Winterthur

The pedestrian zone in the charming Old Town is considered to be Switzerland’s largest. Venerable mansions in and around the Marktgasse, the City Church, the Fisher Maiden’s Fountain and the famous Town Hall Passage are great attractions.

Culture has a long tradition in Winterthur. The city boasts 17 museums, including the Oskar Reinhart collection “Am Römerholz” with its masterpieces of European art from the 14th to the 20th century. This tradition continues with the internationally renowned Centre for Photography, the Casino Theater, which has become a centre of the German-language cabaret scene, and the Swiss Science Center Technorama, which makes technology and science an accessible experience.

The extremely diverse cultural agenda also comprises a series of festivals – Afro-Pfingsten, the International Short Film Festival and the Winterthurer Musikfestwochen festival as well as the performances by the Winterthurer Musikkollegium. With the city’s regular fare of exhibitions, films, concerts, readings and theatre – it is clear that Winterthur’s residents are well catered for when it comes to matters cultural.

Despite its industrial tradition, Winterthur is also a "garden city" with a large number of parks and gardens. There is even a city tour dedicated to "Villas and Gardens". The city’s delightful environs are home to castles and fortresses set in the woods, in the wine country, and on the Töss and Rhine rivers, and to which the locals have long felt a special relationship. Winterthur is also an ideal base for excursions to the Rhine Falls, Lake Constance and to the nearby metropolis of Zurich.