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Basel (also Basle, , or , , ) is Switzerland
Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
's third most populous city (166,209 inhabitants (2008)). With 731,000 inhabitants in the tri-national metropolitan area (as of 2004), Basel is Switzerland's third-largest urban area.

Located in northwest Switzerland on the river Rhine
Rhine

File:Swiss Grand Canyon.jpgThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
, Basel functions as a major industrial centre for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. The city borders both Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 and France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
.






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Basel (also Basle, , or , , ) is Switzerland
Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
's third most populous city (166,209 inhabitants (2008)). With 731,000 inhabitants in the tri-national metropolitan area (as of 2004), Basel is Switzerland's third-largest urban area.

Located in northwest Switzerland on the river Rhine
Rhine

File:Swiss Grand Canyon.jpgThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
, Basel functions as a major industrial centre for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. The city borders both Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 and France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
. The Basel region, culturally extending into German Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg

Baden-W?rttemberg is one of the 16 States of Germany of the Federal Republic of Germany. Baden-W?rttemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine?but one which has some of its major cities straddling the banks of the Neckar River ....
 and French Alsace
Alsace

Alsace is the fourth-smallest of the 26 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the sixth-most densely populated region in France , with 222 inhabitants per km? ....
, reflects the heritage of its three state
State

A state is a political Social contract with effective sovereignty over a geographic area and representing a population. These may be nation states, State or multinational states....
s in the modern Latin name: "Regio TriRhena". It has the oldest university
University of Basel

The University of Basel is located at Basel, Switzerland....
 of the Swiss Confederation (1460).

Basel is German-speaking
German language

German is a West Germanic languages, thus related to and classified alongside English language and Dutch language. It is one of the world's world language and the most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union....
. The local variant of the Swiss German
Swiss German

Swiss German is any of the Alemannic Germans spoken in Switzerland and in some Alpine communities in Northern Italy. Occasionally, the Alemannic dialects spoken in other countries are called Swiss German as well, especially the dialects of Liechtenstein and Austrian Vorarlberg which are closely associated to Switzerland's....
 dialects is called Basel German
Basel German

Basel German or Baseldytsch is the dialect of the city of Basel, Switzerland. Among the Swiss German dialects, it is the only Low Alemannic German one....
.

History

]] During the days of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, the settlement of Augusta Raurica was founded 10 or 20 kilometres upstream of present Basel, and a castle was built on the hill overlooking the river where the Basel Münster now stands. But even older Celt
Celt

Celts , is a modern term used to describe any of the European peoples who spoke, or speak, a Celtic languages. The term is also used in a wider sense to describe the Modern Celts of those peoples, notably those who participate in a Celtic culture....
ic settlements (including a vitrified fort
Vitrified fort

Vitrified fort is the name given to certain crude stone enclosures whose walls have been subjected in a greater or less degree to the Vitrification....
) have been discovered recently in the area predating the Roman castle. The city's position on the Rhine
Rhine

File:Swiss Grand Canyon.jpgThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
 long emphasised its importance: Basel for many centuries possessed the only bridge over the river "between Lake Constance
Lake Constance

Under the designation Lake Constance one summarizes the three independent Body of water Obersee , Untersee and Seerhein , lying in the northern Alps foreland....
 and the sea".

The town of Basel was called "Basilia" in Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
, and this name is documented from the year 374 AD. Since the donation of the Abbey Moutier-Grandvalto and all its possessions to Bishop Adalbero II in 999 till the Reformation
Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation was a Christian reform movement in Europe. It is thought to have begun in 1517 with Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses and may be considered to have ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648....
, Basel was ruled by prince-bishop
Prince-Bishop

A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office....
s (see Bishop of Basel, whose memory is preserved in the crosier
Crosier

A crosier is the stylized staff of office carried by high-ranking Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and some Lutheran and Pentecostal prelates....
 shown on the Basel coat-of-arms - see above). In 1019 the construction of the cathedral of Basel (known locally as the Münster) began under German Emperor Heinrich II
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

Saint Henry II , called the Holy or the Saint, was the fifth and last Holy Roman Empire of the Ottonian dynasty from his coronation in Rome in 1014 until his death a decade later....
. In 1225–1226 the Bridge over the Rhine was constructed by Bishop
Bishop

A bishop is an ordination or consecration member of the Clergy#Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight....
 Heinrich von Thun and lesser Basel (Kleinbasel) founded as a beachhead to protect the bridge.

In 1356 the Basel earthquake destroyed much of the city along with a number of castles in the vicinity. The city offered courts to nobles as an alternative to rebuilding their castles, in exchange for the nobles' military protection of the city.

In 1412 (or earlier) the well-known guesthouse Zum Goldenen Sternen was established. Basel became the focal point of western Christendom during the 15th century Council of Basel (1431 –1449), including the 1439 AD election of antipope
Antipope

An antipope is a person who, in opposition to a sitting Bishop of Rome, makes a widely accepted claim to be the Pope. In the past, antipopes were typically those supported by a fairly significant faction of cardinal and kingdoms....
 Felix V. In 1459 Pope Pius II endowed the University of Basel
University of Basel

The University of Basel is located at Basel, Switzerland....
 where such notables as Erasmus of Rotterdam
Rotterdam

Rotterdam ; city and municipality in the Netherlands province of South Holland, situated in the west of the Netherlands. The municipality is the List of cities in the Netherlands with over 100,000 people in the country, with a population of 584,046 on 1 January 2007 and comprises the southern part of the Randstad, the List of metropolitan are...
 and Paracelsus
Paracelsus

Paracelsus was a Medieval physician, botanist, alchemy, astrologer, and general occultist. Born Phillip von Hohenheim, he later took up the name Philippus Theophrastus Aureolus Bombastus von Hohenheim, and still later took the title Paracelsus, meaning "equal to or greater than Celsus", a Roman encyclopedist, Aulus Cornelius Celsus fro...
. At the same time the new craft of printing
Printing press

A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a medium , thereby transferring an image. The mechanical systems involved were first assembled in Germany by the goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg around 1439, based on existing screw-presses used to press cloth, grapes etc., and possibly to print wood...
 was introduced to Basel by apprentices of Johann Gutenberg.

