest (9%).<ref name="StatZürich"/> Of the total unproductive area, water (streams and lakes) made up 0.6% of the area. {{as of|2007}}, 27.6% of the total municipal area was undergoing some type of construction.<ref name="StatZürich"/>

==Politics==
[[File:Winterthur Stadthaus.jpg|thumb|City hall, designed by architect [[Gottfried Semper]]]]

===Subdivisions===
Winterthur has seven city districts ({{langx|de|link=no|Stadtkreise}}):
1 – Winterthur-Stadt, 2 – Oberwinterthur, 3 – Seen, 4 – Töss, 5 – Veltheim, 6 – Wülflingen, 7 – Mattenbach

===Government===
The City Council ('''Stadtrat''') constitutes the executive government of the City of Winterthur and operates as a [[collegiate authority]]. It is composed of seven councilors ({{langx|de|link=no|Stadtrat/ Stadträtin}}), each presiding over a department. Departmental tasks, coordination measures and implementation of laws decreed by the Large Municipal Council are carried by the City Council. In the mandate period 2018–2022 (''Legislatur'') the City Council is presided by ''Stadtpräsident'' [[Michael Künzle]]. The regular election of the City Council by any inhabitant valid to vote is held every four years. Any resident of Winterthur allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the City Council. The mayor is elected as such by public election by means of a system of [[Majorz]], while the heads of the other directorates are assigned by the collegiate. The delegates are elected by means of a system of Majorz.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://stadt.winterthur.ch/gemeinde/politik/stadtrat |title=Stadtrat |publisher=Stadt Winterthur |type=official site |language=de |location=Winterthur, Switzerland |date=30 May 2018 |access-date=2018-06-30}}</ref>

{{As of|2018}}, Winterthur's City Council is made up of three representatives of the SP ([[Social Democratic Party of Switzerland|Social Democratic Party]]), one member of the FDP ([[FDP.The Liberals]]), one of the GPS ([[Green Party of Switzerland|Green Party]]), one of the GLP ([[Green Liberal Party of Switzerland|Green Liberal Party]]), and one of the CVP ([[Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland|Christian Democratic People's Party]], who is also the mayor), giving the left parties a combined four out of seven seats. The last regular election was held on 5 March and 15 April 2018,<ref name=wahlen18/> the last special election on 23 August 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Stadtrat Winterthur: Neue Departementsverteilung — Stadt Winterthur|url=https://stadt.winterthur.ch/gemeinde/verwaltung/stadtkanzlei/kommunikation-stadt-winterthur/medienmitteilungen-stadt-winterthur/stadtrat-winterthur-neue-departementsverteilung-1|access-date=2020-11-11|website=stadt.winterthur.ch}}</ref>
{|class="wikitable"
|+ ''Stadtrat'' of Winterthur<ref name=wahlen18/>
! City Councillor<br />(Stadtrat/ Stadträtin) !! Party !! Department head of !! elected since
|-
| '''[[Michael Künzle]]'''<ref group=CC>Mayor (''Stadtpräsident'')</ref> || {{Color box|{{party color|Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland}}|border=darkgray}} CVP || Culture and Administration (''Kulturelles und Dienste'', 2012) || 2012
|-
| [[Christa Meier (Winterthur)|Christa Meier]]<ref group=CC>Vice Mayor (''Vizepräsidentin'')</ref> || {{Color box|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Switzerland}}|border=darkgray}} SP || Civil Engineering and Construction (''Bau'', 2018) || 2018
|-
| [[Kaspar Bopp]]|| {{Color box|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Switzerland}}|border=darkgray}} SP || Finances (''Finanzen'', Oct 2019) || 2019
|-
| [[Stefan Fritschi]]|| {{Color box|{{party color|FDP.The Liberals}}|border=darkgray}} FDP || Industrial Facilities (''Technische Betriebe'', 2017) || 2010
|-
| [[Nicolas Galladé]]|| {{Color box|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Switzerland}}|border=darkgray}} SP || Social Services (''Soziales'', 2010) || 2010
|-
| [[Jürg Altweg]]|| {{Color box|{{party color|Green Party of Switzerland}}|border=darkgray}} GPS || Education and Sport (''Schule und Sport'', 2017) || 2017
|-
| [[Katrin Cometta]]|| {{Color box|{{party color|Green Liberal Party of Switzerland}}|border=darkgray}} GLP || Security and Environment (Sicherheit und Umwelt, 2020) || 2020
|}

{{reflist|group=CC}}

Ansgar Simon is Town Chancellor (''Stadtschreiber'') since 2016 and Marcel Wendelspiess is Legal Counsel (''Rechtskonsulent'') since 2013 for the City Council.

