The Enclaves of Switzerland
24 April 2023
The borders of cantons in Switzerland have the pattern of a patchwork. If, for example, you take a ride by car or bike south of Lac Morat/Murtensee, you find yourself alternately in the cantons of Vaud, Fribourg or Bern.
Even in other regions, the boundaries of the cantons are often erratic. The origins of these borders date back to the Middle Ages and the 16th century and the fixing of the boundaries of the (new) cantons in the Napoleonic era (1803-1813) and the New Confederation of 1815. Whole or partial enclaves are no exception. However, these are Swiss territories.
The Swiss territory on the right bank of the Rhine is also remarkable and has its origins in the Middle Ages. The canton of Schaffhausen lies mainly on the right bank of the Rhine, a kind of Swiss enclave in Baden-Württemberg. Only the cantons Basel-Stadt and Zurich have territory on this right bank. (and perhaps Diepoldsau (canton St. Gall along the Old Rhine (der Alte Rhine, the frontier with Austria). Furthermore, the Rhine has been the land border with Germany since Napoleonic times.
However, Switzerland also has a German (Büsingen in the canton of Schaffhausen) and an Italian (Campione in the canton of Tessin) enclave.
Büsingen
A few kilometres from Schaffhausen, the German village of Büsingen lies on the Rhine. On the other side of the Rhine are the cantons of Thurgau and Zurich. After a few minutes on the bike, however, one is back in Switzerland. Of course, the Enclaveweg is not missing!
The village’s appearance is Swiss, and 95% of the working population works in Switzerland. Only the number plate, bus stop, banks and letterboxes are German. However, the telephone area code (052 for Switzerland and 07734 for Germany) and the postal code (CH-8238) and German (D-78266) are shared, as were Swiss and German telephone booths in the past.
Julian Fleischer/ Wikipedia
History
The presence of Habsburg was also significant in this case. Until the Napoleonic era, Habsburg was represented in southern Germany as large landowners, German kings, and emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. Büsingen was owned by the Habsburgs. Schaffhausen made several unsuccessful attempts to acquire the village in the 18th century.
Dörflingen. Zurich bought the nearby village of Dörflingen from Habsburg. Canton Schaffhausen acquires the village in 1798 during the Helvetische Republiek (1798-1803). Büsingen is a German enclave eversince.
The Kingdom of Württemberg acquired the village in 1805 (Treaty of Pressburg/Bratislava), and in 1810 the Grand Duchy of Baden acquired the town. After World War I (1914-1918), the village fell under the Weimar Republic, although 96% of Büsingen’s inhabitants voted to join the Swiss Confederation in 1918. However, Switzerland refused accession (as the country ignored the wish of the inhabitants of Vorarlberg in 1919).
Since World War II (1939-1945), the village has been part of the state of Baden-Württemberg. Since 1964, a state treaty regulates the most practical legal, social and fiscal issues for the approximately 1,500 inhabitants and a customs union with Switzerland. However, the legal situation sometimes remains complicated as German and Swiss laws are applicable.
St. Michaels Church (Bergkirche St. Michael), 11th century
The Old Mill (die Alte Mühle)
The introduction of the euro further complicates the situation. About 95% of the workforce works in Switzerland and receives salaries in Swiss francs. However, they pay taxes in Germany after conversion into DM and, from 2002, into euro. Since the DM has depreciated about 55% and the euro almost 20% against the Swiss currency since 2002, the tax burden is much higher while the price level is Swiss.
Campione and the San Salvatore
Campione
Campione d’Italia, a municipality on Lake Lugano in the province of Como, has a similar problem. Since 1 January 2020, this municipality no longer has a customs union with Switzerland, and the rise in the Swiss franc was one of the causes of the problem for the casino, its principal employer. From 2002, revenues were in euros, and salaries were in Swiss francs.
History
The village of Campione was owned by the Benedictine monastery of Sant’Ambrogio in Milan from 789 (!) until 1797. Napoleon annexed the municipality to the Cisalpine Republic (1797-1805) in 1797. In 1861, the commune became part of the Kingdom of Italy. As an Italian municipality in neutral Switzerland, Campione made the (wise) decision not to recognise Mussolini’s Repubblica Sociale Italiana (the infamous Repubblica de Salò) in 1944.
Conclusion
Today, the two enclaves are a curiosity rather than a source of potential conflict. Practical day-to-day affairs are settled. Although one privilege of Campione residents ends: the province of Como no longer reimburses expensive Swiss health insurance. Residents must pay for it themselves or buy Italian insurance, just as cars have had to be registered in Como since 2020.
On the other hand, football unites: the local football clubs FC Büsingen and Campionese are the only German and Italian clubs in the Swiss football league.
(Source: Historisches Lexicon der Schweiz: M. Dubini, Campione d’Italia und F. Götz, Büsingen)
Santa Maria dei Ghirli (674) and its wall paintings (13th-18th centuries).
The chapel Oratorio de San Pietro (1148)
Campione