The Schwabe publishing house was founded 1488 by Johannes Petri and is the oldest publishing house still in business. Johann Froben
Johann Froben

File:Printer's Device of Johannes Froben.jpgJohann Froben, in Latin: Johannes Frobenius , was a famous printer and publisher in Basel....
 also operated his printing house in Basel and was notable for publishing works by Erasmus. In 1495, Basel was incorporated in the Upper Rhenish Imperial Circle
Imperial Circle

An Imperial Circle was a regional grouping of territories of the Holy Roman Empire, primarily for the purpose of organizing a common defense and of collecting imperial taxes, but also as a means of organization within the Reichstag and the Reichskammergericht....
, the bishop sitting on the Bench of the Ecclesiastical Princes. In 1500 the construction of the Basel Münster
Basel Münster

The Basel Minster is one of the main landmarks and tourist attractions of the Swiss city of Basel. It adds definition to the cityscape with its red sandstone architecture and coloured roof tiles, its two slim towers and the cross-shaped intersection of the main roof....
 was finished. In 1501 Basel de facto
De facto

De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning the fact" or in practice but not necessarily ordained by law. It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or technique that are found in the common experience as created or developed without or contrary to a regulation....
 separated from the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early modern Europe under a Holy Roman Emperor....
 and joined the Swiss Confederation
Old Swiss Confederacy

The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland. The Swiss Eidgenossenschaft, as the Confederacy was called, was a loose federation of largely independent small states called Cantons of Switzerland that existed from the late 13th century until 1798, when it was invaded by the France Republic, who transformed it into...
 as 11th canton, and began the construction of the city council building. The bishop continued to reside in Basel until the reformation of Oecolampadius
Johannes Oecolampadius

Johannes ?colampadius or ?kolampad was a Germany religious reformer. His real name was Hussgen or Heussgen ....
 in 1529. The bishop's crook
Crosier

A crosier is the stylized staff of office carried by high-ranking Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and some Lutheran and Pentecostal prelates....
 was however retained as the city's coat of arms. In March 1536 the first edition of Christianae religionis institutio (Institutes of the Christian Religion
Institutes of the Christian Religion

Institutes of the Christian Religion is John Calvin's seminal work on Protestant systematic theology. Highly influential in the Western world and still widely read by theological students today, it was published in Latin in 1536 and in his native French language in 1541, with the definitive editions appearing in 1559 and in 1560 ....
) was published in Latin by John Calvin
John Calvin

John Calvin was an influential French people theology and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism....
 at Basel. There are indications Joachim Meyer
Joachim Meyer

Joachim Meyer was a self described Freifechter living in the then Free Imperial City of Strassburg in the 16th century and the author of a fechtbuch Gr?ndtliche Beschreibung der kunst des Fechten first published in 1570....
, an influential 16th century author of a book on fighting (kunst des Fechten) came from Basel.

Intended as a defence of Huguenot
Huguenot

The Huguenots were members of the Protestantism Reformed Church of France of France from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries....
s then persecuted in France, Calvin's Institutes
Institutes of the Christian Religion

Institutes of the Christian Religion is John Calvin's seminal work on Protestant systematic theology. Highly influential in the Western world and still widely read by theological students today, it was published in Latin in 1536 and in his native French language in 1541, with the definitive editions appearing in 1559 and in 1560 ....
 was an exposition of Protestant Christian doctrine which later became known as Calvinism
Calvinism

Calvinism is a theology system and an approach to the Christian life that emphasizes the rule of God over all things. It was developed by several theologians, but it bears the name of the French Protestant Reformation John Calvin because of his prominent influence on it and because of his role in the confessional and ecclesiastical debates t...
. In 1543 De humani corporis fabrica
De humani corporis fabrica

De humani corporis fabrica libri septem is a textbook of human anatomy written by Andreas Vesalius in 1543.The book is based on his University of Padua lectures, during which he deviated from common practice by dissecting a corpse to illustrate what he was discussing....
, the first anatomy book was published and printed in Basel by Andreas Vesalius (1514–1564). In 1662 the Amerbaschsches Kabinett formed the basis of a collection and exposition, forming the core of the Basel Museum of Art.

In 1792 the Republic of Rauracia, a revolutionary French client republic
French client republic

During its occupation of neighboring parts of Europe during the French Revolutionary Wars, France established republican regimes in these territories....
, was created. It lasted until 1793. After three years of political agitation for equal rights and a short civil war in 1833 the disadvantaged countryside seceded from the Canton of Basel, forming the halfcanton of Basel-Landschaft. In 1912, the extraordinary congress of the Second International
Second International

The Second International was an organization of workers' movement formed in Paris on July 14, 1889. At the Paris meeting delegations from 20 countries participated....
 was held in Basel, due to the outbreak of the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars

The Balkan Wars were two wars in South-eastern Europe in 1912?1913 in the course of which the Balkan League first conquered Ottoman Empire-held Macedonia , Albania and most of Thrace and then fell out over the division of the spoils....


Accords

Throughout history, Basel has seen the conclusion of numerous accords. In 1499 Treaty of Basel
Treaty of Basel (1499)

The Treaty of Basel of 22 September 1499 was an armistice following the Battle of Dornach, concluding the Swabian War, fought between the Swabian League and the Old Swiss Confederacy....
 was signed, ending the Swabian War
Swabian War

The Swabian War of 1499 was the last major armed conflict between the Old Swiss Confederacy and the House of Habsburg. What had begun as a local conflict over the control of the Val M?stair and the Umbrail Pass in the Grisons soon got out of hand when both parties called upon their allies for help; the Habsburgs demanding the support of the...
, and two years later Basel joined the Swiss Confederation. In 1795, two separate peace treaties
Peace of Basel

The Peace of Basel of 1795 consists of three peace treaties involving France . France made peace with Prussia on 5 April; with Spain on 22 July, ending the War of the Pyrenees; and with Hessen-Kassel on 28 August, concluding the stage of the French Revolutionary Wars against the First Coalition....
 between the revolutionary French Republic on the one hand and Prussia and Spain on the other brought about the collapse of the First Coalition
First Coalition

The First Coalition was the first major concerted effort of multiple European power s to contain French First Republic. It took shape after the French Revolutionary Wars had already begun....
 and the cessation of fighting in the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars

The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states....
. In more recent times, on September 3, 1897, the World Zionist Organization
World Zionist Organization

The World Zionist Organization , or WZO, was founded as the Zionist Organization , or ZO, in 1897 at the First Zionist Congress, held from August 29 to August 31 in Basel, Switzerland....
 held its first congress in Basel under the leadership of Theodor Herzl
Theodor Herzl

Theodor Herzl was an Austria-Hungary journalist who was the father of modern political Zionism.Herzl was born in Pest, Hungary, the Kingdom of Hungary to a Jewish people family originally from Zemun, the Kingdom of Hungary ....
; this Jewish umbrella organization would later play an instrumental role in the creation of the state of Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
. Because of the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars

The Balkan Wars were two wars in South-eastern Europe in 1912?1913 in the course of which the Balkan League first conquered Ottoman Empire-held Macedonia , Albania and most of Thrace and then fell out over the division of the spoils....
 the Second International
Second International

The Second International was an organization of workers' movement formed in Paris on July 14, 1889. At the Paris meeting delegations from 20 countries participated....
 held an extraordinary congress at Basel in 1912. In 1989, the Basel Convention
Basel Convention

The Basel Convention is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations, and specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed countries to Less Developed Countries ....
 was opened for signature with the aim of preventing the export of hazardous waste from wealthy to developing nations for disposal.

