History
The origins of the City of Winterthur go back to Roman times. The Kyburgers, the Habsburgers and the inhabitants of Zurich also crucially shaped the fortune of the city. The end of the Old Confederacy in 1798 cleared the way for the development into a commercial and industrial city.
During the 1st century after Christ the Romans built a castle in present-day Oberwinterthur and named it Vitudurum. On the territory of the Old Town, archaeologists discovered scattered traces from Roman times, however a greater number of traces date back to the Early Middle Ages. Foundations of houses and a wooden church underneath the Stadtkirche (parish church) bear testament to the settlement of the present-day city centre.
Towards the end of the 12th century the existing city was fortified for the first time. The powerful Counts of Kyburg patronised the expansion of Winterthur, which attracted craftsmen and tradesmen from far and wide due to its good traffic connections. Following the death of the last Kyburger in 1264, the Habsburgers inherited the largest share of the manors and rights, with Winterthur receiving its Town Charter in the same year. In 1467 Sigismund of Habsburg put Winterthur in pledge to Zurich due to financial difficulties. The new lords kept a jealous watch that Winterthur was only able to develop marginally with regard to politics and economy.
Due to pressure from the French the Confederacy reorganised itself. Instead of the loose association of "Stadtstaaten" and "Landorte", cantons developed; in 1848 the federation of these culminated in the foundation of the federal state and thus modern-day Switzerland. Winterthur’s independence from the City of Zurich, gained in 1798, resulted in a great economic development – the basis for industrial advancement. The introduction of freedom of trade around 1830 and the connection to the railway network in 1857 also contributed to this. Winterthur developed into a confident centre of industry, foreign trade and the banking and insurance industry.
Representative buildings such as the Stadthaus, based on a Greek temple, and the stately villas in the green belt around the Old Town where the influential families of Winterthur settled, testify to that. In 1922 the suburbs of Oberwinterthur, Seen, Veltheim, Töss and Wülflingen were incorporated – the birth of present-day Winterthur.
Winterthur
Winterthur Tourismus
Im Hauptbahnhof
8401 Winterthur
Tel. +41 (0)52 267 67 00
Fax +41 (0)52 267 68 58
tourismus@win.ch
www.winterthur-tourismus.ch
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HISTORY AT A GLANCE
| 1st cent. AD | The Romans build Castle Vitudurum in present-day Oberwinterthur. In the 3rd century the Alemanni destroy the castle and the associated village. |
| 294 | Castle Oberwinterthur is rebuilt. Rural farm settlements are established in the area of the town centre. |
| 6th/7th cent. | Pit-houses in the area of the Old Town, an Alemannic burial site at the present-day Marktgasse as well as pillars of two wooden churches are archaeological proof of the settlement of the town area in the Early Middle Ages. |
| 1180 | The counts of Kyburg are given church autonomy for the settlement of Niederwinterthur in the present-day Old Town by the bishop of Constance (dissociation from the mother church of Oberwinterthur). |
| 1264 | King Rudolf of Habsburg ratifies the Town Charter of Winterthur on 22nd June (St. Alban's Day). |
| 1415 | Winterthur gains the status of Imperial Free City. In the course of the Old Zurich War, however, Winterthur has to forgo imperial immediacy again in 1442 and returns to Austrian control. |
| 1460 | Confederates beleaguer Winterthur. |
| 1467 | Habsburg puts Winterthur in pledge to Zurich. Winterthur remains subject territory of Zurich for 331 years. The affiliation with the Confederacy leads to economic revival (weaving, furnace construction, clock- and watchmaking, salt and cotton trade). |
| 1523/1525 | Winterthur converts to the new faith in the course of the Reformation. |
| 17th century | The cultural life of the city blossoms with the establishment of the Musikkollegium (a private association of music enthusiasts) in 1629 and the municipal library in 1660. |
| Around 1800 | Strong economic development sets in, forming the basis for the future industrial rise. |
| 1832 | The development of industry and foreign trade and the banking and insurance industry begins with the freedom of trade and the connection to the railway network in 1857. |
| 1835 to 1839 | The city moats are filled up and the gates dismantled. A spacious ring develops around the walls of the Old Town - room for factories and villas, workers' settlements and garden suburbs. |
| 1848 | The founding year of the Swiss Federal State. Winterthur develops lively activity on cantonal and federal ground. |
| 1860 to 1875 | The "Ecole de Winterthur" as a centre of the democratic movement for the expansion of the people's rights exerts considerable influence on the Cantonal and Federal Constitution. |
| 1922 | The birth of present-day Winterthur. With the incorporation of the suburbs Oberwinterthur, Seen, Veltheim, Töss and Wülflingen the number of residents almost doubles. |
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