The
Canton of is a canton of
SwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The principal city and capital of the canton is
SchaffhausenSchaffhausen is a city in northern Switzerland and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimated population of 34,587 ....
.
History
Schaffhausen was a city-state in the
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, documented to have struck its own coins starting in 1045. It was then known as
Villa Scafhusun. Around 1049 Count Eberhard von Nellenburg founded a Benedictine monastery which led to the development of a community. This community achieved independence in 1190. In 1330 the town lost not only all its lands but also its independence to the Habsburgs. Then, in 1415 the Habsburg Duke
Frederick IV of AustriaFrederick IV, Duke of Further Austria , also known as Frederick of the Empty Pockets, was the Habsburg duke of Further Austria from 1402, and Count of Tyrol from 1406, until his death...
sided with the
Antipope John XXIIIBaldassarre Cossa was Pope John XXIII during the Western Schism. The Catholic Church regards him as an antipope.-Biography:...
at the
Council of ConstanceThe Council of Constance is the 15th ecumenical council recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, held from 1414 to 1418. The council ended the Three-Popes Controversy, by deposing or accepting the resignation of the remaining Papal claimants and electing Pope Martin V.The Council also condemned and...
, and was banned by the
EmperorThe Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
SigismundSigismund of Luxemburg KG was King of Hungary, of Croatia from 1387 to 1437, of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor for four years from 1433 until 1437, the last Emperor of the House of Luxemburg. He was also King of Italy from 1431, and of Germany from 1411...
. As a result of the ban and Frederick's need of money, Schaffhausen was able to buy its independence from the Habsburgs in 1418. The city allied with six of the Swiss confederates in 1454 and allied with a further two (
UriUri is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and a founding member of the Swiss Confederation. It is located in Central Switzerland. The canton's territory covers the valley of the Reuss River between Lake Lucerne and the St. Gotthard Pass. German is the primary language spoken in Uri...
and
UnterwaldenUnterwalden is the old name of a forest-canton of the Old Swiss Confederacy in central Switzerland, south of Lake Lucerne, consisting of two valleys or Talschaften, now organized as two half-cantons, an upper part, Obwalden, and a lower part, Nidwalden.Unterwalden was one of the three participants...
) in 1479. Schaffhausen became a full member of the Old Swiss Confederation in 1501. The first railroad came to Schaffhausen in 1857. In 1944 Schaffhausen suffered from a bombing raid by United States Army Air Force planes that accidentally strayed from
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to neutral Switzerland.
The cantonal constitution was written in 1876 and revised in 1895.
The distinctive coat of arms bears the Schaffhauser Bock, (Billy
GoatThe domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
of Schaffhausen).
Geography
The canton of Schaffhausen is the northernmost canton of Switzerland, located to the north of
ZurichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. It lies west of
Lake ConstanceLake Constance is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee , the Untersee , and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein.The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps...
and has a size of 298 km² (115.1 sq mi). Much of the canton is productive agricultural land, with 134.4 km² (51.9 sq mi) (about 45%) of the canton used for agriculture while an additional 128.7 km² (49.7 sq mi) (about 43%) is wooded. Most of the rest of the canton, 31.8 km² (12.3 sq mi) (about 10%), is developed while only 3.8 km² (1.5 sq mi) (1.3%) of the canton is unproductive (rivers, lakes or mountains).
The land is almost entirely surrounded by
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, which lies to the north, east and west of the canton. The canton of Schaffhausen is even divided by parts of Germany. There are three parts to the canton. The largest part includes the capital
SchaffhausenSchaffhausen is a city in northern Switzerland and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimated population of 34,587 ....
. The small district of
Rüdlingen-Buchberg lies in the southwest of the canton, and the third part contains
RamsenRamsen is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland.-Coat of arms:The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Azure three Ears of Wheat leaved Or issuant from a Mount of the same.-Geography:...
and
Stein am RheinStein am Rhein is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.The town has a well-preserved medieval centre, retaining the ancient street plan. The site of the city wall, and the city gates are preserved, though the former city wall now consists of houses...
to the east. Furthermore, the German exclave town of
Büsingen am HochrheinBüsingen am Hochrhein is a German town entirely surrounded by the Swiss canton of Schaffhausen and, south across the Rhine, by the cantons of Zürich and Thurgau. It has a population of about 1,450 inhabitants...
lies along part of the southern border of the main section of the canton.
