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Curiosity
The ups and downs of history have produced a very strange situation in the German – or is it Swiss? – village of Büsingen. In fact, when in Büsingen, it is difficult to know which country you are in. The village belongs to the German State of Bade-Würtemberg but it is also in an enclave of the Swiss Canton of Schaffhausen. The village post office shows both the German and Swiss signs, as do the bus stops and the telephone boxes. Everything is double. Büsingen is the only German village where people spend Swiss francs and that you enter by crossing the border from Germany to Switzerland!
This particularity dates back to 1770, when Austria sold all the surrounding villages to the Canton of Zurich, keeping only Büsingen, which later became part of Bade-Würtemberg.
Two kilometres from Büsingen, back on EuroVelo 6, I came across a little riverside bistro, always a welcome sight for cycle tourists. The owner described the funny side of Büsingen’s situation, as well as some of the drawbacks. For example, the border is only open during the day – is everyone meant to go to bed at 10 o’clock? (cf. slide show)