September 2017

We travelled to Basel from Karlsruhe for the day, but I did not include it with my other blogs about days in and around Karlsruhe, because it is in a different country.

This was our second trip to Basel. We came here originally more than twenty years ago and on that occasion I was not all that impressed with the place. I think the reason for that had more to do with the nature of our trip rather than the city itself. In those days we had very little money and often travelled very cheaply, by over-nighting on trains rather than in hotels. I believe we came here after two nights spent trying to sleep on trains and, as a result, arrived here exhausted. Thus, I was unable on that occasion to appreciate this city properly. All I remember from our first trip is crossing the River Rhine on one of those little boats that are moved by the current of the river, the huge cathedral and the Tinguely Fountain.

When my husband suggested visiting Basel from Karlsruhe, I was not very keen, but I am glad I gave in and agreed to the trip as the city turned out to be very beautiful and we spent a very enjoyable day here. What a difference being awake makes!!!

We arrived in Basel by train. Basel is located in the north-western corner of Switzerland and shares borders with Germany and France. This visit we came here from Karlsruhe, Germany; last visit it was from Strasbourg, France. There is a very convenient Co-op opposite Basel's main station from which we purchased supplies for our homeward journey.

Basel Station.

We began our day by seeking out the Hammering Man Sculpture. We have seen one of these in Seoul, Korea, but thought we might as well go and view another. Hammering Man is a series of monumental moving sculptures which were designed by Jonathan Borofsky. They have been installed in various cities around the world. The one in Basel dates from 1989. Hammering Man is symbolic of workers everywhere. We have also seen Molecule Man, another of Borofsky's sculptures, in the River Spree, Berlin.

Peter with Hammering Man.

From there we followed the tram line on foot towards the Saint Alban's district of Basel. We first visited its picturesque Saint Alban's Gate which dates from around 1400. We passed through this into the lovely old area of St. Alban's with its long stretch of city walls, canals, paper mill and church. Due to the canals St Alban's is sometimes called the Little Venice of Basel. St Alban's also boasts the oldest guesthouse in Basel, Gasthof zum Goldenen Sternen, guest house of the golden stars. The historic paper mill here is now a museum of paper making and has a working water wheel. I was delighted we had visited St Alban's as I found it one of the loveliest parts of Basel.

St. Alban's is located right on the banks of the River Rhine and has great views towards Basel's old town and cathedral and towards Roche Tower, a skyscraper, which at 178 metres is the tallest building in Switzerland.

St Alban's Gate.

Church in St. Alban's.

Canal in St Alban's.

Paper Mill St Alban's.

Picturesque St. Alban's street.

View towards Basel Cathedral.

View towards the Roche Tower.

Gasthof zum Goldenen Sternen.

peter outside the paper mill.

Fountain Square, St Alban's.

Old City Walls.

Old City Walls.

Looking towards the paper mill.

We left St Alban's and wandered along the banks of the Rhine to the centre of Basel. On the way we passed one of those little ferries that cross the Rhine using only the river's current to move. Basel has four such ferries, “Wilde Maa”, “Leu”, “Vogel Gryff” and “Ueli”. The one near St Alban's is Wilde Maa. The ferries names are interesting as they are associated with Basel folklore: the wilde maa is the savage man, leu- the lion, vogel gryff - the griffin and Ueli a short form of Saint Ulrich. The wild man, the lion and the griffin are all symbols of Basel. I kept encountering griffins everywhere during our visit and was wondering why they were so prevalent.

Ferry, Basel.

Griffin, Basel.

I will continue our day trip to Basel on a separate page as the entry is starting to look very long!!!

We walked to the centre of Basel from the Saint Alban's area along the banks of the River Rhine. We then had to climb up some steep steps to get back into the old town proper. At the top of the steps was a bridge - the Wettstein Bridge - with several griffins statues - one of the symbols of Basel - at its ends. The Vogel Gryff, or griffin, is a symbol of a Kleinbasel society. Together with a savage man and a lion - also symbols of Kleinbasel societies, the griffin takes part in various traditional Basel festivals.