Transportation

The first-class location and the transportation infrastructure make Basel the top logistics center for Switzerland. Basel’s airport is set up for airfreight; heavy goods reach the city and the heart of continental Europe from the North Sea by ship along the Rhine. The main European routes for the highway and railway transportation of freight cross in Basel. The outstanding location benefits logistics corporations, which operate globally from Basel. Trading firms are traditionally well represented in the Basel Region.

Port

Basel has Switzerland's only cargo port, through which goods pass along the navigable stretches of the Rhine
Rhine

File:Swiss Grand Canyon.jpgThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
 and connect to ocean-going ships at the port of Rotterdam
Rotterdam

Rotterdam ; city and municipality in the Netherlands province of South Holland, situated in the west of the Netherlands. The municipality is the List of cities in the Netherlands with over 100,000 people in the country, with a population of 584,046 on 1 January 2007 and comprises the southern part of the Randstad, the List of metropolitan are...
.

Air transport

EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg
EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg

EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is an international airport near Basel , Mulhouse , and Freiburg . It is located in France, on the administrative territory of the commune of Saint-Louis, Haut-Rhin near the Swiss and German borders....
 is operated jointly by two countries, France and Switzerland. Contrary to popular belief, the airport is located completely on French soil. The airport itself is split into two architecturally independent sectors, one half serving the French side and the other half serving the Swiss side; there is a customs point at the middle of the airport so that people can "emigrate" to the other side of the airport.

Railway

Basel has long held an important place as a rail hub. Three railway stations — those of the German, French and Swiss networks — lie within the city (although the Swiss (Basel SBB
Basel SBB railway station

Basel SBB is the central railway station in the city of Basel in Switzerland. Trains run by the SBB-CFF-FFS to destinations within Switzerland use this station, as well as Deutsche Bahn ICE trains to Germany as well as Z?rich and Interlaken and the Cisalpino service across the Alps to Milan in Italy....
) and French (Bâle SNCF
Basel SBB railway station

Basel SBB is the central railway station in the city of Basel in Switzerland. Trains run by the SBB-CFF-FFS to destinations within Switzerland use this station, as well as Deutsche Bahn ICE trains to Germany as well as Z?rich and Interlaken and the Cisalpino service across the Alps to Milan in Italy....
) stations are actually in the same complex, separated by Customs and Immigration facilities). Basel Badischer Bahnhof
Basel Badischer Bahnhof

Basel Badischer Bahnhof is a railway station situated in the Switzerland city of Basel. Whilst the station is situated on Swiss soil, the platforms and part of the entrance hall are extraterritorial, belonging to Germany, and the station is operated by the Germany railway company Deutsche Bahn....
 is on the opposite side of the city. The largest goods railway complex of the country is located just outside the city, spanning the municipalities of Muttenz and Pratteln. The new highspeed ICE railway line from Karlsruhe to Basel will be completed in 2008 while phase I of the TGV-Est
LGV Est

The LGV Est europ?enne is an extension to the French High-speed rail TGV network, connecting Paris and Strasbourg. It provides fast service between Paris and the principal cities of eastern France and Luxembourg, and several cities in Germany and Switzerland....
 line, opened in June 2007, has reduced travel time from Basel to Paris to 3 1/2 hours.

Roads

Within city limits, five bridges connect greater and lesser Basel, from upstream to downstream:
  • Schwarzwaldbrücke (built 1972)
  • Wettsteinbrücke (current structure built 1998, original bridge built 1879)
  • Mittlere Brücke (current structure built 1905, original bridge built 1225 as the first bridge to cross the Rhine River)
  • Johanniterbrücke (built 1967)
  • Dreirosenbrücke (built 2004, original bridge built 1935)


Ferries

A somewhat anachronistic yet still widely used system of ferry boats links the two shores. There are four ferries, each situated approximately midway between two bridges. Each is attached by a cable to a block that rides along another cable spanning the river at a height of 20 or 30 metres. To cross the river, the ferryman orients the boat around 45° from the current so that the current pushes the boat across the river. This form of transportation is therefore completely hydraulically driven, requiring no outside energy source.

Public transport

Basel has an extensive public transportation network serving the city and connecting to surrounding suburbs. The green-colored local trams
Light rail

Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail transit public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than Passenger_rail_terminology#Heavy_rail and rapid transit systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than street-running tram systems....
 and buses are operated by the BVB (). The yellow-colored buses and trams are operated by the BLT Baselland Transport
Baselland Transport

BLT is a public transport company in Basel Switzerland. They operate the more suburban routes and use stock with a yellow and red colour scheme....
, and connect areas in the nearby half-canton of Baselland to central Basel. The trams are powered by overhead lines
Overhead lines

Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point....
, and the bus fleet is mix of electric and conventional fuel-powered vehicles. The BVB also shares commuter bus lines in cooperation with transit authorities in the neighboring Alsace
Alsace

Alsace is the fourth-smallest of the 26 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the sixth-most densely populated region in France , with 222 inhabitants per km? ....
 region in France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 and Baden
Baden

Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine River in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-W?rttemberg of Germany....
 region in Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
. The Regio-S-Bahn Basel, the commuter rail network connecting to suburbs surrounding the city, is jointly operated by SBB, SNCF and DB.

Border crossings

Basel is located at the meeting point of France, Germany and Switzerland and has numerous road and rail crossings between Switzerland and the other two countries. With Switzerland joining the Schengen area
Schengen Area

The Schengen Area is a group of twenty-five European countries which have abolished all border controls between each other. It originates from the Schengen Agreement signed in the Luxembourgish town of Schengen, Luxembourg in 1985, which has since been absorbed into the European Union....
 on December 12, 2008, immigration checks were no longer carried out at the crossings. However, Switzerland did not join the EU customs regime and customs checks are still conducted at or near the crossings.

France-Switzerland
  • Road and Highway crossings (with French road name continuation)
    • Autobahn A3 (A35, Saint-Louis)
    • Elsässerstrasse (Avenue de Bâle, Saint-Louis)
    • Hüningerstrasse (Avenue de Bâle, Saint-Louis)
    • Burgfelderstrasse (Rue du 1er Mars, Saint Louis)
    • EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg
      EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg

      EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is an international airport near Basel , Mulhouse , and Freiburg . It is located in France, on the administrative territory of the commune of Saint-Louis, Haut-Rhin near the Swiss and German borders....
       - pedestrian walkway between the French and Swiss sections on Level 3 (departures) of airport.
  • Railway crossing
    • Basel SBB railway station
      Basel SBB railway station

      Basel SBB is the central railway station in the city of Basel in Switzerland. Trains run by the SBB-CFF-FFS to destinations within Switzerland use this station, as well as Deutsche Bahn ICE trains to Germany as well as Z?rich and Interlaken and the Cisalpino service across the Alps to Milan in Italy....


