'Büsingen on the High Rhine'; Alemannic: Büesinge am Hochrhi, pronounced [ˈbyəzɪŋə am ˈhoːçri]), often known simply as Büsingen, is a German municipality (7.62 km2 [2.94 sq mi]) in the south of Baden-Württemberg with a population of about 1,548 inhabitants.

[3] It is an exclave of Germany and Baden-Württemberg, and an enclave of Switzerland, entirely surrounded by the Swiss cantons of Schaffhausen, Zürich, and Thurgau.

It is separated from the rest of Germany by a narrow strip of land (at its narrowest, about 680 m [2,230 ft] wide) containing the Swiss village of Dörflingen.

Its status as an exclave dates to before the formation of the modern German and Swiss states, having previously been a detached part of Further Austria, the Kingdom of Württemberg and the Grand Duchy of Baden.

[6] In the Middle Ages Büsingen was part of the Landgraviate of Nellenburg, whose Landeshoheit came under Habsburg (Austrian) control in 1465.

During the Second World War, Switzerland effectively shut down the border, leaving Büsingen cut off from the rest of the Third Reich.

German soldiers on home leave were required to deposit their weapons at the border guards' posts in Gailingen am Hochrhein.

From the Swiss perspective, any unilateral annexation of the territory of her defeated neighbour (no matter how small) would have been viewed both within and outside Switzerland as a tacit recognition of the victors' right to also adjust Germany's postwar borders.

While German-speaking Swiss had not generally been sympathetic to Nazism, public opinion in Switzerland was often critical of elements of the post-war settlement, including the permanent removal of Germany's easternmost territories and the expulsion of ethnic Germans from those regions; hence it would have been controversial within Switzerland for its government to act in a similar manner, with respect to Büsingen.

Nevertheless, the Swiss shared Allied concerns that the exclave might become a haven for Nazi war criminals; thus, an agreement was quickly reached to allow limited numbers of French soldiers to cross Switzerland for the purpose of maintaining law and order in Büsingen.

On 9 September 1957, a conference between Switzerland and West Germany was held in Locarno, with the aim of regulating the jurisdictions of both countries in Büsingen.

[18] Büsingen is the only German village in which people pay mostly with Swiss francs, although technically the euro is legal tender as throughout Germany.

German police officers travelling to Büsingen however must use designated routes and refrain from all official acts while crossing Swiss territory.

A standard letter from Büsingen to Switzerland needs either an 85 Rappen Swiss stamp or a 80 euro cent German one.

[26] Other letter and parcel delivery services that operate in Germany such as Hermes do not deliver to Büsingen as they are not authorized to cross into the Swiss customs area to be able to reach the German exclave.

Certain exchanges, including those of basic or essential foodstuffs, drugs, books and newspapers, are subject to a reduced VAT of 2.5%.

[33] Despite further income tax breaks specific to Büsingen,[34] younger Büsingers who work (in Switzerland or Germany) pay approximately double the amount of income tax compared to their colleagues who reside in neighbouring Swiss towns and villages, causing many young people to move away from Büsingen into Switzerland and thus the village's population to decrease notably in recent years.

The bus passes through Swiss territory to reach the main village of Büsingen and the outlying settlement Stemmer.