Winterthur is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. It has the country's sixth largest population, estimated at more than 100,000 people. Today Winterthur is a service and high-tech industry centre, but many people make use of its proximity to Zurich, which lies approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) to the south-west, and only 18 minutes by train.
The official language of Winterthur is (the Swiss variety of Standard) German, but the main spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect. In the local dialect and by its inhabitants, it is usually abbreviated as Winti.
Winterthur is connected to Germany and Italy by direct trains and enjoys 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.
Winterthur Hauptbahnhof is one of the busiest railway stations in Switzerland.
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