The canton of Schaffhausen, also canton of Schaffhouse (; ; ; ), is the northernmost canton of Switzerland. The principal city and capital of the canton is Schaffhausen. The canton's territory is divided into three non-contiguous segments, where German territory reaches the Rhine. The large central part, which includes the capital, in turn separates the German exclave of Büsingen am Hochrhein from the rest of Germany.
History
Two Paleolithic sites testify the presence of humans in the canton of Schaffhausen between 15,000 and 11,000 BC. The first one, Schweizersbild in the municipality of Schaffhausen, is a rock shelter and the site of a habitation, where several prehistoric artifacts were found. The second one, Kesslerloch, is a cave in the municipality of Thayngen, where artifacts and animal bones were unearthed. Several finds are on display at the Museum zu Allerheiligen in Schaffhausen.
During the Roman era, there used to be a city near present-day Schleitheim, whose name, Iuliomagus, is indicated in the Tabula Peutingeriana. The remains of a bath were discovered there based on the map, and are shown in a local museum.
Schaffhausen was a city-state in the Middle Ages; it is documented that it struck its own coins starting in 1045. It was then documented 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. In 1415, the Habsburg Duke Frederick IV of Austria sided with the Antipope John XXIII at the Council of Constance, and was banned by the Emperor Sigismund.
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 and Unterwalden) 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 Forces planes that accidentally strayed from Germany into neutral Switzerland.
The cantonal constitution was written in 1876 and revised in 1895. The distinctive coat of arms bears the Schaffhauser Bock (Billy Goat of Schaffhausen).
Geography
Schaffhausen is the northernmost canton of Switzerland and lies almost entirely on the right bank of the High Rhine, with only part of Stein am Rhein (Vor der Brugg) on the left bank. The northernmost village is Bargen. It lies west of Lake Constance and has a total area of .Canton Schaffhausen website, Geography . Retrieved 18 April 2009 Much of the canton is productive agricultural land, with (about 45%) of the canton used for agriculture while an additional (about 43%) is wooded. Most of the rest of the canton, (about 10%), is developed, while only (1.3%) of the canton is unproductive (rivers, lakes or mountains).
The canton's territory is divided into three non-contiguous segments where German territory reaches the High Rhine. The large central part, which includes the capital Schaffhausen, in turn partially (along with territory of two neighbouring cantons) separates the German exclave of Büsingen am Hochrhein from the rest of Germany. The small exclave of Rüdlingen-Buchberg lies to the southwest, and the third part contains Ramsen and Stein am Rhein to the east. With the exception of Vor der Brugg, part of Stein am Rhein, all three segments are separated from the rest of Switzerland by the Rhine. The two smaller islands of the Werd islands near Stein am Rhein are in the canton of Schaffhausen.
The canton of Schaffhausen is bordered by the Swiss cantons of Zurich and Thurgau, as well as the German districts of Waldshut, Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis and Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg. Schaffhausen shares a longer border with Germany than with the neighbouring Swiss cantons.
Most of the canton lies on a plateau dominated by the Randen. This range includes the Lange Rande and the Hage, the canton's highest point at . The slopes of the mountain range are gentle towards the south where it reaches the Rhine valley. Short and narrow valleys intersect these gentle slopes. The Klettgau is one such valley. The northeastern region of the canton's central part is also known as the Reiat.
The Rhine Falls are the largest waterfalls in Europe and lie on the border of the cantons of Schaffhausen and Zurich. Besides the Rhine, other rivers in the canton include the Biber, Durach and Klingengraben. The Wutach forms a small section of the cantonal border.
Municipalities
There are 26 municipalities in the canton .
Bargen Beggingen Beringen Buch Buchberg Büttenhardt Dörflingen Gächlingen Hallau Hemishofen Lohn Löhningen Merishausen Neuhausen am Rheinfall Neunkirch Oberhallau Ramsen Rüdlingen Schaffhausen Schleitheim Siblingen Stein am Rhein Stetten Thayngen Trasadingen Wilchingen
Merger In 1947, the municipality Buchthalen merged into Schaffhausen. In 1964, the municipality Herblingen merged into Schaffhausen. In 2004, the municipality Barzheim merged into Thayngen. In 2005, the municipality Osterfingen merged into Wilchingen. On 1 January 2009, the municipalities Altdorf, Bibern, Hofen, and Opfertshofen merged into Thayngen. In 2009, the municipality Hemmental merged into Schaffhausen. In 2013, the municipality Guntmadingen merged into Beringen.Nomenklaturen – Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz accessed 28 November 2017
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 language and Protestant faith predominate. The majority of the population () is Protestant (50%) while a large minority is Roman Catholic (24%).
Year 1850 1880 1900 1950 1970 2000 Population 35 300 38 241 41 514 57 515 72 854 73 392 Language German 38 117 40 290 55 257 61 518 64 323 Italian 39 886 1 490 6 682 1 897 French 149 264 529 553 370 Romansch 4 16 101 139 80 Other 39 58 138 3 962 6 722 Religion Protestant 33 880 33 897 34 046 44 408 46 772 37 025 Catholic 1 411 4 154 7 403 12 431 23 277 17 790 Chr. Catholic 275 192 83 Other 9 297 65 401 2 613 18 494 Nationality Swiss 33 938 33 963 33 860 53 950 58 907 58 290 Other 1 362 4 278 7 654 3 565 13 947 15 102
Politics Cantonal government The legislature is the Cantonal Council (Kantonsrat) of Schaffhausen, which consists of 60 members elected proportionally every four years. Until 2008, it consisted of 80 members.