===Parliament===
{{Pie chart
| thumb =right
| caption =The ''Grosse Gemeinderat'' of Winterthur for the mandate period of 2018–2022
| other  =
| label1 =AL
| value1 ={{#expr: 2/(60/100) round 1}}
| color1 ={{party color|Alternative List}}
| label2 =Piraten
| value2 ={{#expr: 1/(60/100) round 1}}
| color2 ={{party color|Pirate Party Switzerland}}
| label3 =SP
| value3 ={{#expr: 18/(60/100) round 1}}
| color3 ={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Switzerland}}
| label4 =GPS
| value4 ={{#expr: 5/(60/100) round 1}}
| color4 ={{party color|Green Party of Switzerland}}
| label5 =glp
| value5 ={{#expr: 7/(60/100) round 1}}
| color5 ={{party color|Green Liberal Party of Switzerland}}
| label6 =EVP
| value6 ={{#expr: 4/(60/100) round 1}}
| color6 ={{party color|Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland}}
| label7 =CVP
| value7 ={{#expr: 3/(60/100) round 1}}
| color7 ={{party color|Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland}}
| label8 =FDP
| value8 ={{#expr: 8/(60/100) round 1}}
| color8 ={{party color|FDP.The Liberals}}
| label9 =BDP
| value9 ={{#expr: 1/(60/100) round 1}}
| color9 ={{party color|Conservative Democratic Party of Switzerland}}
| label10 =SVP
| value10 ={{#expr: 10/(60/100) round 1}}
| color10 ={{party color|Swiss People's Party}}
| label11 =EDU
| value11 ={{#expr: 1/(60/100) round 1}}
| color11 ={{party color|Federal Democratic Union of Switzerland}}
}}

The Large Municipal Council ('''Grosser Gemeinderat''') holds [[legislative power]]. It is made up of 60 members, with elections held every four years. The Large Municipal Council decrees regulations and by-laws that are executed by the City Council and the administration. The delegates are selected by means of a system of [[proportional representation]] (Proporz).

The sessions of the Large Municipal Council are public. Unlike members of the City Council, members of the Large Municipal Council are not politicians by profession, and they are paid a fee based on their attendance. Any resident of Winterthur allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the Large Municipal Council. The parliament holds its meetings in the ''Rathaus'' once a month on Mondays.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gemeinderat.winterthur.ch/de/willkommen/ |title=Grosser Gemeinderat Winterthur |publisher=Grosser Gemeinderat Winterthur |type=official site |location=Winterthur, Switzerland |language=de |access-date=2018-06-30}}</ref>

The last regular election of the Large Municipal Council was held on 8 March 2018 for the mandate period ({{langx|de|link=no|Legislatur}}) from May 2018 to April 2022. Currently the Large Municipal Council consists of 18 members of the [[Social Democratic Party of Switzerland|Social Democratic Party (SP/PS)]], 10 [[Swiss People's Party|Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC)]], 8 [[FDP.The Liberals|The Liberals (FDP/PLR)]], 7 [[Green Liberal Party of Switzerland|Green Liberal Party (GLP/PVL)]], 5 [[Green Party of Switzerland|Green Party (GPS/PES)]], 4 [[Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland|Evangelical People's Party (EVP)]], 3 [[Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland|Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP/PDC)]], 2 [[Alternative List|Alternative List (AL)]], one representative each of the [[Conservative Democratic Party of Switzerland|Conservative Democratic Party (BDP/PBD)]], [[Federal Democratic Union of Switzerland|Federal Democratic Union (EDU/UDF)]], and the [[Pirate Party Switzerland|Pirate Party]].<ref name=wahlen18>{{cite web |url=http://wahlen.winterthur.ch/detail/vote-action/detail/vote-controller/ProportionalElection/vote-election/13/vote-import/31/vote-year/2018/vote-referrer/12/ |title=Erneuerungswahl des Grossen Gemeinderates|publisher=Stadt Winterthur |type=official site |location=Winterthur, Switzerland |language=de |access-date=2018-06-30}}</ref>

