Gächlingen

Geschichte

Gächlingen is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.HistoryAn area near Gächlingen was the site of the first settlement in Switzerland. This Linear Band Ceramic settlement dates to about 6000BC and is the first long-term, farming community in the borders of modern Switzerland. Gächlingen is first mentioned in a 10th Century forgery as Câhtelinga. In 1049 it was mentioned as Gehtelinga.GeographyGächlingen has an area, of 7.3km2. Of this area, 75.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 17.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 7% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.3%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes).The municipality is located in the Oberklettgau district. It is a wine producing village on the south flank of the Randen mountain.Heritage sites of national significanceThe Goldäcker, a Neolithic settlement is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance. While the region that would become Switzerland had been occupied by nomadic hunter-gatherers the settlement at Goldäcker is the first long-term, farming settlement in Switzerland. About 6000 BC, a group of Linear Band Ceramic Culture farmers moved south over the Danube river. They settled in a small hamlet on the western border of modern Gächlingen. Their settlement included both houses and manufacturing buildings.