moresueandstevestravels: 22 JULY 2013: BASEL

We'd been invited to stay with Karl and Elisabeth, our neighbours in Montjay, in their home in Basel. We'd never been there before, and to be honest we knew little about Basel and so had never considered visiting. But we were in for a treat. Basel is a beautiful city: small enough to be able to see it by public transport in comfort, yet bursting with interest and variety.
The town of Basel lies in the north-western corner of Switzerland. The town shares borders with France and Germany and is the heart of this tri-national region - the Dreiländereck (three countries' corner). The Rhine curves through the city and divides the town into two parts. Situated on the south and west bank is Grossbasel (Great Basel) with the medieval old town at its center. Kleinbasel(Little Basel), featuring much of the night-life, is on the north bank.
Basel is a cosmopolitan city because of its university and industry and its proximity to the borders of France and Germany. The official language of the city is German, but the majority of the population speaks Baseldytsch, an Alemannic dialect, as their mother tongue. German is taught in schools and fluently spoken by virtually everyone,

Binningen:
First stop was Binningen.
Karl and Elisabeth's garden is large and lovely, with even a swimming pool at the bottom!

We recognised this plant growing on the balcony outside our bedroom: it grows everywhere in Bresse and Karl, unlike Sue who'd tried many times, had managed to get a root to transplant.

The Old Town:
First afternoon, and we headed for the medieval Aldstadt. Most of the "old town" attractions in Basel are in a walkable area between the Basel Zoo (just south of the Basel SBB train station) and the Rhine. In many ways, inevitably, it reminded us of the Aldstadt in Dusseldorf we'd visited with Chris when he was living there.

Many of the buildings date from the 14th and 15th centuries and were built by prosperous merchants obviously eager to flaunt their wealth.

There are plenty of steep lanes to explore .....

....revealing some enticing roof-lines and a hint of the 'jumble' of the medieval town.

The Lohnhof:

The Lohnhof is a historic complex of buildings created in 1206 by Canons of the Augustinian Order, on the site of a probable 12th century monastery. In 1525 the city of Basel took over the complex; the church remained, but the rest of the buildings were secularized. In 1688 this was the place where craftsmen working for the public received their wages, that's where the name comes from ("Lohnhof" means "court of salary"). In 1821 the police took over and modified the building, then it became a prison until 1995.

The Rathaus:
The Basel Town Hall (German: Rathaus Basel, locally known as Roothuus) is a five hundred years old building dominating the Marktplatz in Basel. It houses the meetings of the Cantonal Parliament as well as the Cantonal Government of the canton of Basel-Stadt.

"Rathaus" literally means "council house" while the term "Roothus" in the local Basel German dialect means both "council house" but also sounds like "red house", a pun with reference to the red sandstone facade of the building.

The City Hall has been located in this place since the 14th century, well away from the seat of the former ruler of the city, the Prince-Bishop, who resided on the Cathedral Hill. This separation shows that the burghers of the town, with their growing economic strength in the 14th century, sought independence from the bishop. It was also the craftsmen organised into 15 guilds who, in 1501, carried through the council's decision to join the Swiss Confederation.

The Munster:

Built on a hill overlooking the Rhine, the Basel Minster (German: Basler Münster) is one of the main landmarks of Basel. Originally a Catholic cathedral and today a reformed Protestant church, it was built between 1019 and 1500 in Romanesque and Gothic styles. The late Romanesque building was destroyed by the 1356 Basel earthquake and rebuilt by Johannes Gmünd, who was at the same time employed for building the Freiburg Münster. This building was extended from 1421 byUlrich von Ensingen, architect of the cathedral towers at Ulm and Strasbourg. The southern tower was completed in 1500 by Hans von Nußdorf. The tomb of the renaissance Humanist Erasmus of Rotterdam, who lived in Basel, lies in the northern aisle.

Johannes Œcolampadius, or Œkolampad (German: Johannes Oekolampad) (1482 – 24 November 1531) was a German religious reformer from the Electorate of the Palatinate

The Rhine:
The Rhine is the true lifeblood of Basel and the city's enduring landmark. As one of the most important trading routes, it has had a huge influence on the development of the city.

The Rhine has moulded the history and architecture of the city. As we saw when we were there, in the summer months Basel's inhabitants flock to the river's banks to sunbathe, promenade and generally soak up the sunshine.

Alarmingly, many also swim in the Rhine. Even the locals think this is so dangerous there needs to be special safety guidelines issued.
http://www.slrg.ch/de/nw/sektionen/basel/rheinschwimmen/informations-in-english/guidelines-for-rhine-swimmers.htm
The tourist offices in Basel sell bright orange waterproof bags ( look at picture below) that allow you to take your clothing down the river as you swim and increase your visibility.

Munsterfahre:

No swimming for us!! We climbed down some steep steps by the Munster......

...... onto one of Basel's four small ferry boats, which, hanging at a steel rope, are silently drawn by the current between the two banks of the river. One river crossing costs CHF 1.60 for adults.