Did you know that a German, and therefore a European Union, enclave within Switzerland? Neither did I. It turns out that the Basel Badischer Banhof in Basel, Switzerland – just across the river from Germany – is in fact a German enclave, totally surrounded by Switzerland.
A 1852 treaty between Switzerland and the Grand Duchy of Baden allowed the duchy’s railroad company to extend the Rhine Valley Railway from Germany approximately 2KM into Switzerland. Per the agreement, the land under the tracks as well as the station itself are German, requiring custom checks.
Immigration checks are no longer required as Switzerland became a member of the Schengen Area in 2008.
Image Credits
By Taxiarchos228 – Own work, FAL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53780332
