Sidi (Winterthur)
The Sidi in Winterthur is the former factory site of the mechanical silk weaving mill in Winterthur (closed in 1968).
history
Period of silk weaving (1872–1968)
The silk weaving mill at St.-Galler-Strasse 40 was built in 1872 and, with over 400 shareholders, was widely supported by the city's business elite at the time. Johann Friedrich Bader-Wild , Carl Sulzberger-Ernst and above all Theodor Ziegler should be mentioned as founders of the mechanical silk weaving mill in Winterthur . Ziegler, who later became mayor of Winterthur, was a member of the board of directors until his death in 1918. The mechanical silk weaving mill in Winterthur initially consisted of a weaving mill building with a boiler, machine house and an administration building, the buildings were designed by the architect Joseph Bösch . Later, the weaving mill was expanded and workers' houses were built on Grüze and Töpferstrasse. In its prime it comprised up to 300 looms . The workers, who came mainly from the agglomeration , were housed in the above-mentioned workers' houses. There was also a food house on Palmstrasse with 60 beds and space for 120 to 150 boarders.
The mechanical silk weaving mill in Winterthur reached its peak around 1900, when up to 850 workers were employed in the factory in Winterthur. This made it one of the most important factories in Winterthur alongside Rieter and Sulzer . After that, the domestic silk industry, which was still one of the most powerful industrial sectors in the country in 1870, was increasingly subject to foreign competition and lost its importance. In 1916, Lisel Bruggmann, a well-known trade unionist and communist, worked in the mechanical silk weaving mill in Winterthur, who also reported on her work in the weaving mill in her autobiographical writings. In 1931, a subsidiary was founded in Dunfermline, Scotland , and another was in Lyon, France (closed in 1958).
Because of the failure of the management, who missed the timely renovation of the old buildings, the factory finally ran out of money in 1968 after the heating failed. The Mechanische Seidenstoffweberei Winterthur, which at that time still had 200 workers, went bankrupt. The Scottish subsidiary was able to take over machines and skilled workers after the closure, but it also went bankrupt after a subsidy that failed due to a change of government.
Interim use (1972-2005)
After the closure, the city wanted to buy the area, but failed in a referendum in 1969. After that, the Sidi was taken over by the canton in 1974. The former workers' houses were renovated and are still mainly inhabited by small families. The old weaving mill buildings were rented to companies (Ferrari furniture 1972–1995, Otto's Warenposten 1995–2004, Schudel carpet 1984–2005, Ziltener Druck 1973–2005) and part of it was used as a cultural space from 1975 to 2005 by the Theater Kanton Zürich . Plans to rebuild the area were dropped due to the construction crisis in 1990.
Occupation (2004-2006)
A large part of the building has been vacant since Otto's Warenposten moved in the summer of 2004. This part of the Sidi was occupied by young people in November 2004 ; The squatters were subsequently able to agree on a lease with the cantonal property management. On February 25, 2006 the whole area was occupied. They occupied the unused area for themselves as living space until the area was actually built and therefore the empty buildings had to be demolished.
Use today
In September 2006, the demolition of the factory halls in the Sidi began. Between 2007 and 2009, around 150 rental apartments, shops and a parking garage were built. The development was awarded the “ Silver Rabbit ” for landscape architecture in 2009.
The listed tall chimney with boiler house is the only relic from the historical building .
Web links
- SIDI, Seidenstoffweberei AG in the Winterthur Glossary.
- IN-KU 57 (PDF; 284 kB), publication by the Swiss Society for the History of Technology and Industrial Culture
- TV report on the development in Kulturplatz on SF 1 .
- Indymedia article on the cast
- Website of the current development