Germany-Switzerland
  • Road and highway crossings (with German road name continuation)
    • Autobahn A2 (Autobahn A5, Weil am Rhein
      Weil am Rhein

      Weil am Rhein is a Germany town and commune situated on the east bank of the River Rhine, and close to the point at which the Switzerland, France and German borders meet....
      )
    • Hiltalingerstrasse (Zollstraße, Weil am Rhein
      Weil am Rhein

      Weil am Rhein is a Germany town and commune situated on the east bank of the River Rhine, and close to the point at which the Switzerland, France and German borders meet....
      )
    • Freiburgerstrasse (Baslerstraße, Weil am Rhein
      Weil am Rhein

      Weil am Rhein is a Germany town and commune situated on the east bank of the River Rhine, and close to the point at which the Switzerland, France and German borders meet....
      )
    • Grenzacherstrasse (Hörnle, Grenzach-Wyhlen
      Grenzach-Wyhlen

      Grenzach-Wyhlen is a municipality in the L?rrach in Baden-W?rttemberg, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Rhine, 7 km east of Basel, and 8 km south of L?rrach....
      )
    • Weilstrasse, Riehen
      Riehen

      Riehen is a municipalities of Switzerland in the Cantons of Switzerland of Basel-City in Switzerland. Together with the city of Basel and Bettingen, Riehen is one of three municipalities in the canton....
       (Haupstraße, Weil am Rhein
      Weil am Rhein

      Weil am Rhein is a Germany town and commune situated on the east bank of the River Rhine, and close to the point at which the Switzerland, France and German borders meet....
      )
    • Lörracherstrasse, Riehen
      Riehen

      Riehen is a municipalities of Switzerland in the Cantons of Switzerland of Basel-City in Switzerland. Together with the city of Basel and Bettingen, Riehen is one of three municipalities in the canton....
       (Baslerstraße, Stetten, Lörrach
      Lörrach

      L?rrach is a city in southwest Germany, in the valley of the Wiese, close to the France and the Switzerland border. It is the capital of the district L?rrach in Baden-W?rttemberg....
      )
    • Inzlingerstrasse, Riehen
      Riehen

      Riehen is a municipalities of Switzerland in the Cantons of Switzerland of Basel-City in Switzerland. Together with the city of Basel and Bettingen, Riehen is one of three municipalities in the canton....
       (Riehenstraße, Inzlingen
      Inzlingen

      Inzlingen is a village in the district of L?rrach in Baden-W?rttemberg in Germany.From the Fondation Beyeler, a famous art collection in Riehen in the canton Basel-City, Switzerland, the street Inzlingerstrasse goes uphill to Inzlingen....
      )


  • Railway crossing
    • Between Basel SBB and Basel Badischer Bahnhof
      Basel Badischer Bahnhof

      Basel Badischer Bahnhof is a railway station situated in the Switzerland city of Basel. Whilst the station is situated on Swiss soil, the platforms and part of the entrance hall are extraterritorial, belonging to Germany, and the station is operated by the Germany railway company Deutsche Bahn....
       - Basel Badischer Bahnhof, and all other railway property and stations on the right bank of the Rhine belong to DB
      Deutsche Bundesbahn

      The 'Deutsche Bundesbahn' or 'DB' was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft ....
       and are classed as German customs territory. Immigration and customs checks are conducted at the platform exit tunnel for passengers leaving trains here.

Industry and trade

]] An annual Federal Swiss trade fair (Mustermesse) takes place in Kleinbasel on the right bank of the Rhine. Other important trade shows include "BaselWorld
BaselWorld

Baselworld Watch and Jewellery Show is a trade show for the watch and jewelery industry organized annually in the city of Basel, Switzerland. The international show unites about 2,100 exhibitors from over 45 countries, including the leading watch and jewelry brands, as well as companies specializing in precious gems....
" (watches and jewelry), Art Basel
Art Basel

Art Basel is an international contemporary art art exhibition held each year in Basel, Switzerland. Like the Venice Biennale, it has been called "the Olympics of the art world"....
, Orbit and Cultura.

The Swiss chemical industry operates largely from Basel, with Novartis
Novartis

Novartis International AG is a multinational corporation pharmaceutical company based in Basel, Switzerland that manufactures drugs such as clozapine , diclofenac , carbamazepine , valsartan , imatinib mesylate , ciclosporin , letrozole , methylphenidate , terbinafine , and others....
, Syngenta
Syngenta

Syngenta AG is a large global agribusiness which markets seeds and crop protection products . Syngenta is involved in biotechnology and genomic research....
, Ciba Specialty Chemicals
Ciba Specialty Chemicals

Ciba is a chemical company based in and near Basel, Switzerland. "Ciba" stands for Company for Chemical Industries Basel. It was formed as the non-pharmaceuticals elements of Novartis were spun out in 1997, following the merger in the previous year of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz that created Novartis....
, Clariant
Clariant

Clariant is a Switzerland speciality chemical company which was formed in 1995 as a spin off from Sandoz. The company expanded by the incorporation of the speciality chemicals business of Hoechst AG in 1997 and the acquisition of British Tar Products in 2000....
, and Hoffmann-La Roche
Hoffmann-La Roche

F. Hoffmann?La Roche, Ltd. is a Switzerland global health-care company that operates world-wide under two divisions: Pharmaceutical companys and Roche Diagnostics....
 headquartered there. Pharmaceuticals and specialty chemicals have become the modern focus of the city's industrial production. Some of the chemical industry's most notable creations include DDT
DDT

DDT is one of the best known synthetic pesticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history.First synthesized in 1874, DDT's insecticidal properties were not discovered until 1939....
, Araldite
Araldite

Araldite is a registered trademark of Huntsman Advanced Materials referring to their range of engineering and structural epoxy resin, acrylic, and polyurethane adhesives....
, Valium, Rohypnol and LSD
LSD

Lysergic acid diethylamide, LSD, LSD-25, or acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family. Its unusual psychological effects, which include visuals of colored patterns behind the eyes in the mind, a sense of time distorting, and crawling geometric patterns, have made it one of the most widely known psyched...
.

