Sammlung Winterthur - Winterthurer Bibliotheken

What Sammlung Winterthur - Winterthurer Bibliotheken does

Sammlung Winterthur is the cultural archive of the City of Winterthur, Switzerland, operating as a municipal institution under Stadt Winterthur and functioning as the core 'erinnern' (remember) function within the Winterthurer Bibliotheken network. The organization preserves and provides public access to Winterthur's local cultural heritage through two integrated service lines: a municipal public library system spanning eight branches across the city's neighborhoods (Stadtbibliothek plus Hegi, Oberwinterthur, Seen, Töss, Veltheim, and Wülflingen), and a specialized cultural archive (Sammlung Winterthur) housing manuscripts spanning six centuries, over 100,000 old prints from the 15th to 19th century, 23,000 family coats of arms, music collections, and exlibris artifacts. The Neujahrsblätter annual publication series has been produced continuously for over 350 years. The archive is led by Marlis Betschart with a team of professional archivists and librarians including Lilian Banholzer, Daniel Kauz, Viviane Mee, Dorothee Platz, Matthias Reist, and Michael Rezzoli.

The institution's digital infrastructure includes the winbib online catalog, the bilddatenbank.winterthur.ch image database, a winbib mobile application, and integration with the city's E-Services portal. Complementary service lines include the Artothek (art lending), the Wir hier documentary project capturing resident stories, and the Zeitsprünge educational programs for children and school classes. The business model is predominantly municipal government funding, with incremental direct revenue from unit-priced archival reproduction services (photocopying CHF 1-3, scanning CHF 1-10, image database prints, and postal shipping fees CHF 15-25). Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. Customer segments comprise Winterthur residents and visitors, schools and educational institutions (including the Zeitsprünge für Schulen program), and researchers and historians requiring access to primary source materials. All services are offered free at the point of use for residents, with the institution operating as a public good rather than a commercial entity. Geographic scope is restricted to Winterthur, Switzerland, with no global footprint or commercial expansion plans disclosed.

Name

Sammlung Winterthur - Winterthurer Bibliotheken

Legal name

Winterthurer Bibliotheken

Website

https://sammlung.winterthur.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sammlung Winterthur is the municipal cultural archive and library network of the City of Winterthur, Switzerland, providing public access to local heritage collections, eight library branches, and digital catalog services to residents, schools, and researchers across the city.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library and Cultural Archive Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF), Library Collections & Cataloging Services (Acquisitions, Metadata, Circulation) (EDAEAGAE)

Keywords

• Public library services
• Cultural archive management
• Historical document preservation
• Community education programs
• Art lending services

Headquarters

HQ city

Winterthur

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Library Services: Municipal library services funded primarily through city of Winterthur public funding. Services include lending books, CDs, DVDs, access to image archives, manuscripts, old prints, music collections, heraldry collections, exlibris collections, and educational programs.
2. Archival Services and Copies: Fee-based services including photocopying (A4: CHF 1 black/white, CHF 2 color; A3: CHF 1.50 black/white, CHF 3 color), scanning (CHF 1-10), high-resolution image prints, and postal shipping of copies (CHF 15 domestic, CHF 25 international).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Sammlung Winterthur - Winterthurer Bibliotheken is the public library and cultural archive system of the City of Winterthur, Switzerland. It provides lending services for books, CDs, DVDs, and art, alongside access to specialized archival collections including manuscripts, old prints, music, heraldry, exlibris, and an image database. The organization also runs educational programs (Zeitsprünge for children and schools), publishes the long-running Neujahrsblätter annual series, and offers online access through a catalog, image database, online lexicon, and mobile app.

