Search

The Online Encyclopedia and Dictionary

 
     
 

Encyclopedia

Dictionary

Quotes

   
 

Schaffhausen


Schaffhausen is a city in northern Switzerland, located 47.71°N Latitude, 8.62°E Longitude; it has an estimated population of 33,700 in 2003.

Views of old town, Schaffhausen
Enlarge
Views of old town, Schaffhausen

The old portion of the city has many fine Renaissance era buildings decorated with exterior frescos and sculpture, as well as the impressive old canton fortress, the Munot. A streetcar runs out of town to the nearby Rhine Falls, Europe's largest waterfall, a tourist attraction. It is the capital of the Swiss of Canton of Schaffhausen.

History

Schaffhausen was a city state in the Middle Ages, documented to have struck its own coins starting in 1005. For a time it was under Habsburg domination, but regained its independence in 1415. It allied itself with Zurich in 1457, and became a full member of the Swiss Confederation in 1501. The first railroad came to Schaffhausen in 1857. In 1944 Schaffhausen suffered from a bombing raid by United States airforce planes that accidentally strayed from Germany to neutral Switzerland.

Buildings and Structures

External links

Wikimedia Commons has multimedia related to Schaffhausen .




Last updated: 03-05-2005 23:45:09
Last updated: 05-03-2005 17:50:55