t The circular keep of the 16th-century Munot, now the symbol of Schaffhausen

Thanks to its location at the point where the falls forced ships to unload their cargoes, the town was an important centre of trade from the early Middle Ages. The streets of its Altstadt (Old Town) are lined with Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo buildings, such as the Haus zum Ritter, boasting frescoed façades and oriel windows. At the centre of its historic core lies Fronwagplatz, a square with two 16th-century fountains, the Metzgerbrunnen, topped by a statue of a mercenary, and the Mohrenbrunnen, with a statue of a Moorish king. A short walk to the southeast stands the austere Romanesque Münster, part of an 11th-century Benedictine abbey. The adjoining monastery is now home to a museum with prehistoric finds and Swiss art. The abbey cloisters hold the Schillerglocke, whose sound inspired German poet Friedrich Schiller to write the “Song of the Bell”. Above the town to the east lies the Munot, whose keep offers fine views of the town, the river and the countryside.

Experience Eastern Switzerland and Graubünden

t The town and the 11th-century Kirche St Johann, seen from the Munot fortress