Busingen am Hochrhein is a German town with a lot of Swiss character.
Thats because this small town on the Rhine is entirely surrounded by Switzerland.
Residents of Busingen speak Swiss and prefer to use Swiss francs instead of Euro.
In fact, until the late 1980s, Busingen didnt even accept the Deutsche Mark.
Even the Busingen post office accepted only Swiss francs for payment of German stamps.
Even their electricity comes from Switzerland.
Yet, they pay German income taxes, because technically they are still German citizens.
Busingen am Hochrhein on the Upper Rhine.
Photo:donald.kaden/Flickr
There is a lot of duality in Busingen.
you might find both German and Swiss power sockets in peoples homes and in hotels.
They even have two police forces.
So how did Busingen end up in this bizarre position?
It all started with a family feud in 1693.
At that time Busingen was under the control of an Austrian feudal lord named Eberhard Im Thurn.
Soon after, he was kidnapped by his own cousins and handed over to Swiss authorities in Schaffhausen.
Eberhard spent six years in a dungeon before he was returned to Busingen physically and mentally battered.
Upon return, Eberhard actually converted to Catholicism.
Eventually, this part of the Austrian empire got absorbed into Germany and Busingen became German territory.
Busingen is separated from Germany by only 700 meters at its closest.
This has made Busingen sort of a tax haven.
Purchases made within Busingen are subjected to Swiss VAT which is already lower than German rates.
Busingen residents also pay no property tax.
The German-Swiss border in Busingen runs through this restaurant.
But the situation reverses once a person retires.
But thats unlikely to happen.
So instead, people just pretend to be Swiss.
They fly the Swiss flag and celebrate Swiss festivals.
This is just something you do.
Our spirit and heart are Swiss.
A mural in Busingen.
