ALL ABOUT   SWITZERLAND					BASEL CITY GUIDE
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Sightseeing / Landmarks

Medieval Architecture
Medieval Spalentor	St. Alban-Vorstadt	Gothic Cathedral

Modern Architecture
St. Anthony Church	Bank for International Settlements	central signal box

Festivals

Concerts

Theatre

Museums, Zoo, Botanical Garden

Local History

• Celtic village, named Robur and inhabited by Raurachians (a tribe closely related to the Helvetians).
• Roman town Basilea [royal town (from greek basileus = king)], first written record dates back to A.D. 374. During the time of the Romans, another town in the region, Augusta Raurica (between the villages of Augst and Kaiseraugst) was more important.
• During the period of the migration of nations in Europe (around 400 to 500 A.D.), germanic Alamannen crossed River Rhine and settled in the Alsace region (left shore of River Rhine north of Basel) and in northern Switzerland. The local dialects spoken in Basel and in Alsace are still more similar to each other than Basel and Zurich or Bern dialects.
• In the 7th century, Augusta Raurica lost its former importance and the seat of the catholic bishop was moved to Basel. During the middle ages, the prince bishop of Basel was also in charge of worldly powers over the city, its back country (today canton Baselland), the Alsace region (today part of France) and the region which is today the Swiss canton of Jura.
• A Rhine bridge was built in 1225.
• In 1356 a heavy earthquake (the worst ever recorded in Switzerland) destroyed the city.
• In 1450, after decades of political struggle with the bishop, the citizens finally established a republican government by a council of guild members (like in Zurich).
• A church council was held in Basel from 1431 to 1448. The long presence of scholars in the city led to the foundation of the first university in Switzerland in 1460.
• Basel became a full member of the old Swiss confederacy in 1501, after the Swabian war, together with Schaffhausen. Both cities were bridge-heads towards the German empire.
• 1529: Reformation by Johannes Oekolampad, a friend of Zurich's reformer Zwingli. The catholic bishop had to leave the city. There is still a bishopric called Basel, but the bishop actually resides in Solothurn (since 1828).
• During the 1798 Swiss revolution Peter Ochs from Basel played a leading role.
• In 1832/33 the citizens of Basel failed to grant equal rights to the people of the back country, so Baselland declared independence and got it after a short local civil war. Since then, Basel-Stadt (city) and Baselland (back country) are so-called half-cantons: they are independent of each other within the Swiss confederation as all other cantons, but they have only one (instead of two) votes each in the small chamber of parliament.
• During the 19th century the production of dyes for textiles was the starting point for a strong chemical and pharmaceutical industry. (Novartis and Hoffmann-La Roche both rank among the world's top ten pharmaceutical companies.)
• After World War II., Basel intensified its traditional good relations with neighbouring regions of southern Germany and Alsace (France). In referendums, German speaking Basel is regularly voting like French speaking Switzerland for closer relations with the European Union while the other German speaking regions (eastern and central Switzerland) and Italian speaking southern Switzerland are more reluctant.
• See also: Swiss History

Local Traditions

• Fasnacht (Carnival) [from fasten = abstinence and Nacht = night, eve]

  Carnival in Basel is the classical alternative to Lucerne. While Fasnacht ends on Ash Wednesday (40 work days before Easter), in other areas, it will only start the Monday after in Basel: reformed Basel decidedly marks a difference to catholic central Switzerland.

  There is also a difference in style: highlight of Basel's Fasnacht are well-organized (and well-trained) groups of people walking through the narrow downtown lanes in single files, playing piccolo flutes and drums (traditional military music instruments), parades with carriages, and last but not least Schnitzelbängg [comedy shows in restaurants]. Lay comedians sing verses referring in very satirical style to national and local events of the year. A selection of the best verses is broadcast in a two hour show of National Public Radio on the following weekend at prime time.

• Vogel Gryff
  

  An archaic ritual featuring a fabulous bird (Vogel Gryff), a lion (Lai) and a wild man (Wilder Mann). The wild man arrives coming down River Rhine on a raft and dances with a tree. At the central Rhine bridge the fabulous animals wait for him.

  The date of the event depends on the guild reponsible for organizing it (in turn). Anyway, it is always in January: 13th (Rebhaus guild), 20th (Haeren guild) or 27th (Greifen guild). If this happens to be a Sunday, the Vogel Gryff event will take place on the preceeding Saturday.

Events

Basel Tourist Office