UBS AG
UBS AG

UBS Aktiengesellschaft is a diversified global financial services company, with its main headquarters in Basel and Z?rich, Switzerland. It is the world's largest manager of private wealth assets, "the world's biggest manager of other people's money" and is also the second-largest bank in Europe, by both market capitalisation and profitabil...
 maintains central offices in Basel, giving finance a pivotal role in the local economy. The importance of banking began when the Bank for International Settlements
Bank for International Settlements

The Bank for International Settlements is an international organization of central banks which "fosters international monetary and financial cooperation and serves as a bank for central banks." The BIS carries out its work through subcommittees, the secretariats it hosts, and through its annual General Meeting of all members....
 located within the city in 1930. Basel's innovative financial industry includes institutions like the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision
Basel Committee on Banking Supervision

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision is an institution created by the central bank Governors of the Group of Ten nations . It was created in 1974 and meets regularly four times a year....
. Responsible for the Basel Accords (Basel I
Basel I

Basel I is the round of deliberations by central banking from around the world, and in 1988, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision in Basel, Switzerland, published a set of minimal capital requirements for banks....
 and Basel II
Basel II

Basel II is the second of the Basel Accords, which are recommendations on banking laws and regulations issued by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision....
) , this organization fundamentally changed Risk Management
Risk management

Risk management is activity directed towards the assessing, mitigating and monitoring of risks. In some cases the acceptable risk may be near zero....
 within its industry.

Basel has Switzerland's tallest building, Basler Messeturm
Basler Messeturm

The Basler Messeturm , located in Basel at , is Switzerland tallest building. It has 32 floors and is 105 m tall. It was completed in 2003.A bar called "Bar Rouge" can be found on the top floor, providing excellent views of the city....
.

Quarters

Basel is subdivided into 19 quarters (Quartiere). The municipalities of Riehen
Riehen

Riehen is a municipalities of Switzerland in the Cantons of Switzerland of Basel-City in Switzerland. Together with the city of Basel and Bettingen, Riehen is one of three municipalities in the canton....
 and Bettingen
Bettingen

Bettingen is a municipalities of Switzerland in the Cantons of Switzerland of Basel-City in Switzerland. There are 1173 people living in Bettingen....
, outside the city limits of Basel, are included in the canton of Basel-City as rural quarters (Landquartiere).

QuartierhaQuartierha
Altstadt Grossbasel (central Grossbasel) 37.63 Altstadt Kleinbasel (central Kleinbasel) 24.21
Vorstädte (Suburbs) 89.66 Clara 23.66
Am Ring 90.98 Wettstein 75.44
Breite 68.39 Hirzbrunnen 305.32
St. Alban 294.46 Rosental 64.33
Gundeldingen 123.19 Mattäus 59.14
Bruderholz 259.61 Klybeck 91.19
Bachletten 151.39 Kleinhüningen 136.11
Gotthelf 46.62 City of Basel 2275.05
Iselin 109.82 Riehen
Riehen

Riehen is a municipalities of Switzerland in the Cantons of Switzerland of Basel-City in Switzerland. Together with the city of Basel and Bettingen, Riehen is one of three municipalities in the canton....
 		 1086.10
St. Johann 223.90 Bettingen
Bettingen

Bettingen is a municipalities of Switzerland in the Cantons of Switzerland of Basel-City in Switzerland. There are 1173 people living in Bettingen....
 		 222.69
Canton of Basel-City 3583.84


Architecture

28014445
The red sandstone Münster, one of the foremost late-Romanesque/early Gothic buildings in the Upper Rhine, was badly damaged in the great earthquake of 1356, rebuilt in the fourteenth and fifteenth century, extensively reconstructed in the mid-nineteenth century and further restored in the late twentieth century. A memorial to Erasmus lies inside the Münster.

Basel is also host to an array of buildings by internationally renowned architects, such as the Beyeler Foundation
Beyeler Foundation

The Beyeler Foundation or Fondation Beyeler with its museum in Riehen near Basel owns and oversees the art collection of Hildy and Ernst Beyeler that was built up by the couple over five decades and placed under the aegis of the foundation in 1982....
 by Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano

Renzo Piano is a world renowned Italy architect and recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, AIA Gold Medal, Kyoto Prize and the Sonning Prize....
, or the Vitra
Vitra (furniture)

Vitra is a Switzerland manufacturer of designer furniture. Vitra is the European manufacturer and retailer of the works of many internationally renowned furniture designers....
 complex in nearby Weil am Rhein, composed of buildings by architects such as Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid

Zaha Hadid , Order of British Empire is a notable Iraqis in the United Kingdom deconstructivism architect....
 (fire station), Frank Gehry
Frank Gehry

Frank Owen Gehry, Order of Canada is a Pritzker Prize-winning architect based in Los Angeles.His buildings, including his private residence, have become tourist attractions....
 (design museum
Vitra Design Museum

The Vitra Design Museum is an internationally renowned, privately owned museum for design in Weil am Rhein, Germany.Vitra CEO Rolf Fehlbaum founded the museum in 1989 as an independent private Foundation ....
), Alvaro Siza Vieira
Álvaro Siza Vieira

?lvaro Joaquim de Melo Siza Vieira, Order of St. James of the Sword, Order of Infante D. Henrique, , who signs as ?lvaro Siza Vieira and is sometimes known as ?lvaro Siza, is a contemporary Portugal architect....
 (factory building) and Tadao Ando
Tadao Ando

is a Japanese people architect whose approach to architecture was once categorised as critical regionalism. Ando has led a storied life, working as a truck driver and boxer prior to settling on the profession of architecture, despite never having taken formal training in the field....
 (conference centre). Basel also features buildings by Mario Botta
Mario Botta

Mario Botta is a famous modern architect born in Mendrisio, Ticino canton, Switzerland.He designed his first house at age 16, although no-one mentions if it was built, and studied at the Liceo Artistico in Milan and the University Iuav of Venice in Venice....
 (Jean Tinguely Museum and Bank of International settlements) and Herzog & de Meuron
Herzog & de Meuron

Herzog & de Meuron Architekten, BSA/SIA/ETH is a Swiss architecture firm, founded and headquartered in Basel, Switzerland in 1978. The careers of founders and senior partners Jacques Herzog , and Pierre de Meuron , closely paralleled one another, with both attending the ETH Z?rich in Z?rich....
 (whose architectural practice is in Basel, and who are best known as the architects of Tate Modern
Tate Modern

The Tate Modern in London is United Kingdom's national museum of international modern art and is, with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool, Tate St Ives, and Tate#Tate Online, part of the group now known simply as Tate Gallery....
 in London). The city received the Wakker Prize
Wakker Prize

The Wakker Prize is awarded annually by the Swiss Heritage Society to a Municipality of Switzerland for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage....
 in 1996.

Heritage sites

Basel features a great number of heritage sites of national significance
Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance

The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of Cultural heritage in Switzerland....
. These include the entire Old Town of Basel as well as the following buildings and collections:

Churches and monasteries: Basel Münster
Basel Münster

The Basel Minster is one of the main landmarks and tourist attractions of the Swiss city of Basel. It adds definition to the cityscape with its red sandstone architecture and coloured roof tiles, its two slim towers and the cross-shaped intersection of the main roof....
, [St. Albankirche, Kirche St. Antonius, the former Barfüsserkirche, Elisabethenkirche, Klingentalkirche, Leonhardskirche, Martinskirche, Pauluskirche, Peterskirche, Alt Katholische Predigerkirche, Johanneskirche, Theodorskirche (with Early Middle Age gravefield), the Synagogue (1867), the former Kartause (later an orphanage) and the Kleines Klingental (formerly a Dominican monastery).

