Moving in the canton of Schaffhausen – city, Neuhausen and Klettgau

Schaffhausen forms the northernmost tip of Switzerland. Apart from a small part of Stein am Rhein, the canton lies north of the Rhine and is almost entirely surrounded by Germany; it in turn encloses the German exclave of Büsingen on the Hochrhein. Of its total border length of 185.4 kilometres, 151.8 are shared with Germany, just 23.2 with canton Zurich and 10.4 with Thurgau.

Randen, Reiat and Klettgau

The Randen, an offshoot of the Jura and the Swabian Alb, gives the canton its hilly character. Its heights are largely wooded; after the Jura, Schaffhausen is the most heavily forested canton. Its highest point is 912 m above sea level at the Hagen, its lowest 344 m above sea level on the Rhine near Buchberg. To the east lies the equally hilly Reiat, and south of the Randen the flat Klettgau valley with its vineyards and arable farming.

The Randen and Reiat are cut through by several valleys, some of them steep, such as the Merishausertal, the Bibertal or the Wangental. For addresses on these slopes we clarify the vehicle size and carrying route during the survey; in the flat Klettgau, the parking space in front of the house matters more.

From the Rhine Falls to the Untersee

The Rhine leaves the Untersee at Stein am Rhein and flows through all three parts of the canton. At the Rhine Falls, the waterfall with the second-largest flow in continental Europe, it plunges 23 metres. The Neuhausen power station uses this drop to generate electricity, and above the town the Engeweiher, Switzerland's first pumped-storage power plant, was built between 1907 and 1909.

The two largest municipalities lie close together on the Rhine: for a move in Schaffhausen or as your removals company for Neuhausen am Rheinfall, we plan the stopping place and parking reservation individually for each address. At the geographical centre of the canton in Beringen lies a 3.5-tonne glacial boulder.

Closely linked with Zurich

The canton belongs to the Zurich metropolitan region and is closely tied to its neighbouring canton economically. From the middle of the 19th century until around 1970, SIG, Georg Fischer and Alusuisse dominated heavy industry; today ABB, IWC, Garmin and Cilag, among others, are based in the canton. For businesses, as a removals company we handle:

• Office relocations outside business hours
• Furniture assembly of workstations at the new location
• Furniture storage for staggered move-ins
• Disposal of furniture no longer needed

Many Gemeinden (municipalities) are very small, which has led to mergers, such as Altdorf, Bibern, Hofen and Opfertshofen joining Thayngen in 2009, or Guntmadingen joining Beringen in 2013. If you are looking for an address in a former village, you will now often find it under the name of the larger municipality.

Wine growing and a dry climate

After Zurich, Schaffhausen is the second-largest wine-growing area in German-speaking Switzerland, with mainly Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir) grapes growing on around 500 hectares. The town and the Klettgau lie in the rain shadow of the Black Forest, the Randen and the Reiat; at 863 mm a year, the town's rainfall is among the lowest in Switzerland. That is no promise for your moving day, but it is a pleasant starting point. On request we also move on Saturdays, with no Saturday surcharge.

Frequently asked questions

Who is responsible for cleanliness at the flat handover in canton Schaffhausen?
With final cleaning and handover guarantee, our cleaning team is: it attends the handover to the landlord or property management and fixes any complaints immediately and free of charge. That removes the need for a second inspection, whether you are handing back a city flat near the Munot, a terraced house in Beringen or a house in the Reiat.

How does a move to Büsingen differ from a move to Germany?
Büsingen am Hochrhein belongs politically to Germany but lies within the Swiss customs territory. Household goods from Switzerland therefore do not have to be cleared through customs as they would for a move to the rest of Germany. Registration, on the other hand, follows German law and is handled by the municipality of Büsingen; it is best to clarify this before moving day.

What do movers watch out for on the route between Schaffhausen, Stein am Rhein, Rüdlingen and Buchberg?
That the loaded van stays on Swiss soil. Because the canton is almost entirely surrounded by Germany, the shortest route between two Schaffhausen municipalities can cross German territory, which would trigger customs formalities. We plan such journeys via roads in canton Zurich or Thurgau and include the distance in the quote.

Where does my furniture go if the new flat in canton Schaffhausen becomes available later?
To our furniture storage, where your belongings for canton Schaffhausen are kept dry, climate-controlled and alarm-protected. If there are a few days or weeks between moving out and moving in, we collect your household goods, store them and deliver them to the new address on the agreed date, for example in Thayngen or Beringen. Charges are based on volume and storage period.

When should I mention a piano for a move in canton Schaffhausen?
Ideally with your enquiry, at the latest during the survey. We then check the width of the stairs, landings and doors, especially in an old-town house, and plan carriers and equipment accordingly. Piano transport costs from CHF 250.–; where the staircase is too narrow, a furniture lift can be the gentler solution.

What exactly is charged for a move from Zurich to Schaffhausen?
The actual working time in 15-minute increments, with a minimum of three hours, including the journey from Wallisellen. Furniture assembly, protective material and insurance are already included. If you want a fixed framework, you receive a flat rate or a cost ceiling after the survey; all amounts are exclusive of VAT.

What preparation does a laboratory move at a Schaffhausen industrial company need?
A list of equipment with dimensions, weight and location, plus a plan of the new rooms. We pack measuring instruments and computers individually in protective material and transport them securely; your specialist staff prepare chemicals and samples for transport themselves. To keep work disruption to a minimum, we move in the evening or at the weekend and set everything up according to plan.

What support do seniors get when moving house in canton Schaffhausen?
An unhurried on-site survey, during which we decide together which furniture comes along to the smaller flat. Anything that no longer has a place, we take away for disposal. At the destination our carpenters assemble beds and wardrobes and arrange everything according to your plan, including final cleaning of the old flat if you wish.