Peter and the griffin.

We wandered through some very picturesque old streets towards Basel's huge cathedral - Basler Münster. Basel's cathedral is located on a hill high above the River Rhine. The earliest cathedral located here was built by Bishop Haito between 805 and 823. Then in 1019 a grander building, named Heinrichsmünster after Germany's king Henry II, was consecrated here. Basel's Cathedral was almost totally destroyed during the great Basel earthquake of 1356. It was restored with some new Gothic features and consecrated in 1363. During our visit, we explored inside the cathedral, its cloisters and the terrace behind it with spectacular views of the Rhine. The square in front of the cathedral was sadly all dug up and a lot of renovation was taking place so it was difficult to photograph the front of the cathedral.

Street in the old town.

The cathedral from its cloister.

The cathedral from its cloister.

View from the cathedral terrace.

Sculpture at front of cathedral.

Cathedral Square.

Cathedral Square.

Basel Cathedral.

Inside the cathedral.

From the cathedral we walked down past Basel's famous blue and white houses to the Middle Bridge - Mittlere Brücke. The Middle Bridge crosses from Basel's old town to the district of Klein Basel. It is the oldest existing bridge across the Rhine. The first bridge built here was part stone/part wood and dated from 1225. The current bridge was rebuilt in 1905 and is now made entirely of granite. In the centre of the middle bridge is a replica of the old bridge chapel, the Käppelijoch. In medieval times convicted criminals were executed here by having weights attached to them and being thrown into the River Rhine to drown. The ceremony with the savage man, lion and griffin takes place on this bridge. There are lovely views from the bridge back towards the old town.

While we were standing on this bridge we watched a procession of Rhine swimmers sweep by. To swim the Rhine first purchase a waterproof bag, put all your stuff in it and take it with you while you swim. You will be swept along the river by the current of the water, you cannot swim against it back to the point where you entered the water, so you must know in advance where you can manage to get out. Your waterproof bag will double as a flotation device. It looked fun but can be dangerous due to boats and strong currents.

Middle Bridge.

Peter with the blue and white houses.

View from the Middle Bridge.

View from the Middle Bridge.

Looking towards the cathedral.

Rhine swimmers.

Kleinbasel.

We doubled back from the bridge into the old town again looking at the blue and white houses, the state archives and St Martin's Church. The blue and white houses were built between 1763 and 1775 by architect Samuel Werenfels as residential and business houses for silk ribbon manufacturers Lukas and Jakob Sarasin. They are considered to be some of the loveliest houses in Basel. St Martin's Church is the oldest parish church in Basel. It may date as far back as the sixth or seventh century. It was first documented in 1101. Opposite the church stand the state archives which are a very attractive building.

St Martin's Church.

State Archives.

Blue and White House.

Lions in the old town.

From the old town we walked down the hill to Basel's spectacular town hall. The Town Hall is a five hundred year old building dominating the Marktplatz. It is bright red and covered with frescoes.

Peter outside the town hall.

From here we wandered to St Peter's Church, stopped for refreshments at St Peter's Platz and had a quick look at Basel's botanic gardens which are close to Basel University. On our way back we noticed a rather odd tight rope walker sculpture.

St Peter's Church.

The Botanic Gardens.

Tight rope walker sculpture.

After this we started to walk back towards the station, but detoured to look at the Elisabethenkirche. This is a nineteenth century church with a 72 metre bell tower. Construction of the church started in 1857 and finished in 1864. The work was financed by wealthy Basel businessman, Christoph Merian and his wife Margarethe Burckhardt-Merian. They are both buried inside.

St Elizabeth's Church.

Near this church we visited our final sight of the day - the Tinguely Fountain. This fountain was created by Swiss sculptor Jean Tinguely in 1997. The fountain consists of nine iron figures in constant motion.

Tinguely Fountain.