Looking upwards (eastwards), anSBBRed Arrow doublerailcar crossing theFeuerthalen Rhine bridge [de]; Schaffhausen is on the left and Feuerthalen on the right; picture taken in April 2018 from the Munot castle
The old town has many fineRenaissance era buildings decorated with exteriorfrescos andsculpture, as well as the old canton fortress, theMunot above the old town.Schaffhausen railway station is a junction of Swiss and German railway lines.One of the lines connects the town with the nearbyRhine Falls inNeuhausen am Rheinfall, Europe's largest waterfall and a populartourist attraction.
The official language of Schaffhausen is (the Swiss variety of Standard)German, but the main spoken language is the local variant of theAlemannicSwiss German dialect.
The town is first mentioned in 1045 asVilla Scafhusun. There are at least two theories on the origin of this name:
One relates to a mention of a "ford" across the Rhine that first occurs in 1050. This "ford" may actually refer to ascapha orskiff which was used to disembark goods coming from Constance to move them around the Rhine Falls. The nameScafhusun then arose from thescapha used at that point.[2]
Another theory is thatScafhusun comes fromSchaf (a sheep), as a ram (now a sheep) formed the ancient arms (traceable to 1049) of the town, derived from those of its founders, the counts ofNellenburg.[3]
Theblazon of the municipalcoat of arms isOr on a Base Vert issuant from sinister a Semi Castle Argent with tower with entrance from which is issuing a Semi Ram Sable.[4] Thecanting coat of arms refers to the second interpretation of the name, sheep-house.
Schaffhausen was a city state in theMiddle Ages, documented to have struck its own coins from 1045.[5] About 1050 the counts of Nellenburg founded theBenedictine monastery of All Saints, which became the centre of the town. Perhaps as early as 1190, certainly in 1208, it was animperial free city, while the first seal dates from 1253. The powers of the abbot were gradually limited and in 1277 the EmperorRudolf I gave the town a charter of liberties. In 1330 the emperorLouis of Bavaria pledged it to theHabsburgs. In the early 15th century, Habsburg power over the city waned. In 1349 and 1401 (Schaffhausen Massacre), two pogroms occurred in the city.[6] By 1411 the guilds ruled the city. Then, in 1415 the Habsburg DukeFrederick IV of Austria sided with theAntipope John XXIII at theCouncil of Constance, and wasbanned by theEmperorSigismund. 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 (Uri andUnterwalden) in 1479. Schaffhausen became a full member of theOld Swiss Confederacy in 1501.
TheReformation was adopted, initially, in 1524 and completely in 1529. The town was heavily damaged during theThirty Years' War by the passage ofSwedish (Protestant) andBavarian (Roman Catholic) troops and the very important bridge was burnt down. It was not until the early 19th century that the arrested industrial development of the town recommenced.[5] In 1857, the firstrailroad, theRheinfallbahn, running fromWinterthur, reached Schaffhausen.[7]
Schaffhausen is located in a finger of Swiss territory surrounded on three sides by Germany. On 1 April 1944, Schaffhausensuffered a bombing raid by aircraft of theUnited States Army Air Forces, which strayed from German airspace into neutral Switzerland due to navigation errors. Air raid sirens had often sounded in the past, without an actual attack, so many residents ignored the sirens that day. A total of 40 civilians were killed in the raid. PresidentFranklin Delano Roosevelt sent a personal letter of apology to the mayor of Schaffhausen and theUnited States quickly offered four millionUS dollars in reparations.[8]
The town of Schaffhausen stands on the right bank of the riverRhine. It has an area, (as of the 2004/09 survey) of 41.85 km2 (16.16 sq mi).[9] Of this area, about 20.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 53.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 24.8% is settled (buildings or roads) and 1.6% is unproductive land. Over the past two decades (1979/85-2004/09) the amount of land that is settled has increased by 95 ha (230 acres) and the agricultural land has decreased by 117 ha (290 acres).[10]
In 1947 it merged with the former municipality of Buchthalen. Its area expanded again in 1964 when Herblingen was absorbed and for a third time in 2009 whenHemmental joined the municipality.[11]
Schaffhausen shares an international border with the German village ofBüsingen am Hochrhein, an enclave entirely surrounded by Switzerland.