The executive branch is the Government Council (Regierungsrat), which consists of 5 members elected every four years.
Federal election results + Percentage of the total vote per party in the canton in the Federal Elections 1971–2023 Party Ideology 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023 FDP.The Liberals Classical liberalism 33.1 40.1 32.3 26.2 34.3 28.6 31.9 40.1 29.1 26.7 12.3 12.9 11.0 12.2 The Centre (former CVP/PDC/PPD/PCD) Christian democracy 8.0 * * 6.3 * * * * 2.7 * 5.2 * 2.1 2.6 SP/PS Social democracy 40.2 37.2 35.3 35.4 39.2 34.2 37.8 33.6 39.7 34.2 34.6 28.8 26.2 27.4 SVP/UDC Swiss nationalism * * 21.1 22.6 23.5 19.2 20.4 26.0 28.5 39.1 39.9 45.3 39.5 39.1 Ring of Independents Social liberalism 12.2 16.6 * 5.6 * * * * * * * * * * EVP/PEV Christian democracy * * 6.3 * * * * * * * * * 1.9 2.5 POCH Progressivism * 6.1 4.1 2.7 * * * * * * * * * * GPS/PES Green politics * * * * * * * * * * * 3.4 6.8 4.8 GPL/PVL Green liberalism * * * * * * * * * * * * 5.9 6.8 FGA Feminist * * * * * 3.9 * * * * * * * * SD/DS National conservatism 6.4 * * * * * * * * * * * * * EDU/UDF Christian right * * * * 3.0 2.7 * * * * 3.8 5.1 FPS/PSL Right-wing populism * * * * * 11.4 8.6 * * * * * Other * * 0.9 1.2 * * 1.4 * * * 4.3 4.4 Voter participation % 78.7 74.1 75.1 73.7 69.6 69.0 64.4 61.9 63.2 65.3 60.8 62.6 59.6 61.6 FDP before 2009, FDP.The Liberals after 2009 "*" indicates that the party was not on the ballot in this canton. + National Councillors (Nationalrat/ -rätin) of Schaffhausen 2023–2027 Councillor Party part of the National Council since no. of votes Linda De Ventura SP 2024 Thomas Hurter SP 2007
Compulsory voting Swiss citizens who live in the canton of Schaffhausen are required to vote in elections. Compulsory voting never existed on the national level in Switzerland. It was introduced in several cantons starting in the late 19th century. In 1974, it was abolished everywhere except in Schaffhausen. Citizens who do not vote have to pay a small fine.
Economy Schaffhausen is a part of the Zurich metropolitan area (Greater Zurich area) and the canton's economy is well integrated with that of the wider region.
Well-regarded white Riesling wine is grown here as well as several other varieties.Canton Schaffhausen website, Wine Production . Retrieved 18 April 2009 The main industries, however, are the production of machinery and metal goods. There is also watch making and jewellery. Minor industrial branches are textiles, leather goods, glass, cement, paper and chemicals.Canton Schaffhausen website- Economic Promotion . Retrieved 18 April 2009 There is also the Falken AG brewery, founded in 1799.
At Rheinau there is a hydro electrical power plant generating electricity for the canton and for export. Major electricity customers are the chemical industry in Rheinfelden and the aluminium plant at Neuhausen am Rheinfall. The city of Schaffhausen also uses much of the electricity produced at Rheinau.
Schaffhausen lies on the busy Milan-Zürich-Stuttgart rail line which is serviced by trains from both the Swiss Federal Railways and German Railways.
The largest companies are ABB Schweiz AG, Johnson Controls, TE Connectivity, SIG, Georg Fischer AG, IWC Schaffhausen, Unilever, Syntegon and Cilag AG (Johnson & Johnson).
Transportation Rail and bus services operate within the .
Bus
The neighboring towns of Schaffhausen and Neuhausen am Rheinfall share a municipal bus network with frequent services (see: urban buses in Schaffhausen and Neuhausen).
There are several regional bus services that link towns and villages in the canton of Schaffhausen with each other or with towns in the adjacent canton of Zürich and nearby German territory, respectively. Bus services , , , , and lines and (the latter two to villages in the northern part of canton of Zürich) all depart from the forecourt of Schaffhausen railway station in Schaffhausen. In addition, bus line () connects villages in the eastern part of the canton of Schaffhausen with Singen (Hohentwiel) (some courses continue to Konstanz) in Germany.Fahrplan 7349 für den Kanton Schaffhausen gültig vom 09.12.2018 bis 14.12.2019 Line 675Rafz - Flaach - Henggart (Linie 675) connects the villages of Rüdlingen and Buchberg in the southern part of the canton of Schaffhausen with Rafz and Henggart (both are in the canton of Zürich), respectively. Route 825 links Stein am Rhein in the eastern part of the canton of Schaffhausen with Frauenfeld, the capital of the canton of Thurgau. Lines , , , , , and are operated by Verkehrsbetriebe Schaffhausen (vbsh), while routes , , , and are operated by Postauto, and line () is run by .
The regional bus lines are as follows (railway stations in bold letters):