The German Village Trapped in Switzerland
When I travel around the world - especially across Europe - I sometimes stumble across border misfits. Places that don’t quite fit where they’re meant to be, usually relics of some dusty treaty, forgotten land swap, or a war that changed someone’s mind halfway through drawing a line. Büsingen am Hochrhein is no different.
Tucked into the very top part of Switzerland, in that weird alcove bit that looks like someone’s cat jolted the computer mouse mid-boundary-drawing, Büsingen am Hochrhein is technically and politically German. But oddly, it's also part of the Swiss customs union. It hasn’t had a hard border since 1967 and it sits just 700 metres from the rest of Germany. I visited back in May 2024 and it was, in short, an odd place to visit.
Discovering Büsingen Am Hochrhein
Perched on the banks of the Rhine River, Büsingen am Hochrhein is easily accessible from Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland, which most people visit anyway for the mighty Rhine Falls, the largest waterfall in Europe. Schaffhausen itself is well worth your time, with some stunning sights and a very liveable feel. But if you find yourself with an extra couple of hours, a short ride over to Büsingen am Hochrhein is a worthwhile curiosity. Just outside Schaffhausen train station, there’s the number 25 bus to Petersburg that drives through Büsingen am Hochrhein. A return ticket will cost you 6 Swiss Francs. Ten minutes later, and you're in.
Entering from the west, the village welcomes you with a large German and Swiss flag standing side by side and an information board giving a brief overview of the place and a map to help you get your bearings.
Hop off the bus at the Bürgerhaus stop and you’re already in the heart of the exclave. The Rhine is just a short walk away, and the streets are lined with traditional houses interspersed with the occasional business. This is where the small clues begin to emerge that you’re actually in Germany. The postboxes, for instance, while yellow just like the ones in Switzerland, are stamped with the iconic black horn of Deutsche Post, a symbol that dates back to the days when mail was delivered by horse-drawn carriage, and heralded by the sound of a post horn. It's a subtle but telling nod to where you really are.
Wander a bit further to the eastern edge of the village and you’ll find Restaurant Waldheim. It sits exactly on the border. Their outdoor seating area is bisected by a white crossed line on the floor marking the divide. Some tables are even placed right across it, which means you could be dining in Switzerland while your friend eats in Germany. You can order your food from one side and your drinks from the other. It’s a fun novelty - but be warned, you’re still paying the Swiss prices that come with being inside the customs union. It wasn’t cheap.
Not long after that, I made my way back to Schaffhausen. My brief visit to Germany’s only exclave was over. But it left me with a bunch of questions: Why is this place even here? Why wasn’t it ever just absorbed into Switzerland? Surely that would’ve made more sense for everyone involved?
Why Büsingen Remains a German Exclave Today
To understand how Büsingen am Hochrhein ended up where and how it is today, you’ve got to go back over 300 years. In the late 17th century, this little village was under Austrian rule, and things took a dramatic turn when a bitter religious dispute erupted. The local lord of Büsingen am Hochrhein, who leaned heavily towards Catholicism, found himself on the wrong side of the Protestant majority in nearby Schaffhausen and was kidnapped and sentenced to life in prison. That understandably didn’t sit well with Austria, and after six tense years, he was finally released.
Fast forward a few decades, and Austria decided to sell its regional properties to Zurich. Except for Büsingen am Hochrhein. That tiny dot on the map was deliberately kept back, whether as a political gesture or just good old-fashioned stubbornness is up for debate, but the outcome was the same: Büsingen am Hochrhein stayed Austrian. So, when the patchwork of Austrian territories eventually merged into the German Empire in the 19th century, Büsingen am Hochrhein was swept along with the rest.
Switzerland, ever the practical one, attempted to iron things out after World War I. In 1919, they organised a referendum in Büsingen am Hochrhein, giving the locals a say in their future. Overwhelmingly, they voted to become Swiss - 96% in favour. But Germany declined. With nothing being offered in exchange, Germany opted to hold on to the village.
It wasn’t until 1967 that a solution finally surfaced. Instead of redrawing lines, Germany and Switzerland agreed to pull Büsingen am Hochrhein into the Swiss customs union. That meant no more border checkpoints or customs controls, and daily life became a bit less complicated for its residents. And that’s still how it functions today: politically German, but economically and logistically entwined with Switzerland.
It’s a unique little oddity nestled in the centre of Europe, and one that I really enjoyed visiting and researching. I find it fascinating how a grudge from over 300 years ago managed to outlive two world wars and a century of boundary reshuffles and survive into the 21st century.
And from the people I spoke to during my visit, they seemed genuinely content living in this tiny slice of geopolitical leftovers. And I suppose, in the end, that’s what really matters, right?
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I stopped by Büsingen am Hochrhein during my Northern Switzerland trip in May 2025. You can check out the full project in the gallery.