Schaffhausen

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Coordinates: 47°42′N 8°38′E Coordinates: 47°42′N 8°38′E

Schaffhausen
Canton	Schaffhausen
District	n.a.
Coordinates	47°42′N 8°38′E
Population	33527   (March 2005)
Area	31.00 km²
Elevation	403 m
Postal code	8200
SFOS number	2939
Mayor	Marcel Wenger (FDP)
Website	www.stadt-schaffhausen.ch
Twin towns	Sindelfingen (Germany), Singen am Hohentwiel (Germany), Dobric (Bulgaria)
Schaffhausen

Schaffhausen (German: Schaffhausen (help·info), French: Schaffhouse, Italian: Sciaffusa) is a city in northern Switzerland and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimated population of 33,527 as of March 31, 2005.

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 Canton of Schaffhausen.

Contents 1 History 2 Industry 3 See also 4 External links

[edit] 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 Zurich in 1457, and became a full member of the Swiss Confederation in 1501. The first railroad came to Schaffhausen in 1857.

Schaffhausen is located in a finger of Swiss territory 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 a million dollars in reparations, the raid occurred only a month after the Swiss had shot down an American bomber. There were frequent 'accidents' as the war came to a climax, both by bombing raids on towns in northern Switzerland and Allied planes shot down by the Swiss Air Force.

[edit] Industry

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

[edit] See also

• Radio tower Schaffhausen-Cholfirst
• List of mayors of Schaffhausen

[edit] External links

• City Archives (German)
• Pictures of Schaffhausen (German/English)
• U.S. Bombings of Switzerland during World War II
• The Falls on Google Map Full screen interactive map of the Falls at Schaffhausen