Stein am Rhein is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.
The town has a well-preserved medieval centre, retaining the ancient street
plan. The site of the city wall, and the city gates are preserved, though the
former city wall now consists of houses. The medieval part of the town has been
pedestrianised and many of the medieval buildings are painted with beautiful
frescoes. History
In or around 1007 Emperor Henry II moved St George's Abbey from its former
location on the Hohentwiel in Singen to Stein am Rhein, at that time little more
than a small fishing village on the Rhine. This was in order to strengthen
his presence at this strategic point where major road and river routes
intersected. He gave the abbots extensive rights over Stein and its
trade so that they could develop it commercially. In this they were very
successful, and Stein am Rhein rapidly became a flourishing and prosperous town
which in the 15th century was itself granted reichsfrei status.
The Imperial abbey also prospered and in the 15th century completely rebuilt its
premises, which remain as a significant example of late Gothic architecture in
the region. Under the Reformation however the abbey
was secularised and its assets taken over by Zürich. Abbot von Winkelsheim
negotiated a settlement with the Zürich authorities, whereby, although control
of the abbey was handed over to them, he and the remaining monks would be allowed
to remain on the premises until their deaths. Zürich however suspected the
abbot of collusion with the Habsburgs and locked him up in his new rooms. He
was able to escape to Radolfzell, but died shortly after, in 1526.
Stein am Rhein was the birthplace of Johann Heynlin, who introduced the first
printing press into France. On February 22, 1945, the town was
bombed by Allied airplanes. Coat of arms
The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Gules St. George armoured Azure
mulleted, haired and haloed Or riding a Horse Argent to sinister holding in
sinister an escutcheon Argent cross Gules and in dexter a lance Or killing a
Dragon Vert. This is a reference to the monastery of St. George in the town. The
coat of arms bears similarity to Coat of arms of Moscow.
Geography Stein am Rhein has an area, as of 2006,
of 5.8 km2. Of this area, 29.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 42.4%
is forested. Of the rest of the land, 22% is settled and the remainder is
non-productive. The municipalities of Hemishofen and
Stein am Rhein are considering a merger for some time in the future into a new
municipality, whose name is not yet decided.
Demographics Stein am Rhein has a population of
3,189, of which 20.6% are foreign nationals. Of the foreign population,,
38.6% are from Germany, 6.9% are from Italy, 3.2% are from Croatia, 12.8% are
from Serbia, 10.8% are from Macedonia, 1.8% are from Turkey, and 25.8% are from
another country. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate
of -1.2%. Most of the population speaks German, with Serbo-Croatian being second
most common and Albanian being third. The age distribution of the population
is children and teenagers make up 19.2% of the population, while adults make up
59.2% and seniors make up 21.5%. In the 2007 federal election the most
popular party was the SVP which received 42% of the vote. The next two most
popular parties were the SP, and the FDP In Stein am Rhein about 75% of the
population have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education
or additional higher education. In Stein am Rhein, as of 2007, 1.65% of the
population attend kindergarten or another pre-school, 5.66% attend a
Primary School, 3.08% attend a lower level Secondary School, and 2.13% attend
a higher level Secondary School. As of 2000, 25.1% of the population
belonged to the Roman Catholic Church and 50.6% belonged to the Swiss Reformed
Church. The historical population is given in
the following table: Economy
Stein am Rhein has an unemployment rate of 1.74%. As of 2005, there were 61
people employed in the primary economic sector and about 14 businesses involved
in this sector. 553 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 45
businesses in this sector. 856 people are employed in the tertiary sector,
with 172 businesses in this sector. As of 2008 the mid year average
unemployment rate was 2.1%. There were 217 non-agrarian businesses in the
municipality and 38.6% of the population was involved in the secondary sector of
the economy while 61.4% were involved in the third. At the same time, 71.1% of
the working population was employed full-time, and 28.9% was employed
part-time. There were 1552 residents of the municipality who were employed in
some capacity, of which females made up 44.1% of the workforce. As of 2000 there
were 644 residents who worked in the municipality, while 714 residents worked
outside Stein am Rhein and 625 people commuted into the municipality for work.
As of 2008, there are 16 restaurants, and 10 hotels with 435 beds. The
hospitality industry in Stein am Rhein employs 105 people.
Transport Stein am Rhein railway station is
situated on the opposite bank of the Rhine to the historic centre of the
town, a walk of some 500 m. It is served by services to Schaffhausen, St. Gallen,
Rorschach and Winterthur; trains to Schaffhausen run every 30 minutes whilst
other destinations are hourly. Culture
Stein am Rhein received the first Wakker Prize for the preservation of its
architectural heritage in 1972. The award noted that Stein am Rhein was
nearly unique in Switzerland and rare in all of Europe for the number of notable
buildings in a compact space. It also noted the excellent care with which the
city was preserved. Notable people
Mathias Gnädinger Heritage sites of national significance
Stein am Rhein is home to a number of buildings that are listed as Swiss
heritage sites of national significance. There are three churches on the list;
the former monastery church of St. Georg, the former Benedictine monastery
church of St. Georgen and the Castle Church. Burg Hohenklingen above the
town, an older late-Roman castle and the city walls are also included on the
list. In the old city there are six houses or municipal building that are on
the inventory. The former Inn Rother Ochsen at Rathausplatz 9, Haus Neubu at
Bärengass 7, Haus zum Lindwurm at Understadt 18, Haus zum Weissen Adler at
Oberstadt 1, Haus zur Vorderen Krone at Rathausplatz 7 and the Town Hall at
Rathausplatz 1 make up the rest of the inventory.
Gallery References
External links Stein am Rhein: pictures
Stein am Rhein and Castle Hohenklingen: pictures and comments in English