Schaffhausen is often nicknamed the Erkerstadt because of its 171 Erker (oriel bay windows), once a status symbol of rich merchants. Some of the most impressive line up along Vorstadt, including the 17th-century Zum Goldenen Ochsen, whose frescoed facade displays an eponymous Golden Ox. The frescos of the 16th-century Zum Grossen Käfig present an extraordinarily colourful tale of the parading of Turkish sultan Bajazet in a cage by the triumphant Mongol leader Tamerlane.
A block east, the eye-catching Haus zum Ritter, built in 1492, boasts a detailed Renaissance-style fresco depicting a knight.