Most of the canton lies on a plateau dominated by the Hoher Randen. The summit of this mountain is 912 m (2,992.1 ft). The slopes of the mountain are gentle towards the south where it reaches the Rhine valley. Short and narrow valleys intersect these gentle slopes. The
KlettgauKlettgau is a group of towns in the district of Waldshut in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Landgraviat of Klettgau to 1812.There is a border crossing into Switzerland at Erzingen to Trasadingen in Schaffhausen canton....
is one such valley.
The
Rhine FallsThe Rhine Falls is the largest plain waterfall in Europe.The falls are located on the Upper Rhine between the municipalities of Neuhausen am Rheinfall and Laufen-Uhwiesen, near the town of Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland, between the cantons of Schaffhausen and Zürich. They are 150 m ...
are the largest waterfalls in Europe and lie on the border of the canton of Schaffhausen and the
canton of ZurichThe Canton of Zurich has a population of . The canton is located in the northeast of Switzerland and the city of Zurich is its capital. The official language is German, but people speak the local Swiss German dialect called Züritüütsch...
.
Municipalities
There are 27 municipalities in the canton .
- Bargen
Bargen is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland. The northernmost point of the country is situated in the municipality, at Oberbargen.-Geography:...
- Beggingen
Beggingen is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.-History:Beggingen is first mentioned in 1278 as Beggingen. Later it was known as Beckingen and Böckingen.-Coat of arms:...
- Beringen
Beringen is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.-Bronze Age:In the Eschheimer Valley near Beringen, a gravesite had been discovered that is believed to reach back to the early Bronze Age...
- Buch
- Buchberg
Buchberg is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.With Rüdlingen, Buchberg forms an exclave of the Canton of Schaffhausen on the Rhine, bordered by the Canton of Zürich and Baden-Württemberg.-History:...
- Büttenhardt
Büttenhardt is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.-Geography:Büttenhardt has an area, , of . Of this area, 48.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 45.3% is forested. The rest of the land, is settled....
- Dörflingen
Dörflingen is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.-Geography:Dörflingen has an area, , of . Of this area, 64.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 26.9% is forested...
- Gächlingen
Gächlingen is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.-History:An area near Gächlingen was the site of the first settlement in Switzerland. This Linear Band Ceramic settlement dates to about 6000BC and is the first long-term, farming community in the borders of modern...
- Guntmadingen
Guntmadingen is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.-History:Guntmadingen is first mentioned in 1111 as Guntrammingin, though this comes from a 12th Century forgery...
- Hallau
Hallau is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.-History:Though Bronze Age weapons have been found in Hallau, the first traces of a settlement date from the Roman era. A Roman warehouse was found in Hüttenhau as well as numerous Roman coins. The area was settled by the...
- Hemishofen
Hemishofen is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.-History:The Iron Age grave sites at Sankert indicate that this area has been settled since 800-600 BC...
- Lohn
Lohn is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.-Geography:Lohn has an area, , of . Of this area, 56.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 35.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 7.4% is settled and the remainder is non-productive .The municipality is located in...
- Löhningen
Löhningen is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.-History:Löhningen is first mentioned in 1112 as Loningen. An earlier reference, from about 778-781, to Loninga might refer to the village of Löhningen im Steinatal in Waldshut district in Germany.-Coat of arms:The blazon of...
- Merishausen
Merishausen is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.-Geography:Merishausen has an area, , of . Of this area, 30.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 65.6% is forested...
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- Neuhausen am Rheinfall
Neuhausen am Rheinfall is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.The little town is well known for the Rhine Falls, a tourist attraction and mainland Europe's largest waterfall....