===National elections===

====National Council====
In the [[2019 Swiss federal election|2019 federal election]] for the [[National Council (Switzerland)|Swiss National Council]] the most popular party was the [[Social Democratic Party of Switzerland|PS]] which received 22.6% (−3.4) of the vote. The next six most popular parties were the [[Swiss People's Party|SVP]] (17.8%, -5.6), the [[Green Party of Switzerland|Green Party]] (17.8%, +9), the [[Green Liberal Party of Switzerland|glp]] (14.3%, +5.5), [[FDP.The Liberals|FDP]] (10.6%, -1.5), the [[Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland|EVP]] (5.0%, 0), and the [[Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland|CVP]] (4.2%, +0.2).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfsstatic/dam/assets/9386461/appendix |title=NR – Ergebnisse Parteien (Gemeinden) (INT1) |format=CSV |editor=Swiss Federal Statistical Office, FSO |type=official statistics |publisher=Swiss Federal Statistical Office, FSO |via=opendata.swiss |location=Neuchâtel, Switzerland |date=28 November 2019 |language=de, fr, it |access-date=2020-05-18}}</ref> In the federal election a total of 32,907 votes were cast, and the [[voter turnout]] was 47.0%.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfsstatic/dam/assets/9386463/appendix |title=NR – Wahlbeteiligung (Gemeinden) (INT1) |format=CSV |editor=Swiss Federal Statistical Office, FSO |type=official statistics |via=opendata.swiss  |publisher=Swiss Federal Statistical Office, FSO |location=Neuchâtel, Switzerland |date=28 November 2019 |language=de, fr, it |access-date=2020-05-18}}</ref>

In the 2015 election for the [[National Council (Switzerland)|Swiss National Council]] the most popular party was the [[Social Democratic Party of Switzerland|SPS]] which received 26.1% of the vote. The next most popular parties were the [[Swiss People's Party|SVP]] (23.4%), the [[FDP.The Liberals|FDP]] (12.1%), the [[Green Party of Switzerland|Green Party]] (8.8%), the [[Green Liberal Party of Switzerland|glp]] (8.8%), the [[Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland|EVP]] (5.0%), the [[Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland|CVP]] (4.0%), and [[Conservative Democratic Party of Switzerland|BDP]] (3.5%). In the federal election, a total of 33,426 voters were cast, and the voter turnout was 49.3%.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/kataloge-datenbanken/tabellen.assetdetail.317521.html |title=Nationalratswahlen 2015: Stärke der Parteien und Wahlbeteiligung nach Gemeinden |newspaper=Bundesamt für Statistik |format=XLS |type=official statistics |publisher=Swiss Federal Statistical Office |location=Neuchâtel, Switzerland |date=9 March 2016 |language=de, fr |access-date=2018-06-30|last1=Statistik |first1=Bundesamt für }}</ref>
In the 2011, [[Elections in Switzerland|federal election]] the most popular party was the SP which received 22.5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP (21.8%), the [[Green Liberal Party of Switzerland|Green Liberals]] (11.1%) and the Green Party (10.1%).

===International relations===
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Switzerland}}

==== Twin towns ====
Winterthur is [[Sister city|twinned]] with two Swiss and two international towns and coordinates its international relations together with the Swiss towns [[Frauenfeld]], [[St. Gallen]], and [[Schaffhausen]]:<ref name=winterthur>{{cite web |title=Städtepartnerschaften|url=https://stadt.winterthur.ch/themen/die-stadt/winterthur/aussenbeziehungen/staedtepartnerschaften|publisher=Winterthur|language=de|access-date=2024-12-22}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|SUI}} [[Yverdon-les-Bains]], Switzerland
* {{flagicon|SUI}} [[La Chaux-de-Fonds]], Switzerland
* {{flagicon|CZE}} [[Plzeň]], Czech Republic
* {{flagicon|AUT}} [[Hall in Tirol]], Austria

====Namesake====
The community of [[Winterthur, Delaware|Winterthur]] in [[Delaware]], US, is named after the city.

