Büsingen

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The title of this article contains the character ü. Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Buesingen.

Location shown in the centre of this satellite map

Coat of arms of Büsingen

Büsingen and surrounding area

Büsingen am Hochrhein is a German town (7.62km²) entirely surrounded by the Swiss canton of Schaffhausen and south across the Rhine by Zürich and Thurgau. It has a population of about 1,450 inhabitants. Since the late 18th century the exclave has been separated from the rest of Germany by a narrow strip of land which is less than 1km at its narrowest and contains the Swiss settlement of Dörflingen.

Administratively, Büsingen is part of Germany, forming part of the district of Konstanz, in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, but economically, it forms part of the Swiss customs area, as does the Italian enclave of Campione and the independent principality of Liechtenstein. There are no border controls between Switzerland and Büsingen but to drive between the rest of Germany and Büsingen, one must pass through border control.

Büsingen is highly regarded as a holiday paradise in summer by both German and Swiss visitors from around the area due to its unique recreational areas along the Rhine. The town is also the home of the European Nazarene College, a large (for the town) Bible college with an international focus.

[edit] Curiosities

Formally the euro is the only legal tender in Büsingen, however the Swiss franc is far more popular in everyday use as shopping is generally done in nearby Schaffhausen instead of across the border(s) in Germany.

Owing to its unusual geographical location, it uses public services from both countries, including public transport, post and telephone services, which operate side by side.

To send a letter to Büsingen, one can send it using either a Swiss postal code

Junkerstraße 86

8238 Büsingen

Switzerland

or a German one:

Junkerstraße 86

78266 Büsingen

Germany

Similarly, residents of Büsingen can be reached by telephone using either a German number (with the prefix +49 7734) or a Swiss one (with the prefix +41 52).

Germans who have been registered in Büsingen for more than 10 years are called Alt Büsinger (Old Büsingers) and receive a special recognised status similar to Swiss citizenship. Alt Büsingers are allowed to purchase real estate or work in Switzerland even if they don't possess Swiss citizenship.

In emergencies, both the Swiss or the German police may be called, with the Swiss, being closer, usually arriving faster. In the case of a search warrant both German and Swiss officials are required to be present.

After attending primary school in Büsingen, children may continue their education in either Switzerland or Germany. About 70% elect to go to school in Switzerland.

In 1918 a referendum was held in Büsingen in which 96% of voters chose to become part of Switzerland. However, it never happened as Switzerland could not offer anything suitable in exchange, and consequently Büsingen has remained an exclave of Germany ever since. Later attempts were rejected by Switzerland.

The enclave of Büsingen was formally defined in 1967 through negotiations between Germany and Switzerland. At the same time, the German enclave of Verenahof, consisting of just three homes and fewer than a dozen people, became part of Switzerland.