Schaffhausen

Schaffhausen is a town in northern Switzerland and the capital of the canton of the same name. It has a population of about 36,000[1] as 2016.

1 schaffhausen 2012.jpg
Coat of arms of Schaffhausen
Coordinates: 47°42′N 8°38′E / 47.700°N 8.633°E / 47.700; 8.633Coordinates: 47°42′N 8°38′E / 47.700°N 8.633°E / 47.700; 8.633
CountrySwitzerland
CantonSchaffhausen
District(None in canton of Schaffhausen)
Government
 • ExecutiveStadtrat
with 5 members
 • MayorStadtpräsident (list)
Peter Neukomm SP
(as of January 2017)
 • ParliamentGrosser Stadtrat
with 36 members
Area
 • Total41.85 km2 (16.16 sq mi)
Elevation
(Bahnhofstrasse)
403 m (1,322 ft)
Population
 (December 2017)
 • Total36,332
 • Density868.15/km2 (2,248.49/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (Central European Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time)
Postal code(s)
8200, 8203, 8207, 8208, 8231 Hemmental
LocalitiesSchaffhausen, Breite, Gruben, Buchthalen, St. Niklausen, Herblingen, Hauental, Hemmental
Surrounded byBeringen, Büsingen am Hochrhein (DE-BW), Büttenhardt, Dörflingen, Feuerthalen (ZH), Flurlingen (ZH), Merishausen, Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Stetten, Thayngen
Twin townsSindelfingen (Germany), Singen am Hohentwiel (Germany), Dobrich (Bulgaria)
Websitewww.stadt-schaffhausen.ch
Profile (in German), SFSO statistics
Imperial City of Schaffhausen
Reichsstadt Schaffhausen
1190 or 1218–1330
1415–1501
StatusFree Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire
CapitalSchaffhausen
GovernmentRepublic
Historical eraMiddle Ages
• 
betw 1190 and 1218
• Pledged to Habsburgs
1330
• Bought independence
1415
 
1454
• 
1501
 
1648
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Imperial Abbey of All Saints in Schaffhausen All Saints' Abbey (Switzerland)
Canton of Schaffhausen Canton of Schaffhausen
Imperial Abbey of All Saints in Schaffhausen
Reichskloster Allerheiligen, Schaffhausen
1080–1529
StatusImperial Abbey of the Holy Roman Empire
CapitalSchaffhausen
GovernmentPrincipality
Historical eraMiddle Ages
• Consecrated (Leo IX)
22 November 1049
• 
  1080
• Gained Hiltensweiler
    lands
 
1122–1389
• City became
    Swiss Associate
 
1454
• City joined Switz.
1501
• Converted to
    monastery and
    cathedral church
 
 
1524
• 
  1529
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Landgraviate of Nellenburg Landgraviate of Nellenburg
Canton of Schaffhausen Canton of Schaffhausen

The old portion of the town has many fine Renaissance era buildings decorated with exterior frescos and sculpture, as well as the impressive old canton fortress, the Munot. A train runs out of town to the nearby Rhine Falls in Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Europe's largest waterfall, a tourist attraction.

History

Schaffhausen was a city state in the Middle Ages, documented to have struck its own coins starting in 1045. For a time it was under Habsburg domination, but regained its independence in 1415. It allied itself with Zürich in 1457, and became a full member of the Swiss Confederation in 1501. The first railroad came to Schaffhausen in 1857.

Schaffhausen is in a finger of Swiss land surrounded on three sides by Germany. On April 1, 1944, Schaffhausen suffered a bombing raid by United States Army Air Forces aircraft which strayed from German airspace into neutral Switzerland. While the United States immediately offered four million dollars in reparations, the raid occurred only a month after the Swiss Air Force had shot down an American bomber.

In 1947 it merged with the former municipality of Buchthalen. In 1964 it merged with the former municipality of Herblingen. Since 2009, Hemmental has been part of the town.

Industry

Schaffhausen has some well-known industrial companies (Georg Fischer) in piping systems, machine tools and automotives, one internationally-reputed watches manufacturer (IWC), and drug industry (Cilag, founded by Bernhard Joos).

References

  1. "PX-Web - Datenbank wählen". www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch. Archived from the original on 2017-10-10. Retrieved 2018-07-17.

Other websites

  Media related to Schaffhausen at Wikimedia Commons