==Demographics==
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+Significant minority groups
|-
! Nationality || Population (2015)<ref>[https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/kataloge-datenbanken/daten.assetdetail.325718.html Federal Statistical Office – Ständige und nichtständige Wohnbevölkerung nach institutionellen Gliederungen, Geburtsort und Staatsangehörigkeit (Land)] accessed 31 October 2016</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Germany}} || 4,942
|-
|{{flag|Italy}} || 4,577
|-
|{{flag|North Macedonia}} || 2,032
|-
|{{flag|Turkey}} || 1,849
|-
|{{flag|Kosovo}} || 1,439
|-
|{{flag|Serbia}} || 1,285
|-
|{{flag|Portugal}} || 1,049
|-
|}

{{Historical populations|1850|13651|1860|15613|1870|19496|1880|25924|1888|29508|1900|40961|1910|46384|1920|49969|1930|53925|1941|58883|1950|66925|1960|80352|1970|92722|1980|86758|1990|86959|2000|90483|2010|101308|2020|114220|source=<ref>{{cite web |title=Bevölkerungsentwicklung nach institutionellen Gliederungen, 1850-2000 |trans-title=Population development according to institutional divisions, 1850-2000|url=https://www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch/pxweb/en/px-x-4004000000_101/-/px-x-4004000000_101.px/table/tableViewLayout2/?rxid=513a4f6a-09be-49d1-99c7-23421ad2dd49|publisher=[[Federal Statistical Office (Switzerland)|Federal Statistical Office]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Permanent resident population by Year, Canton / District / Commune|url=https://www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch/pxweb/en/px-x-0102010000_101/-/px-x-0102010000_101.px/table/tableViewLayout2/?rxid=18b2f0c5-2cf6-4847-9f6f-3f23d3e7129d|publisher=[[Federal Statistical Office (Switzerland)|Federal Statistical Office]]}}</ref>}}{{As of|2008|July}} the population of Winterthur is 100,000.<ref>[http://www.nzz.ch/nachrichten/zuerich/winterthur_100000__1.776482.html Neue Zürcher Zeitung] 4 July 2008 edition {{in lang|de}} Retrieved 14 August 2009</ref> More recently (as of {{Swiss populations date|CH-ZH}}) the population was {{Swiss populations|CH-ZH|0230}}.{{Swiss populations ref|CH-ZH}} {{as of|2007}} 23.6% of the population was made up of foreign nationals.<ref name=Winterthur_stat>[http://www.stadtentwicklung.winterthur.ch/upload/file/2009_WIZA_Nationalität_Religion_Sprache.pdf ''Winterthur In Zahlen'' 2009] {{in lang|de}} Retrieved 8 December 2009</ref> {{as of|2008}} the gender distribution of the population was 48.6% male and 51.4% female. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 10.4%. Most of the population ({{as of|2000|lc=on}}) speaks German (83.0%), with Italian being second-most common (4.9%) and Albanian being third (2.0%).

The age distribution of the population ({{as of|2018|lc=on}}) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 19.9% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 63.9% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 16.2%.<ref name=SFSO/> There are 42,028 households in Winterthur.<ref name="StatZürich"/>

{{as of|2008}} there were 37,327 members of the [[Swiss Reformed Church]] (37.1% of the population) and 26,995 Catholics (26.7% of the population) in Winterthur. Of the other Christian faiths, 326 (0.3%) were [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]], 203 (0.2%) were [[Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland|Christian Catholic]], 3,141 (3.1%) are some type of [[Orthodoxy|Christian Orthodox]] and 3,132 (3.1%) are another Christian faith. Of the rest of the population, 11,608 (11.5%) were Muslim, 108 (0.1%) were Jewish, 1,359 (1.3%) belonged to another non-Christian faith and 16,779 (16.6%) were atheist or agnostic or did not belong to any organized faith.<ref name=Winterthur_stat/>

==Economy==
[[File:Ehemaliges Waaghaus, Marktgasse 25 in Winterthur 2011-09-09 15-22-16 ShiftN.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Street in the old town]]
Historically, Winterthur was one of the homes of Switzerland's rail industry and an industrial centre, however the rail industry and other heavy industry have mostly shut down. Amongst the most significant companies was Sulzer Brothers, today's Sulzer Ltd., ''Sulzer AG'', commonly abbreviated to [[Sulzer (manufacturer)|Sulzer]]. Textile production declined even earlier on. The [[Rieter]] textile machinery company is based in Winterthur.