Secular buildings: Haus zum Raben, Dompropstei (Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig), Goldener Sternen, Seidenhof (with a monument to Rudolf von Habsburg), Kleiner Kirschgarten, Im Vogelsang housing estate, Bruderholzschulhaus, Safranzunft, Schloss Gundeldingen, Brunschwilerhaus, Holsteinerhof, Spiesshof, City Hall, Geltenzunft, Haus Auf Burg (with Paul Sacher
Paul Sacher

Paul Sacher was a Switzerland conducting, patron and impresario.He studied under Felix Weingartner among others. In 1926 he founded the Basel Chamber Orchestra to play works written before the classical music era and modern works....
), Domhof, Schönes Haus and Schöner Hof, Zerkindenho, Wildtsches Haus, Blaues Haus (Reichensteinerhof), Weisses Haus (Wendelstörferhof), Sandgrube, Bischofshof, Ramsteinerhof, Hohenfirstenhof, Haus zur Mücke, Wohnhaus für alleinstehende Frauen (1928), Feuerschützenhaus, Spalenhof, Lohnhof, Gate of Saint Alban, Gate of Saint John, the city walls with the Letziturm and the inner wall tower, Gate of Spalen, the Hoffmann-La Roche premises, Bürgerspital (1940-45), Basel Badischer Bahnhof with fountain (1913), Basel SBB railway station(1907), Mittlere Rheinbrücke, Fischmarktbrunnen.

Archaeological sites: Gallo-Roman settlement on the Gasfabrik premises, Alemannic
Alemannic

The term Alemannic can have several, related meanings:* Alemannic is used to refer to the Alemanni/Alamanni, a Germanic tribe of the 1st millennium....
 burial fields Gotterbarmweg and Kleinhüningen, early medieval buildings Schneidergasse 2-16.

Museums, archives and collections: State Archives of Basel, Swiss Economic Archives, University
University of Basel

The University of Basel is located at Basel, Switzerland....
 library, Antikenmuseum, Art Museum
Kunstmuseum Basel

The Kunstmuseum Basel houses the largest and most significant public art collection in Switzerland, and is listed as a Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance....
 and engravings cabinet, Museum of Contemporary Art
Museum of Contemporary Art (Basel)

The Museum of Contemporary Art in Basel opened in 1980 as the first public museum in Europe exclusively dedicated to the production and practice of contemporary art from the 1960s to the present....
, Gallizianmühle
Basel Paper Mill

The Basel Paper Mill , also known as the Swiss Museum for Paper, Writing and Printing in Basel, is primarily dedicated to papermaking, the art of book printing and writing in general....
, Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum of Basel

With a heritage dating back over 300 years, the Natural History Museum of Basel houses wide-ranging collections primarily focused on the fields of zoology, entomology, mineralogy, anthropology, osteology and paleontology....
 (with Rütimeyer library), Museum of Cultures
Museum of Cultures Basel

The Museum of Cultures Basel is a Switzerland museum of ethnography with large and important collections of artifacts, especially from Europe, the Oceania, Mesoamerica, Tibet, and Bali....
, Kirschgartenmuseum, Historical Museum, Jewish Museum, Music Museum
Music Museum (Basel)

The Music Museum of the Historical Museum Basel in the former Lohnhof prison houses Switzerland?s largest collection of musical instruments.The Music Museum is a Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance....
, Sport Museum, Sculpture Hall, Anatomical Collection, Stadt-und Münstermuseum (Kleines Klingental), Gewerbemuseum, Pharmazie-Historisches Museum
Pharmazie-Historisches Museum der Universität Basel

The Pharmazie-Historisches Museum in Basel is dedicated to Pharmacy history and houses one of the world?s largest collections on the subject. It features ceramic pharmaceutical vessels, complete pharmacy interiors, an Alchemy laboratory, mortars, first-aid kits, books, medications from bygone eras and everything related to the historic manuf...
, Caricature and Cartoon Museum
Caricature & Cartoon Museum Basel

The Caricature & Cartoon Museum Basel is devoted to cartoons, parody and pastiches of works of art and artists, comics and caricatures. The Basel museum is the only one of its kind within a radius of 500 kilometers....
, Salvation Army Museum.

Education

, 1460]] ]] Basel hosts Switzerland's oldest university, the University of Basel
University of Basel

The University of Basel is located at Basel, Switzerland....
, dating from 1459. Erasmus, Paracelsus
Paracelsus

Paracelsus was a Medieval physician, botanist, alchemy, astrologer, and general occultist. Born Phillip von Hohenheim, he later took up the name Philippus Theophrastus Aureolus Bombastus von Hohenheim, and still later took the title Paracelsus, meaning "equal to or greater than Celsus", a Roman encyclopedist, Aulus Cornelius Celsus fro...
, Daniel Bernoulli
Daniel Bernoulli

Daniel Bernoulli was a Netherlands-Switzerland mathematician and was one of the many prominent mathematicians in the Bernoulli family. He is particularly remembered for his applications of mathematics to mechanics, especially fluid mechanics, and for his pioneering work in probability and statistics....
, Leonhard Euler
Leonhard Euler

Leonhard Paul Euler was a pioneering Swiss mathematician and physicist who spent most of his life in Russia and Germany.Euler made important discoveries in fields as diverse as calculus and graph theory....
, Jacob Burckhardt
Jacob Burckhardt

Carl Jacob Christoph Burckhardt was a Switzerland historian of art history and cultural history, and an influential figure in the historiography of each field....
, and Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th century philosophy Germans philosophy and classical philology. He wrote critical texts on religion, morality, contemporary culture, philosophy, and science, using a distinctive German language style and displaying a fondness for metaphor and aphorism....
 worked here. More recently, its work in tropical medicine has gained prominence.

Basel is renowned for various scientific societies, as the Entomological Society of Basel (Entomologische Gesellschaft Basel, EGB), which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005.

Basel counts several International Schools, including the International School of Basel
International school basel

International School BaselThe International School of Basel is a nonprofit organisation. Founded in 1979, the ISB provides an international education to the highest recognized academic standards and is committed to promoting learning, cultural awareness and international understanding as well as developing respect and appreciation for people o...
, the Minerva School and the Rhine Academy.

