A Short History of the City of Schaffhausen
View of Schaffhausen from the West, c. 1850.
Schaffhausen owes its existence to the favourable site
on the banks of the river Rhine. All goods shipped on the river from Lake
Constance in the direction of Basle and vice versa had to be unloaded and
transported overland to by-pass the Rhine-Falls. A staple market arose
near the wharf and a settlement developed at the crossroad where trade
routes from Klettgau and Hegau met the road to the landing place below the
waterfall. Trade and commerce were the foundations of the growing city.
On 10 July 1045 King and later Emperor Heinrich III. bestowed upon Count Eberhard von Nellenburg the right to mint and issue coins in “villa Scafhusun”.
The imperial deed, an impressive parchment sheet with the kings seal, is the oldest surviving document that features the city’s name. It is now one of the greatest treasures of the city’s archives. It may be assumed that the settlement by this time already held market rights and was protected by a wall or a rampart.
The next step was the founding of a monastery by Count Eberhard in 1049. The cloister was sanctified to the Saviour and All Saints and was growing rapidly. During the reform movement of Cluny in the 11th and 12th century it became one of the most influential German monasteries along with Hirsau and St. Blasien. By 1218 Schaffhausen was an imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire.
Tomb of Eberhard von Nellenburg his wife Ita and their son Burkhart. 12th century. Museum zu Allerheiligen, Schaffhausen.
View of the cloister. Drawing by H. C. Lang, c. 1600.
Silver goblets from the treasury of the guilds, 17th-18th centuries.
Under Habsburg Rule
The relations between Schaffhausen and the Habsburgs were most important for the development of the city during the Middle Ages. In 1330 King Ludwig pledged Schaffhausen to the house Habsburg-Austria. Under Habsburg rule the city’s military and economic potential was stressed to its limits. At the end of the 14th century Schaffhausen was heavily in dept and several distinguished families had either left or had become extinct owing to the disastrous fights against the Swiss Confederates. Not until the beginning of the 15th century the citizens were able to reclaim their civic liberties. In 1411 the guilds passed the first constitution of the city that defined the political structures for almost four centuries.
The Swiss Confederation
After Schaffhausen had regained its status as an imperial city in 1415 it came under permanent pressure from the Habsburgs who tried to resume power. It were these circumstances that led to the first alliance with the Swiss Confederates in 1454. After half a century of partnership and the loyal support of the Swiss during the war against the Swabians, Schaffhausen finally entered the Confoederatio Helvetica in 1501.
Schaffhausen joining the Swiss Confederation. Charter of 1501.
At the beginning of the 16th century the Reformation took hold of Schaffhausen. In 1529 the council declared the city reformed. A few years before that the last abbot of the monastery Allerheiligen converted the cloister into a convent and handed it over to the city. All the time from the Middle Ages to the 18th century the city strived to enlarge its territory. A lot of villages and settlements already belonged to the city state when in 1524 the cloister was secularized. This led to the accession of Merishausen, Neuhausen and Hemmental. In 1724 finally the city gained the sovereignty over the villages on the hills of the Reiat.
Centuries of Civic Pride
At the time Schaffhausen became a full member of the Swiss Confederation
the structural design of the town was nearly finished. The area of today’s
historic center hasn’t changed much ever since. The richer citizens took
pride in their sumptuous houses. They built oriel windows, had the facades
painted by local artists and some attached glass paintings to their
windows. The fountains were adorned with figures. The main artists were
Tobias Stimmer (1539-1584) and Daniel Lindtmayer (1552-1602). Whereas the
latter was most famous for his glass paintings, Stimmer also painted the
frescos at the “Haus zum Ritter” on the city’s main street, the
astronomical clock in Strassburg and the residence of the margrave of
Baden-Baden. Today he is regarded one of the most influential artists
north of the Alps. In the course of the 16th to 18th centuries many houses
were redesigned, most of the oriel windows were adorned with the arms of
the owners. A lot of interiors were decorated with figurative stucco
ceilings.
Frescoes by Tobias Stimmer at the façade of the Haus zum Ritter. Drawing by J. J. Beck, c. 1850.
View of Schaffhausen with Munot, wharf and Rhine bridge. Lithograph by J.-L. Deroy and Th. Muller, 1850.
The Decline of the “Anciene régime
In 1798 the old order collapsed. For a few years in a row Schaffhausen was plagued by foreign troops: Frenchmen, Austrians and Russians who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. The new constitution of 1831 put an end to the city’s dominance over its territories. The villages became independent communities with equal rights. The old city-walls, gates and towers were taken down. But the first half of the 19th century was overshadowed by depression and poverty. The suspension of the shipping privilege on the Rhine and the entry of neighboring Baden into the German tariff union accelerated the decline. In view of the desperate economic situation many poor citizens decided to leave home and seek their fortune in North-America or Brazil.
The Industrial Boom
A turn for the better came with industrial pioneers like Heinrich Moser or Friedrich Peyer Im Hof. They encouraged and accomplished the use of the Rhine’s hydropower and linked the city to the railway network. New enterprises sprung up along the river. In less than five decades Schaffhausen grew into one of the industrial centers of Switzerland. SIG, Georg Fischer +GF+, Alusuisse, IWC and IVF Hartmann are just some of the companies that still have worldwide reputation. After the introduction of electricity it was no longer necessary to build energy consuming plants on the banks of the river. Large factories were constructed outside the old town and the inflow of workers from abroad resulted in a drastic growth of population. By the end of the 19th century suburbs were built to house labourers and clerks.
Steel works of Georg Fischer AG (+GF+), ca. 1930.
Schaffhausen burning after the bombing, 1944.
The Second World War
Being a border district the Canton Schaffhausen experienced the threat of neighboring Nazi Germany very intensely. Internally there were strong frictions between the fascist “National Front” and opposing Social Democrats and Communists. The “Frontists” lost influence after the beginning of the war and dissolved in 1940. On 1 April 1944 the city was mistakenly bombed by American Forces. The unfortunate attack had severe consequences: 40 people lost their lives, numerous houses and factories were demolished or damaged. Several bombs hit the museum where most of the precious Stimmer paintings went up in flames. The Museum of Natural History was totally destroyed.
The post-war period brought the economic recovery. The general income rose and class distinctions lessened. The constant growth plus the incorporation of Buchthalen (in 1947) and Herblingen (in 1964) steadily raised the population figure. Today the city counts approximately 34.000 inhabitants. Whereas the municipal area changed heavily due to the rising volume of traffic and building boom, the historic center remained largely unaltered. Thanks to careful regulations for the preservation of monuments and historic buildings the visitor still experiences the sense of medieval Schaffhausen.
Birdseye-view of the city, 1982