- Neunkirch
Neunkirch is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland. It is set in the south of the mountains called Randen.-The name:The first documentary record of Neunkirch is in 850; the town is called Niuchilchun. It is Old High German and means new church. This name varies several times...
- Oberhallau
Oberhallau is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.-History:Both Hallau and Oberhallau are first mentioned in 1095 as Hallaugia superiori et inferiori...
- Ramsen
Ramsen is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland.-Coat of arms:The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Azure three Ears of Wheat leaved Or issuant from a Mount of the same.-Geography:...
- Rüdlingen
Rüdlingen is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.-Geography:Rüdlingen has an area, , of . Of this area, 47.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 33.8% is forested...
- Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen is a city in northern Switzerland and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimated population of 34,587 ....
- Schleitheim
Schleitheim is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.It is known as the location where the seven articles of the "Schleitheim Confession" were written by Michael Sattler in 1527.-Geography:...
- Siblingen
Siblingen is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.-Geography:Siblingen has an area, , of . Of this area, 44.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 48.7% is forested...
- Stein am Rhein
Stein am Rhein is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.The town has a well-preserved medieval centre, retaining the ancient street plan. The site of the city wall, and the city gates are preserved, though the former city wall now consists of houses...
- Stetten
Stetten is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.-Geography:Stetten has an area, , of . Of this area, 45.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 44.9% is forested...
- Thayngen
Thayngen is a village and a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland. On 1 January 2009 Altdorf, SH, Bibern, SH, Hofen, SH, Opfertshofen merged into Thayngen.-Geography:...
- Trasadingen
Trasadingen is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.-Geography:Trasadingen has an area, , of . Of this area, 76.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 12.2% is forested...
- Wilchingen
Wilchingen is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland. The former municipality of Osterfingen was incorporated into Wilchingen in 2005.-Geography:...
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Demographics
The population of the canton (as of ) is . , the population included 16,323 foreigners, or about 21.9% of the total population. The
German languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Protestant faith predominate. The majority of the population is
ProtestantProtestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
(50%) while a large minority is Roman Catholic (24%).
Economy
Schaffhausen is a part of the Zürcher Wirtschaftsraum (Zurich economic region) and the canton's economy is well integrated with that of the wider region.
Well-regarded white
RieslingRiesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...
wineWine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
is grown here as well as several other varieties. The main industries, however, are the production of machinery and metal goods. There is also
watchA watch is a small timepiece, typically worn either on the wrist or attached on a chain and carried in a pocket, with wristwatches being the most common type of watch used today. They evolved in the 17th century from spring powered clocks, which appeared in the 15th century. The first watches were...
making and jewellery. Minor industrial branches are textiles, leather goods, glass, cement, paper and chemicals. There is a brewery in the canton.
At
RheinauRheinau is a municipality in the district of Andelfingen in the Canton of Zürich in Switzerland. It is located at a bend of the Rhine River which forms the Swiss-German border in this area. A bridge links Rheinau to Altenburg, in Jestetten municipality, Baden-Wurttemberg state.-Geography:Rheinau...
there is a hydro electrical power plant generating electricity for the canton and for export. Major electricity customers are the chemical industry in
RheinfeldenRheinfelden is a municipality in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland, seat of the district of Rheinfelden. It is located 15 kilometres east of Basel. The name means the fields of the Rhine, as the town is located on the Hochrhein. It is home to Feldschlösschen, the most popular beer in...
and the aluminium plant at
Neuhausen am RheinfallNeuhausen am Rheinfall is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.The little town is well known for the Rhine Falls, a tourist attraction and mainland Europe's largest waterfall....
. The city of Schaffhausen also uses much of the electricity produced at Rheinau.
Schaffhausen lies on the busy
MilanMilan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
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ZurichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
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StuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
rail line which is serviced by trains from both the Swiss
SBB-CFF-FFSSwiss Federal Railways and SFR are not in official use) is the national railway company of Switzerland headquartered in Bern. Formerly a government institution, it is since 1999 a special stock corporation with all shares held by the Swiss Confederation or the Swiss cantons...
and German
Deutsche BahnDeutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
national railway companies.
External links