Schaffhausen

Infobox Swiss town
subject_name = Schaffhausen
municipality_name = Schaffhausen
municipality_type = City
imagepath_coa = Wappen_Schaffhausen.png|pixel_coa=

---

languages = German
canton = Schaffhausen
iso-code-region = CH-SH
district = n.a.
lat_d=47|lat_m=42|lat_NS=N|long_d=8|long_m=38|long_EW=E
postal_code = 8200
municipality_code = 2939
area = 31.00
elevation = 403|elevation_description=
population = 33527|populationof = March 2005 | popofyear = 2005
website = www.stadt-schaffhausen.ch
mayor = Marcel Wenger|mayor_asof=2008|mayor_party=FDP
mayor_title = Stadtpräsident|list_of_mayors = List of mayors of Schaffhausen
places =
demonym =
neighboring_municipalities= Beringen, Büsingen am Hochrhein (DE-BW), Büttenhardt, Dörflingen, Feuerthalen (ZH), Flurlingen (ZH), Hemmental, Merishausen, Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Stetten, Thayngen
twintowns = Sindelfingen (Germany), Singen am Hohentwiel (Germany), Dobric (Bulgaria)|Infobox Former Country
native_name = "Reichsstadt Schaffhausen"
conventional_long_name = Imperial City of Schaffhausen
common_name = Schaffhausen|
continent = Europe
region = Alps
country = Switzerland
era = Middle Ages
status = City-state
empire = Holy Roman Empire
government_type = Republic|
year_start = 1218
year_end = 1501
life_span = 1218 – 1330
1415 – 1501|
event_start = Gained "Reichsfreiheit"
date_start =
event1 = Pledged to Habsburgs
date_event1 = 1330
event2 = Bought independence
date_event2 = 1415
event3 = Associate member of
Swiss Confederacy
date_event3 =
1454
event_end = Joined Switzerland
date_end =
event_post = Independence recognised
date_post = 1648|
p1 = All Saints' Abbey (Baden-Württemberg)
image_p1 =
s1 = Canton of Schaffhausen
image_s1 = |
capital = Schaffhausen|
footnotes =

Schaffhausen (German: Audio|De-Schaffhausen.ogg|Schaffhausen) 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.

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 Air Force had shot down an American bomber.

Industry

Schaffhausen hosts some well-known industrial companies ( [http://www.georgfischer.ch Georg Fischer] ) in piping systems, machine tools and automotives, one internationally-reputed watches manufacturer (IWC), and pharmaceutical industry (Cilag, founded by Bernhard Joos).

See also

* Cholfirst Radio Tower
* List of mayors of Schaffhausen
* Bombing of Schaffhausen in World War II

External links

* [http://www.stadt-schaffhausen.ch City of Schaffhausen] de icon
* [http://www.schaffhausen-tourismus.ch/en/welcome.cfm Schaffhausen Tourism]
* [http://www.stadtarchiv-schaffhausen.ch/ City archives] de icon
*commonscat-inline|Schaffhausen
* [http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj00/sum00/helmreich.html U.S. Bombings of Switzerland during World War II]