Schaffhausen has an average of 122.5 days of rain or snow per year and on average receives 907 mm (35.7 in) ofprecipitation. The wettest month is July during which time Schaffhausen receives an average of 95 mm (3.7 in) of rain. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 11.3 days. The driest month of the year is February with an average of 59 mm (2.3 in) of precipitation over 8.4 days.[12]
Climate data for Schaffhausen, elevation 438 m (1,437 ft), (1991–2020)
The City Council (de:Stadtrat) constitutes theexecutive government of the town of Schaffhausen and operates as acollegiate authority. It is composed of five councilors (German:Stadtrat/Stadträtin), each presiding over a department (Referat), which each consists of several administrative districts. The president of the executive department acts asmayor (Stadtpräsident(in)). In the mandate period January 2025 – December 2028 (Amtsdauer) the City Council is presided byStadtpräsidentPeter Neukomm. Departmental tasks, coordination measures and implementation of laws decreed by the Grand City Council (parliament) are carried by the City Council. The regular election of the City Council by any inhabitant valid to vote is held every four years. Any resident of Schaffhausen allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the City Council. The mayor is elected as such as well by public election while the heads of the other directorates are assigned by the collegiate. The mayor as well as the delegates are elected by means of a system ofMajorz.[15]
TheGrosse Stadtrat of Schaffhausen for the mandate period of 2025–2028[17]
JUSO (2.80%)
SP (27.8%)
JG (2.80%)
Green (5.60%)
glp (11.1%)
EVP (2.80%)
The Centre (2.80%)
FDP (16.7%)
SVP (22.2%)
EDU (2.80%)
PUSH (2.80%)
The Grand City Council (Grosser Stadtrat) holdslegislative power. It is made up of 36 members, with elections held every four years. The Grand City Council decrees regulations and by-laws that are executed by the City Council and the administration. The delegates are selected by means of a system ofProporz.
The sessions of the Grand City Council are public. Unlike members of the City Council, members of the Grand City Council are not politicians by profession, and they are paid a fee based on their attendance. Any resident of Schaffhausen allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the Grand City Council. The parliament holds its meetings in theKantonsratsaal (Cantonal Council Hall) onKornmarkt.[18]
In the2023 federal election the most popular party was theSP (35.9%, +3.8). The next five most popular parties were theSVP with 29.7% of the vote (-3.1), theFDP (12.7%, +3.1), theGLP with 7.4% (+0.8), theGreens with 6.3% (-1.7), and others (8.0%). In the federal election, a total of 14,450 votes were cast, and thevoter turnout was 60.9% (+2.2).[19]
In the2019 federal election the most popular party was theSVP with 32.8% of the vote (-6.2). The next five most popular parties were theSP (32.1%, -1.9), theFDP (9.6%, -3.1), theGreens with 8.0% (+3.7), theGLP with 6.6% (+6.6), and others (10.9%). In the federal election, a total of 13,351 votes were cast, and thevoter turnout was 57.7% (-3.0).[20]
In the2015 federal election the most popular party was theSVP with 39.0% of the vote (+7.2). The next three most popular parties were theSP (34.0%, -7.6), theFDP (12.7%, +0.6), theGreens with 4.3% (+4.3), and others (10.0%). In the federal election, a total of 13,754 votes were cast, and thevoter turnout was 60.7% (+2.8).[21]
Schaffhausen has a population (as of December 2020[update]) of 36,952.[22] As of 2014[update], 27.9% of the population are resident foreign nationals.[23] Of the foreign population, (as of 2008[update]), 21% are fromGermany, 13.3% are fromItaly, 8.8% are fromCroatia, 13.3% are fromSerbia, 6% are fromMacedonia, 9% are fromTurkey, and 28.6% are from other countries.[24] Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (84.3%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common (3.4%) and Italian being third (3.2%).[25]
Over the last four years (2010–2014) the population has changed at a rate of 2.82%. Thebirth rate in the municipality, in 2014, was 9.6, while thedeath rate was 10.1 per thousand residents.[10]