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

The ''[[Der Landbote|Landbote]]'' newspaper is situated in Winterthur, and also serves as ''Winterthurer Stadtanzeiger'', the official publication organ of the city of Winterthur.

[[Peraves]], the manufacturer of the fully enclosed "cabin motorcycle" named the Monotracer, predated by an earlier model named the [[Ecomobile]], has been manufacturing these vehicles since the early 1980s. In 2010, Peraves won the [[Automotive X Prize|Progressive Insurance Automotive X-Prize]] with an electric powered version of the Monotracer.

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

{{as of|2011}}, Winterthur had an unemployment rate of 3.53%.<ref name=SFSO2012/> {{as of|2017}}, there were 185 people employed in the [[Primary sector of the economy|primary economic sector]] and about 60 businesses involved in this sector; 11,880 people are employed in the [[Secondary sector of the economy|secondary sector]] and there are 884 businesses in this sector; 59,767 people are employed in the [[Tertiary sector of the economy|tertiary sector]], with 6,983 businesses in this sector.<ref name=SFSO>[https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/regionalstatistik/regionale-portraets-kennzahlen/gemeinden/gemeindeportraets.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office] Retrieved 25 August 2020</ref> {{as of|2007}} 47.9% of the working population were employed full-time, and 52.1% were employed part-time.<ref name="StatZürich">[http://www.statistik.zh.ch/internet/justiz_inneres/statistik/de/daten/gemeindeportraet.html Statistics Zürich] {{in lang|de}} Retrieved 4 August 2009</ref>

==Education==
In Winterthur, about 70.7% of the population (between ages 25 and 64) have completed either non-mandatory [[Education in Switzerland#Secondary|upper secondary education]] or additional higher education (either university or a ''[[Fachhochschule]]'').<ref name=SFSO2012>[https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/en/home/statistics/regional-statistics/regional-portraits-key-figures/communes.assetdetail.2420709.html Regional portraits 2012: key data of all communes – Swiss Federal Statistical Office] Retrieved 25 August 2020</ref>

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 [[Zurich University of Applied Sciences/ZHAW|Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften]] (ZHAW).

The headquarters of the [[Club of Rome]] are located in Winterthur.

[[SIS Swiss International School]] maintains a campus in Winterthur. [[International School Winterthur]], formerly located in Winterthur, closed in 2015.

==Transport==
[[File:Winterthur - Hauptbahnhof Winterthur, Bahnhofplatz 5–9 2011-09-08 14-42-50.jpg|thumb|upright|Bahnhof Winterthur]]
{{main|Winterthur railway station}}
'''Bahnhof Winterthur''', the central station, is one of the busiest stations on the Swiss Railway Network with 105,000 passengers a day. As the town is close to [[Zurich]], it is served by many trains on the local [[Zurich S-Bahn]] network. [[EuroCity]] services to [[Munich]] and regional trains to [[St. Gallen]], [[Konstanz]] or [[Romanshorn]] also serve the station. As well as the Hauptbahnhof, there are nine more stations within the city, called ''Oberwinterthur'', ''Seen'', ''Grüze'', ''Töss'', ''Hegi'', ''Reutlingen'', ''Wülflingen'', ''Wallrüti'' and ''Sennhof-Kyburg''.

The local public transport is run by {{ill|Stadtbus Winterthur|de}} with twelve town bus lines, including the [[Trolleybuses in Winterthur|Winterthur trolleybus system]], and five regional bus lines.

There are two airports: Winterthur Hegmatten (LSPH)<ref>[https://skyvector.com/airport/LSPH/Winterthur-Airport LSPH - Winterthur Airport] - SkyVector</ref> and Speck (LSZK).<ref>[https://skyvector.com/airport/LSZK/Speck-Airport LSZK - Speck Airport] - SkyVector</ref>

==Tourism==
Winterthur is not high on the list of tourist destinations in Switzerland. As a result, it does not offer a wide range of hotels to choose from. As it is relatively easy to reach from Zurich by public transport, tourists who do visit Winterthur often stay in Zurich.