Politics

Geo-politically, the city of Basel functions as the capital of the Swiss half-canton
Cantons of Switzerland

File:Karte 13 Alte Orte.pngThe 26 cantons of Switzerland are the State s of the federation of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereignty state with its own borders, army and currency until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848....
 of Basel-Stadt, though several of its suburb
Suburb

Suburbs are commonly defined as the residential areas which surround the central area of the urban area of a town or city. In the United States, suburbs have a prevalence of usually detached single-family homes.....
s form part of the half-canton of Basel-Landschaft or of the canton of Aargau
Aargau

Aargau is one of the more northerly Cantons of Switzerland of Switzerland. It comprises the lower course of the river Aare, which is why the canton is called Aargau ....
 (or of France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 or Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
).

Energy

Basel is at the forefront of a national vision to more than halve energy use in Switzerland by the year 2050. In order to research, develop and commercialise the technologies and techniques required for the country to become a '2000 Watt society', a number of projects have been set up since 2001 in the Basel metropolitan area. These including demonstration buildings constructed to MINERGIE
Minergie

MINERGIE is a registered quality label for new and refurbished low-energy house buildings. This label is mutually supported by the Swiss Confederation, the Swiss Cantons and the Liechtenstein along with Trade and Industry....
 or Passivhaus standards, electricity
Electricity

Electricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena such as lightning and static electricity, but in addition, less familiar concepts such as the electromagnetic field and electromagnetic induction....
 generation from renewable energy
Renewable energy

Renewable energy is energy generated from natural resources—such as sunlight, wind, rain, tidal energy and geothermal energy—which are Renewable resource ....
 sources (including a hot dry rock geothermal energy project which caused significant tremors), and vehicles using natural gas
Natural gas

Natural gas is a gas consisting primarily of methane. It is found associated with fossil fuels, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is created by methanogenic organisms in marshes, bogs, and landfills....
, hydrogen
Hydrogen economy

The hydrogen economy is a proposed system of meeting energy needs by using hydrogen as a fuel source that could be generated from alternative fuels or other energy sources that don't give off greenhouse gases....
 and biogas
Biogas

Bio-gas typically refers to a gas produced by the biological breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. Biogas originates from biogenic material and is a type of biofuel....
.

Notable residents of Basel

  • Karl Barth
    Karl Barth

    Karl Barth was a Switzerland Reformed theologian whom some critics held to be among the most important Christian thinkers of the 20th century; Pope Pius XII described him as the most important theologian since Thomas Aquinas....
     (1886-1968), Reformed Protestant theologian
  • Daniel Bernoulli
    Daniel Bernoulli

    Daniel Bernoulli was a Netherlands-Switzerland mathematician and was one of the many prominent mathematicians in the Bernoulli family. He is particularly remembered for his applications of mathematics to mechanics, especially fluid mechanics, and for his pioneering work in probability and statistics....
     (1700-1782) mathematician
  • James Bernoulli (1654-1705), mathematician
  • Johann Bernoulli
    Johann Bernoulli

    Johann Bernoulli was a Switzerland mathematician and was one of the many prominent mathematicians in the Bernoulli family. He is known for his contributions to calculus and educated the great mathematician Leonhard Euler in his youth....
     (1667-1748), mathematician
  • Peter Birkhäuser
    Peter Birkhäuser

    Peter Birkh?user was a Switzerland poster, portraitist, and visionary art Painting, noted for his paintings illustrating imagery from dreams in the context of analytical psychology....
     (1911-1976), painter
  • Jacob Burckhardt
    Jacob Burckhardt

    Carl Jacob Christoph Burckhardt was a Switzerland historian of art history and cultural history, and an influential figure in the historiography of each field....
     (1818-1897), professor in history, theology, philosophy
  • Arthur Cohn
    Arthur Cohn

    Arthur Cohn is a film producer. He has received three Oscars for Best Documentary and was awarded the Guardian of Zion Award in 2004.His best-known non-documentary film is Il giardino dei Finzi-Contini ....
     (1927- ), film producer
  • Erasmus (c1466-1536), biblical scholar, humanist, theologian
  • Leonhard Euler
    Leonhard Euler

    Leonhard Paul Euler was a pioneering Swiss mathematician and physicist who spent most of his life in Russia and Germany.Euler made important discoveries in fields as diverse as calculus and graph theory....
     (1707-1783), mathematician
  • Roger Federer
    Roger Federer

    Roger Federer is a Switzerland professional tennis player who is currently ranked World No. 2. He was the List of ATP number 1 ranked players ranked player for a ATP Tour records#Ranking, from February 2, 2004 to August 17, 2008....
     (1981- ), tennis player
  • Katy French
    Katy French

    Katy Ellen French was an Irish people socialite and model. Born in Basel, Switzerland, she moved with her family to Ireland at two years of age, briefly living in the Sandyford area before settling in Enniskerry, County Wicklow....
     (1983-2007), model and socialite
  • Jakob Emanuel Handmann
    Jakob Emanuel Handmann

    Emanuel Handmann was a Swiss Painting.Handmann was born in Basel. He was a student of Johann Ulrich Schnetzler in Schaffhausen from 1735 to 1739....
     (1718-1781), painter
  • Johann Peter Hebel
    Johann Peter Hebel

    Johann Peter Hebel was a German people short story writer and dialectal poet, most famous for his collection of alemannic tales Schatzk?stlein des rheinischen Hausfreundes ....
     (1760-1826), poet & author
  • Albert Hofmann
    Albert Hofmann

    Albert Hofmann was a Switzerland scientist best known for having been the first to Chemical synthesis, ingestion and learn of the psychedelic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide ....
     (1906-2008), chemist, inventor of LSD
  • Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961), psychiatrist
  • Lucius Munatius Plancus
    Lucius Munatius Plancus

    Lucius Munatius Plancus was a Roman Senate, consul in 42 BC, and Censor in 22 BC with Aemilius Lepidus Paullus. Along with Talleyrand eighteen centuries later, he is one of the classic historical examples of men who have managed to survive very dangerous circumstances by constantly shifting their allegiances....
     (c.87 BC - c.15 BC), city founder
  • Christoph Merian
    Christoph Merian

    Christoph Merian was a banker and businessman. Son of Christoph Merian senior und Valeria Hoffmann . Married in 1824 to Margarethe Burckhardt from Basel....
     (1800-1858)
  • Joachim Meyer
    Joachim Meyer

    Joachim Meyer was a self described Freifechter living in the then Free Imperial City of Strassburg in the 16th century and the author of a fechtbuch Gr?ndtliche Beschreibung der kunst des Fechten first published in 1570....
     (c. 1537?-1571), fencer and author
  • Friedrich Nietzsche
    Friedrich Nietzsche

    Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th century philosophy Germans philosophy and classical philology. He wrote critical texts on religion, morality, contemporary culture, philosophy, and science, using a distinctive German language style and displaying a fondness for metaphor and aphorism....
     (1844–1900), philosopher
  • Frithjof Schuon
    Frithjof Schuon

    Frithjof Schuon, was a Swiss philosopher, metaphysician and author of numerous books on religion and spirituality.Schuon was known as an authority on philosophy, spirituality and religion, an exponent of the Religio Perennis, and one of the chief representatives of the Perennialist School....
     (1907-1998), religious philosopher
  • Andreas Vesalius(1446), noted anatomist and pioneer of modern medicine.