As of 2014[update], children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 17.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) are 61.7% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 20.5%.[10] In 2015 there were 15,288 single residents, 15,287 people who were married or in a civil partnership, 2,119 widows or widowers, 3,253 divorced residents and 1 people who did not answer the question.[26]
In 2014 there were 16,723 private households in Schaffhausen with an average household size of 2.10 persons. Of the 5,863 inhabited buildings in the municipality, in 2000, about 51.5% were single family homes and 29.7% were multiple family buildings. Additionally, about 22.1% of the buildings were built before 1919, while 7.6% were built between 1991 and 2000.[27] In 2013 the rate of construction of new housing units per 1000 residents was 1.29. The vacancy rate for the municipality, in 2015[update], was 0.71%.[10]
Historic population
The historical population is given in the following chart:[28]
In Schaffhausen about 69.8% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatoryupper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or aFachhochschule (university of applied sciences)).[25] In Schaffhausen, as of 2007[update], 1.73% of the population attendkindergarten or another pre-school, 5.65% attend aPrimary School, 2.98% attend a lower level Secondary School, and 2.49% attend a higher level Secondary School.[24]
As of 2013[update], there were a total of 25,749 people employed in the municipality. Of these, a total of 103 people worked in 24 businesses in theprimary economic sector. A majority (61.2%) of the primary sector employees worked in very small businesses (less than ten employees). The remainder worked in 2 small businesses with a total of 40 employees. Thesecondary sector employed 6,403 workers in 371 separate businesses. In 2014 a total of 2,433 employees worked in 358 small companies (less than 50 employees). There were 13 mid sized businesses with 1,631 employees and 3 large businesses which employed 2,333 people (for an average size of 777.7). Finally, thetertiary sector provided 19,243 jobs in 2,626 businesses. In 2014 the tertiary sector numbers had increased by 606 and 20 respectively. In 2014 a total of 12,890 employees worked in 2,597 small companies (less than 50 employees). There were 45 mid sized businesses with 4,938 employees and 4 large businesses which employed 2,021 people (for an average size of 505.3).[30]
In 2014 a total of 1.3% of the population received social assistance.[10]
In 2015 local hotels had a total of 102,537 overnight stays, of which 52.6% were international visitors.[31] In 2015 there were two movie theaters in the municipality, with a total of 10 screens and a total of 1,816 available seats.[32] As of 2008[update], there are 102 restaurants, and 11 hotels with 445 beds. The catering industry in Schaffhausen employs 924 people.[24]
As of 2008[update] the mid year average unemployment rate was 2.5%. There were 1,879 non-agrarian businesses in the municipality and 29.9% of the (non-agrarian) population was involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 70.1% were involved in the third. At the same time, 67.1% of the working population was employed full-time, and 32.9% was employed part-time. There were 21,841 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which women made up 46.6% of the workforce. As of 2000[update] there were 10,019 residents who worked in the municipality, while 5,724 residents worked outside Schaffhausen and 8,026 people commuted into the municipality for work.[24]
Schaffhausen has an unemployment rate, as of 2007[update], of 2.67%. As of 2005[update], there were 196 people employed in theprimary economic sector and about 33 businesses involved in this sector. 6,488 people are employed in thesecondary sector and there are 293 businesses in this sector. 14,019 people are employed in thetertiary sector, with 1,486 businesses in this sector.[25]
Herblingen railway station in the north-east of Schaffhausen is served by the S24 of Zürich S-Bahn and local trains of Schaffhausen S-Bahn (S62), linking Schaffhausen station withThayngen andSingen (Hohentwiel), respectively.