Nevertheless, Winterthur is mentioned in most tourist guides for its numerous museums, many of which offer world class art, among them of the [[Gottfried Keller-Stiftung]]. The most famous are:

# Oskar Reinhart Collection '[[Am Römerholz]]'
# Oskar Reinhart Collection ''[http://www.museumoskarreinhart.ch/ am Stadtgarten]''
# [[Kunstmuseum Winterthur]]
# [[:de:Villa Flora (Winterthur)|Villa Flora]]
# [[Fotomuseum Winterthur]]
# [[Swiss Science Center Technorama]]

{| style="margin:1em auto;"
|-
|[[File:Winterthur - Kunstmuseum, Winterthurer Bibliotheken, Sondersammlungen sowie Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen, Museumstrasse 52 2011-09-08 15-56-46 ShiftN.jpg|thumb|The [[Kunstmuseum Winterthur|Winterthur Museum of Art]]]]
|[[File:Technorama Winterthur 2011-09-09 14-18-42.jpg|thumb|Technorama]]
|}

== Culture ==

=== Music ===
Winterthur's chamber orchestra [[Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur]] is the oldest orchestra in Switzerland, and also plays at the [[Zurich Opera]]. 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.<ref>[http://www.koelnkonzert.de/englisch/bio_winterthur.html Musikkollegium website] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070529185001/http://www.koelnkonzert.de/englisch/bio_winterthur.html |date=29 May 2007 }}</ref>

The city hall ''[[Stadthaus (Winterthur)|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.

[[File:Winterthur Stadtkirche nordost.jpg|thumb|right|The city church of Winterthur, a local landmark]]
The "Albanifest", the largest annual festival in a historic town in Switzerland, is named after [[Saint Alban]], one of the city's four saints, is held here, over three days in late June every year. Although a recent creation, the festival celebrates the granting of a charter to the town in 1264 by Rudolf of [[Habsburgh|Habsburg]] on 22 June of that year, which happened to be the saint's day.

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.

The Swiss [[folk metal]] band [[Eluveitie]] was formed in Winterthur and the [[Psychobilly|Punkabilly]] band The Peacocks comes from here.
{{Further|topic=the technical death metal band|Punish (band)|label1=Punish}}

=== Arts ===

==== Open Doors ====
[[Open Doors Winterthur|Open Doors]] is an artist supported platform for artists with art studios in Winterthur, Switzerland. The platform was established to bridge arts and the community as well as provide the artists with means to independently promote their art in any way they choose. Open Doors takes place annually during the last weekend of September. Participating artists open their studios to the public and present their art to the public. Oftentimes it is possible to view the artists while they are working. Among the approximate 60 artists who participate there are local, international, autodidacts and art academy graduates. Open Doors Winterthur was founded in 2008 by San Francisco-born artist Michelle Bird and resident of Winterthur. Open Doors Winterthur publishes the annual MAP Magazine Artist Professionals which is available on line and in print form. ''MAP Magazine'' features articles about local art initiatives and profiles local artists and their art studios. The event is supported by a map that indicates the location of each artist's studio on a map.

==Sport==
[[EHC Winterthur]] is the city's main hockey team which currently plays in the [[Swiss League]], the second-highest ice hockey league in Switzerland. Their arena is the 3,000-seat [[Deutweg Arena]]. The arena held in April 2011 the [[2011 IIHF Women's World Championship]] top division, sharing the hosting with the [[Hallenstadion]] in [[Zurich]].

[[FC Winterthur]] are the city's [[association football|football]] club and currently play in the [[Swiss Super League]]. They play at the [[Stadion Schützenwiese]].

[[Pfadi Winterthur]] is the professional [[team handball|handball]] club, former multiple national champions and still playing in the [[Swiss First League of Handball]]. They play at the [[Winterthur Central Sports Hall]] which they share with top [[floorball]] club [[HC Rychenberg Winterthur]].

[[Winterthur Lions AFC]], founded in 2017, have been playing [[Australian rules football]] in the [[AFL Switzerland]] league since 2019.

