Michelle Meenawong Art Collections

Schaffhausen

On 10 July 1045, the «Villa Scafhusun» was granted the right to coin money and the city was mentioned for the first time. An old city with 171 bay windows and artistically painted facades, a majestic fortress above the town, with a guard who has been ensuring law and order since 1377. A visit to the city of Schaffhausen is like a journey through time. The city of Schaffhausen came into being at the location where trading ships had to set anchor because the Rhine Falls made it impossible to travel further. And if it weren't for modern people, shops and electric light in the narrow streets of the Old Town, one might imagine having been transported back to those times. Many of the town houses with the richly painted facades and the innumerable bay windows were built in the Renaissance period. The city's landmark, the Munot, towers high above the town. The ring-shaped fortress was built in the 16th century. The position of the guard is even older than the fortress itself. The list of guards dates back to the year 1377, and it is nearly complete. Today, Schaffhausen is one of the best-preserved towns from the Middle Ages. Take a right up there at the corner, walk along the narrov alley past the big arch. Visitors who venture out inte the alleyways to discover the splendid houses and fountains will believe they are in another age. And at times, it seems as if the bustling and jostling, the noise and the clattering, 1000 years ago still filss the air. Munot, Schaffhausen’s landmark, the colourful Haus zum Ritter, Münster zu Allerheiligen (All Saints’ Minster) as well as the International Watch Company (IWC) and also the Rhine with its river scenery are some of the highlights of a visit to Schaffhausen.