Schaffhausen and the neighboring town ofNeuhausen am Rheinfall have an urban bus network of 9 lines, including onetrolleybus route (line 1), which replaced the formertram system. Since 2019, the other lines (3–10) are operated bybattery-powerd buses (Irizar) and diesel-powered buses. All routes except line 9 call at Schaffhausen railway station. Route 9 calls at Herblingen railway station. During weekends, there are night buses (designated as N#) operating after midnight. The urban bus routes, all operated byVerkehrsbetriebe Schaffhausen (vbsh),[36] are as follows:
Schaffhausen railway station – Mühlentor – Neuhausen Zentrum – Kreuzstrasse – Herbstäcker – Hohfluh – Wiesli – Schaffhausen railway station
One of the previous urban routes, line 12 to theRhine Falls, was the first route ever to feature a level 5 autonomous bus (2018–2019).[37]
In addition, there are several regional bus services that link Schaffhausen with villages in thecanton ofSchaffhausen, thecanton of Zürich and nearbyGerman territory. The regional bus services 21–25, lines 630 and 634 and all night bus services (designated with N#) all depart from the forecourt of Schaffhausen railway station:
TheA4 motorway connects Schaffhausen withZürich. The A4 continues northward toDonaueschingen/Singen (Hohentwiel) inGermany. Since 1996, the A4 runs through a tunnel, bypassing the town's center. There are three nearby exits along the A4:Schaffhausen Süd,Schaffhausen Nord andSchaffhausen Schweizersbild.
TheHauptstrasse 13 connects Schaffhausen with villages in the western part of the canton (Klettgau), through theGalgenbucktunnel which opened in 2019, and with villages along the Rhine east of Schaffhausen.
There are 35 buildings or sites in Schaffhausen that are listed as Swissheritage sites of national significance. This includes the entire old town of Schaffhausen, the city walls, the Giesserei +GF+ Werk I factory, the town and cantonal archives, theSchweizersbildPaleolithic cave and theHerblingen andGrüthaldeNeolithic settlements. Additionally, there are four formerguild houses and seven listed houses. There are only two listed religious buildings, the formerBenedictine All Saints Abbey and theChurch of St. John.[38]
Schaffhausen hosts some well-known industrial companies likeGeorg Fischer (piping systems, machine tools and automotives), internationally reputedmanufacturers ofwatches (IWC andH. Moser & Cie), pharmaceutical industry (Cilag, founded byBernhard Joos) and BB Biotech (biotechnologies).Tyco International,Garmin,Aptiv (purely for tax purposes), and cyber protection companyAcronis are also incorporated in Schaffhausen.
The town has two football teams,SV Schaffhausen, of the fourth-tierSwiss 1. Liga, andFC Schaffhausen, of the second-tierSwiss Challenge League. There is a football stadium in Breite, Schaffhausen which seats 4200 persons, known as the Breitestadion. It is also the training headquarters for local children's football teams.
There is ahandball team in Schaffhausen which plays in the first Swiss division:Kadetten Schaffhausen. They are centered at theBBC Arena on Schweizersbildstrasse. It seats 3600 persons, and was built in 2011. Kadetten has been very successful and has won the second most titles in the history of theSHL.
Florence Schelling (born 1989), ice hockey goaltender and three-time Olympian; first woman to be named general manager of a professional men's hockey team (SC Bern) in the world
^Compare:Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Schaffhausen (town)".Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. "[...] in 1050 we hear of the “ford” there across the Rhine. Hence it is probable that the name is really derived from scapha, a skid, as here goods coming from Constance were disembarked in consequence of the falls of the Rhine a little below."
^Compare:Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Schaffhausen (town)".Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press."Some writers, however, prefer the derivation from Schaf (a sheep), as a ram (now a sheep) formed the ancient arms of the town, derived from those of its founders, the counts of Nellenburg."
^"Zusammensetzung: Grosser Stadtrat" (official site) (in German). Schaffhausen, Switzerland: Stadt Schaffhausen. 29 November 2020. Retrieved18 February 2025.
![House zum Ritter [de] at Vordergasse 65, one of the listed houses](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aZum_Ritter_Schaffhausen.jpg)
![Mohrenbrunnen [de]: fountain statue depicting Caspar of the Biblical Magi](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aSchaffhausen_-_Mohrenbrunnen_01.jpg)
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