==Notable people==
=== 1800–1850 ===
[[File:Jonas Furrer.jpg|thumb|150px|Jonas Furrer 1850]]
* [[Jonas Furrer]] (1805–1861), politician, first Federal President of Switzerland
* [[David Eduard Steiner]] (1811–1860), painter, eraser and lithographer
* [[Henrik Haggenmacher]] (1827–1917), Swiss-born Hungarian industrialist, business magnate, philanthropist and investor
* [[Konrad Grob]] (1828–1904), lithographer and painter
* [[Jacob Weidenmann]] (1829–1893), landscape architect

=== 1851–1900 ===
[[File:Charles Eugene Lancelot Brown.jpg|thumb|150px|Charles Eugene Lancelot Brown around 1900]]
* [[Charles Eugene Lancelot Brown|Charles E. L. Brown]] (1863–1924), machine designer, co-founder ([[Brown, Boveri & Cie]])
* [[Heinrich Wölfflin]] (1864–1945), art historian
* [[John Henry Hintermeister]] (1869–1945), Zurich educated painter, commercially successful in the United States
* [[Alfred Ernst]] (1875–1968), botanist
* [[Hans Gamper]] (1877–1930), sportsman and founder of [[FC Barcelona]]
* [[Ernst Wetter]] (1877–1963), politician
* [[Fritz Kuchen]] (1877–1973), sport shooter
* [[Alfred Büchi]] (1879–1959), inventor of the exhaust gas turbocharger
* [[Albert Thellung]] (1881–1928), botanist
* [[Werner Reinhart]] (1884–1951), industrialist and patron
* [[Oskar Reinhart]] (1885–1965), art collector and patron
* [[Emil Brunner]] (1889–1966), a reformed theologian
* [[Jakob Flach]] (1894–1982), writer, puppeteer and painter
* [[Willy Bretscher]] (1897–1992), newspaper writer and editor

=== 1901–1950 ===

* [[Georges Miez]] (1904–1999), gymnast 
* [[Willy Hess (composer)]] (1906–1997), musicologist and composer
* [[Albert Büchi]] (1907–1988), cyclist
* [[Max Bill]] (1908–1994), architect, artist and designer
* [[Warja Lavater]] (1913–2007), graphic artist and illustrator
* [[Sigmund Widmer]] (1919–2003), Swiss politician, historian and writer, University of Zürich faculty
* [[Rudolf Friedrich]] (1923–2013), lawyer and politician
* [[Georg Gerster]] (1928–2019), journalist, pioneer of flight photography
* [[Bruno Hunziker]] (1930–2000), politician, parliamentarian and economic attorney
* [[Richard R. Ernst]] (1933–2021), chemist (Nobel Prize Laureate 1991)
* [[Ursula Bagdasarjanz]] (born 1934), violinist
* [[Hannes Keller]] (1934–2022), computer pioneer, entrepreneur, diving pioneer and amateur pianist
* [[Niklaus Wirth]] (1934–2024), computer scientist
* [[Oscar Fritschi]] (1939–2016), politician
* [[Michael Gempart]] (born 1941), actor
* [[Markus Imhoof]] (born 1941), film director and screenwriter
* [[Hans-Ulrich Brunner]] (1943–2006), painter
* [[Beat Raaflaub]] (born 1946), conductor
* [[Jürg Amann]] (1947–2013), writer

=== 1951–2000 ===
* [[Viktor Giacobbo]] (born 1952), Swiss writer, comedian and actor
* [[Mirco Müller]] (born 1995), Swiss ice hockey player, currently playing for the [[HC Lugano]]
* [[Martin Buser]] (born 1958), Swiss dog musher, 4-time [[Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race|Iditarod]] champion
* [[Marlies Bänziger]] (born 1960), Swiss politician
* [[Chantal Galladé]] (born 1972), Swiss politician
* [[Chrigel Glanzmann]] (born 1975), Swiss musician, founder of [[Eluveitie]]
* [[Steven Zuber]] (born 1991), Swiss professional football player

==Notes and references==
===Notes===
{{reflist|group=note}}

===References===
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Winterthur}}
* {{official|http://www.stadt.winterthur.ch}}
* [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]
* [http://www.opendoorswinterthur.ch Official Webpage Open Doors] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225175111/https://opendoorswinterthur.ch/ |date=25 December 2018 }}

{{Municipalities of the district of Winterthur}}
{{Cities in Switzerland}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Winterthur| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Municipalities of the canton of Zürich]]
[[Category:Free imperial cities|Winterthur (1415-1442)]]