Product overview

The Sammlung Winterthur is the cultural archive of Winterthur operated by the Winterthurer Bibliotheken (Winterthur Libraries). It functions as a single integrated collection management system offering multiple products and services centered around preserving and providing access to local cultural heritage. The core offering includes the main archive with collections of manuscripts, old prints, music, heraldry, and ex libris; supported by digital access tools including an online catalog, image database (Winterthur in Bildern), and the Winterthur-Glossar online lexicon. Educational services include Zeitsprünge programs for children and schools, while the Artothek enables art lending. The Wir hier project documents contemporary life in the city. All services are unified under the Winterthurer Bibliotheken organization, providing integrated access to Winterthur's cultural memory.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Neujahrsblätter: Annual publication of new knowledge from Winterthur - for over 350 years
• Winterthur-Glossar
• Artothek Winterthur
• Zeitsprünge
• Zeitsprünge für Schulen
• Bilddatenbank
• Wir hier

Products and services

• Sammlung Winterthur Cultural Archive
• Online-Katalog der Sammlung Winterthur
• Winterthur in Bildern (Bilddatenbank)
• Winterthur-Glossar
• Artothek Winterthur
• Wir hier
• Zeitsprünge (Children)
• Zeitsprünge für Schulen
• Neujahrsblätter
• Handschriften Collection
• Alte Drucke Collection
• Musik Collection
• Wappen (Heraldry) Collection
• Exlibris-Sammlung
• Archival Reproduction and Copy Services

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stadtbus WinterthurcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Joint initiative 'Sommerrätsel 2026' - a summer riddle competition for the public combining nature and bus/transport themes. The partnership involves co-creating educational content and prizes including bus monthly passes.
• WintirangerminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 June 2026Collaboration on Waldtag (Forest Day) event, organized by Stadtgrün Winterthur together with Wintiranger, Naturmuseum Winterthur, and nature/bird protection associations (Natur- und Vogelschutzvereine Wülflingen-Veltheim und Winterthur Seen).
• Naturmuseum WinterthurcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 June 2026Regular collaboration partner for educational events and programs. Co-organizer of Waldtag and joint initiative 'Sommerrätsel 2026' (Summer Riddles 2026) with Stadtbus Winterthur.
• Natur- und Vogelschutzverein Wülflingen-VeltheimminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 June 2026Nature and bird protection association participating in collaborative events like Waldtag (Forest Day) organized by Stadtgrün Winterthur.
• Natur- und Vogelschutzverein Winterthur SeenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 June 2026Nature and bird protection association participating in collaborative events like Waldtag (Forest Day) organized by Stadtgrün Winterthur.
• APG|SGA (Allgemeine Plakatgesellschaft AG)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdvertising partner for Stadtbus Winterthur transport advertising services. APG|SGA markets advertising space on city buses and bus stops.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Burgerbibliothek Bern: Historical archive and library in Bern with medieval manuscripts and city heritage collections; closely comparable to Sammlung Winterthur's manuscript, heraldry, and exlibris holdings.
• Bibliothèque publique et universitaire de Genève: Public and university library of Geneva with archival and cultural collection functions; comparable Swiss municipal library with historical special collections.
• Zentralbibliothek Zürich: Largest library in Switzerland with combined public/academic and historical archive functions; directly comparable to Winterthurer Bibliotheken in offering lending, archival, and cultural programming within a Swiss city context.
• Universitätsbibliothek Basel: Major Swiss library serving Basel with historical collections, manuscripts, and public access functions; comparable institutional structure with broader academic mandate.
• Bibliothèque publique d'information (Paris): Major French public library inside the Centre Pompidou offering extensive cultural programming, special collections, and community engagement; comparable public-library cultural-archive model.
• Stadtarchiv Zürich: City archive of Zürich focused on local history, manuscripts, and image collections; directly comparable to Sammlung Winterthur in scope, mandate, and municipal heritage focus.
• Stadtbibliothek Bern: Municipal public library system serving the city of Bern with multiple branches and cultural programs; directly comparable to Winterthurer Bibliotheken's multi-branch neighborhood library model.

Broad incumbents

• Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek: Swiss National Library operating nationwide with broader mandate and larger scale; operates in the same information/library domain with overlapping archival functions at a national level.
• New York Public Library: Large public library system with branch network, research collections, and extensive historical holdings; operates in the same public-library domain with cultural archive functions at much greater scale.
• British Library: National library of the UK with massive historical collections, manuscripts, and digitization programs; relevant broad incumbent for the cultural archive and digitization dimensions of Sammlung Winterthur.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/stadtwinterthur
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sammlung-winterthur---winterthurer-bibliotheken
• Instagraminstagram.com/stadt_winterthur

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Sammlung Winterthur - Winterthurer Bibliotheken