Construction project in Winterthur
The Freieck restaurant in Winterthur-Seen will no longer serve guests.
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For almost half a century, the Freieck restaurant shaped the neighborhood in Winterthur-Seen – now an apartment building is to be built in its place. No stranger to the project: Swiss national team star Manuel Akanji.
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- The traditional Freieck restaurant in Winterthur-Seen was closed at the end of 2024 and is to be replaced by a new apartment building.
- The developer of the project is a company with international footballer Manuel Akanji as Chairman of the Board of Directors.
- The plans include 28 small apartments with a photovoltaic system on the roof.
For almost 45 years, the Freieck restaurant shaped the cityscape of Winterthur-Seen. The restaurant closed for good at the end of 2024. Now it has been confirmed that the building on Tösstalstrasse is to disappear. A new building is planned in its place – an apartment building, as can be seen from the recently submitted planning application and reported in the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper.
The client is a company from Winterthur. A glance at the commercial register reveals a prominent name: The chairman of the board of directors is soccer star Manuel Akanji, and his wife Melanie is also on the board.
Akanji, who grew up in Wiesendangen, has been one of the top performers in the Swiss national team for years. After spells at Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City, the 30-year-old defender is currently playing on loan at Inter Milan – and very successfully at that. The club currently leads Serie A and Akanji is a regular.
Plans for 28 apartments
According to the Tages-Anzeiger, the project in Winterthur envisages 28 one- and two-bedroom apartments. The areas are between 27 and 60 square meters. A photovoltaic system of around 110 square meters is planned for the roof. According to the planning application, the Akanjis’ company bought the property for 3.9 million Swiss francs. The pure construction costs are estimated at around 8 million francs.
The national team star should be able to afford it: In 2024, “Bilanz” listed him among the 100 richest Swiss men and women under 40, with an estimated fortune of 20 to 50 million francs. The footballer did not respond to inquiries from the Tages-Anzeiger.