Switzerland7-Northeastern Switzerland - John Covey - University of ...

270
NORTHEASTERN SWITZERLAND SCHAFFHAUSEN
8 Information
The tourist region of Ostschweiz (Eastern
Switzerland) unites several easterly Swiss
cantons and Liechtenstein (p320). Information
can be found on the pages of Switzerland
Tourism (www.myswitzerland.com) or the
offi cial website of Ostschweiz Tourismus
(http://ostschweiz.ch).
8 Getting There & Around
This area lies between Zürich and
Friedrichshafen (Germany) airports and can be
conveniently reached from either by public or
private transport. Road and rail link Zürich with
Schaff hausen, Stein am Rhein, St Gallen and
even Linthal (for Braunwald). Alternatively, a
ferry crosses the lake from Friedrichshafen
to Romanshorn, which also has good car and
train links.
Several areas, such as the Bodensee region
around Lake Constance and Appenzell, off er
regional passes. For details, see the individual
sections.
SCHAFFHAUSEN CANTON
Cyclists love touring this relatively fl at
region, and lower-end accommodation is
booked up swiftly on weekends. Excellent
public transport and manageable distances
make it an easy day trip from Zürich too.
Schaff hausen
POP 34,600 / ELEV 404M
Schaff hausen is the kind of quaint medieval
town one more readily associates with
Germany – no coincidence, given how close
it is to the border. Ornate frescos and oriel
bay windows grace the pastel-coloured houses
lining the pedestrian-only Altstadt (Old
Town). The city’s signature fortress, the circular
Munot, lords over a vineyard-streaked hill.
During WWII, Allied pilots ‘mistook’
Schaff hausen for Germany, dropping bombs
on the outskirts twice in April 1944 and
giving it the dubious honour of being the
only bit of Swiss soil to take a direct hit
during the war.
1 Sights
Opening hours are given for high season
(April through October); many sights have
reduced hours at other times.
Vorstadt NEIGHBOURHOOD
Schaff hausen is often nicknamed the Erkerstadt
because of its 170 Erkers (oriel bay
windows), which citizens built as a display
of wealth. One of the most noteworthy
windows belongs to the 17th-century Zum
Goldenen Ochsen (Vorstadt 17), whose frescoed
facade displays, among other things,
an eponymous Golden Ox. The 16th-century
Zum Grossen Käfig (Vorstadt 45) presents
an extraordinarily colourful tale of the parading
of Turkish sultan Bajazet in a cage
by the triumphant Mongol warrior leader
Tamerlane. The centuries-old frescos were
freshened up in 1906.
A block east, the eye-catching Haus zum
Ritter (Vordergasse 65), built in 1492, boasts a
detailed Renaissance-style fresco depicting,
you guessed it, a knight.
Fronwagplatz SQUARE
Vorstadt meanders south past the 16thcentury
Mohrenbrunnen (Moor Fountain)
into the old market place, Fronwagplatz. At
the southern end stands the Metzgerbrunnen
(Butcher’s Fountain) and there’s also a
William Tell–type fi gure and a large clock
tower. Facing the latter is the late baroque
Herrenstube (Fronwagplatz 3), which was
built in 1748 and was once the drinking hole
of Schaff hausen nobles.
Allerheiligen Münster CATHEDRAL
(All Saints’ Cathedral; Münsterplatz; h10amnoon
& 2-5pm Tue-Sun) Schaff hausen’s church
was completed in 1103 and is a rare and
largely intact specimen of the Romanesque
style in Switzerland. It opens to a beautifully
simple cloister (h7.30am-8pm Mon-
Fri, from 9am Sat & Sun), which has gardens
that seem like a tangled forest. The herbal
garden out back has been tended since the
Middle Ages.
Walk through the cloister to reach the
Museum zu Allerheiligen (www.allerheiligen
.ch; Baumgartenstrasse 6; adult/child Sfr9/free;
h11am-5pm Tue-Sun), showcasing treasures
from antique cameos to Schaff hausen
fossils and Etruscan gold jewellery. The art
collection contains works by Otto Dix, Lucas
Cranach the Elder and contemporary Swiss
artists.
FMunot FORTRESS
(h8am-8pm May-Sep, 9am-5pm Oct-Apr) East
of the Haus zum Ritter, Vordergasse becomes
Unterstadt, where you’ll fi nd stairs
through vineyards to the 16th-century
fortress. The unusual circular battlements
were built with forced labour following the
Reformation. Climb the spiral staircase