Schaffhauser Rheinufer

The Banks of the Rhine in Schaffhausen, Switzerland 

introduction to video

On the evening of Friday, 29th February 2008, a day that only occurs every four years, the Atelier für Sonderaufgaben (Atelier for Special Functions), offered a solution for a conflict that had been smouldering for 40 years: pedestrian access to the banks of the Rhine from the old city of Schaffhausen is hampered by a busy four lane road.  

sketch of action on the floor of the atelier

In a secretly prepared and precisely tailored intervention the principle of waiting was reversed. For once it was not the pedestrians who wished to cross the road, but the vehicular traffic that was confronted with a time-based stagnation made by vehicles that became a ‘bridge’ for people to cross. 

road prepared for the action

Although the intervention did not receive official authorization, the mayor and the cultural representative of the city of Schaffhausen joined the invited crowd of around 100 people and crossed the road by passing through the insides of 4 vans, connected with boards and enjoying free snacks on the way.  

a look through the connected vans

As quickly as it had appeared, the Rhine Banks Passage vanished after 7 minutes. 

commemorative plaque on the railing along the Rhine

text by Rayelle Niemann, 2010
images by Frank and Patrik Riklin 

FEATURED THEME ON CITY SHARING

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