Schaffhausen is a city in northern Switzerland; it has an estimated population of 33,700 in 2003.
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 train runs out of town to the nearby Rhine Falls in Neuhausen am Rheinfall , Europe's largest waterfall, a tourist attraction. Schaffhausen is the capital of the Swiss of Canton of Schaffhausen.
Views of old town, 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
Last updated: 10-13-2005 01:29:17