Sport

Basel has a reputation in Switzerland as a successful sporting city. The football club FC Basel
FC Basel

Fu?ball Club Basel 1893, widely known as FC Basel is a Switzerland Association football club based in Basel.Basel is one of the most successful clubs in Swiss football, having won the Swiss Super League 12 times, the third most for any Swiss club....
 continues to be successful and in recognition of this the city was one of the Swiss venues for the 2008 European Championships, as well as Geneva
Geneva

Geneva is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie . Situated where the Rh?ne River exits Lake Geneva , it is the capital of the Canton of Geneva....
, Zürich
Zürich

Z?rich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Z?rich. The city is Switzerland's main commercial and cultural centre and sometimes called the Cultural Capital of Switzerland, the political capital of Switzerland being Berne....
 and Berne
Berne

The city of Berne or Bern is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland and, with 128,041 people , the fifth most populous city in Switzerland ....
. The championships were jointly hosted by Switzerland
Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
 and Austria
Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west....
.

Basel features a large football stadium
St. Jakob-Park

is a Swiss sports stadium. It is the largest football venue in Switzerland and home to FC Basel. "Joggeli", as the venue is nicknamed by the locals, was originally built with a capacity of 38,500 seats....
, a modern ice hockey
Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to simply as hockey, is a team sport played on ice. It is a fast paced and physical sport. Ice hockey is most popular in areas that are sufficiently cold for natural reliable seasonal ice cover such as Canada, the northern United States, Scandinavia and Russia, though with the advent of indoor artificial ice r...
 hall and an admitted sports hall.

The largest indoor tennis event in Europe occurs in Basel every October. The best ATP
Association of Tennis Professionals

File:ATP Tennis.pngThe Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 to protect the interests of male professional tennis players....
-Professionals play every year at the Swiss Indoors
Davidoff Swiss Indoors

The Davidoff Swiss Indoors is a professional tennis tournament played on Tennis court#Indoor courts. It is currently part of the ATP International Series of the ATP Tour....
.

Culture

Basel has a reputation as one of the most important cultural cities in Europe. In 1997, it contended to become the "European Capital of Culture
European Capital of Culture

The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union for a period of one calendar year during which it is given a chance to showcase its culture life and cultural development....
". In May 2004, the fifth European Festival of Youth Choirs
European Festival of Youth Choirs

The European Festival of Youth Choirs is a triennial international festival for youth choirs mainly from Europe. It will be held next time in 2010 in Basel....
 (Europäisches Jugendchorfestival, or EJCF) choir festival opened: this Basel tradition started in 1992. Host of this festival is the local Basel Boys Choir
Basel Boys Choir

Formed in 1927, the Basel Boys Choir celebrated 80 years of singing history in 2007. The choir, formerly the Choir of the Swiss Evangelical Reformed Church of Basel, now has no religious denominational ties, singing both without and with instrumental accompaniment ....
.

The carnival
Carnival

Carnival is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during January and February. Carnival typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus , masque and public street party....
 of the city of Basel (Basler Fasnacht) is a major cultural event in the year. The carnival is the biggest in Switzerland and attracts large crowds every year, despite the fact that it starts at four in the morning (Morgestraich) and lasts for exactly 72 hours, taking in various parades.

Basler Zeitung
Basler Zeitung

Basler Zeitung is a regional newspaper, published in Basel, Switzerland. The German-language daily newspaper was created through the merger of National-Zeitung and Basler Nachrichten in 1977....
 ("Baz") is the local newspaper.

Basel is host to the Basel Tattoo
Basel Tattoo

The original "Basel Tattoo" is related to a tattooing & body piercing studio located in Basel, Switzerland- "Basel Tattoo & Body Art Studio"The Basel Military Tattoo is an annual Military tattoo given by International military bands and display teams in the Basel, Switzerland....
, started by the Top Secret Drum Corps
Top Secret Drum Corps

Top Secret Drum Corps is a precision drum corps based in Basel, Switzerland. With 25 drummers and flag twirlers, the corps became famous for its demanding six-minute routine performed at the Edinburgh Tattoo in 2003....
.

Museums

]] The Basel museums
Museums in Basel

File:Basel Museum-Wegweiser.jpgThe Basel museums encompass a series of museums in the city of Basel and the neighboring region. They represent a broad spectrum of collections with a marked concentration in the fine arts and house numerous holdings of international significance....
 cover a broad and diverse spectrum of collections
Collection (museum)

A museum is distinguished by a collection of often unique objects that forms the core of its activities for wikt:exhibitions, education, research, etc....
 with a marked concentration in the fine art
Fine art

Fine art describes any art form developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than utility. This type of art is often expressed in the production of art objects using Visual arts and performing art forms, including painting, sculpture, dance, theatre, architecture, photography and printmaking....
s. They house numerous holdings of international significance. The over three dozen institutions yield an extraordinarily high density of museums compared to other cities of similar size and draw over one million visitors annually.

Constituting an essential component of Basel culture and cultural policy, the museums are the result of closely interwoven private and public collecting activities and promotion of arts and culture going back to the 16th century. The public museum collection was first created back in 1661 and represents the oldest public collection in continuous existence. Since the late 1980s, various private collections have been made accessible to the public in new purpose-built structures that have been recognized as acclaimed examples of avant-garde
Avant-garde

Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English, to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
 museum architecture
Architecture

The term architecture can refer to a process, a profession or documentation.As a process, architecture is the activity of designing and construction buildings and other physical structures by a person or a computer, primarily to provide shelter....
.

  • Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig
    Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig

    Founded in 1961, the Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig is one of the many museums in the Swiss city of Basel and a Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance....
     Ancient cultures of the mediterranean museum
  • Augusta Raurica Roman open-air museum
  • Basel Paper Mill
    Basel Paper Mill

    The Basel Paper Mill , also known as the Swiss Museum for Paper, Writing and Printing in Basel, is primarily dedicated to papermaking, the art of book printing and writing in general....
     
  • Beyeler Foundation
    Beyeler Foundation

    The Beyeler Foundation or Fondation Beyeler with its museum in Riehen near Basel owns and oversees the art collection of Hildy and Ernst Beyeler that was built up by the couple over five decades and placed under the aegis of the foundation in 1982....
     (Fondation Beyeler)
  • Botanical Garden Basel
  • Caricature & Cartoon Museum Basel
    Caricature & Cartoon Museum Basel

    The Caricature & Cartoon Museum Basel is devoted to cartoons, parody and pastiches of works of art and artists, comics and caricatures. The Basel museum is the only one of its kind within a radius of 500 kilometers....
     
  • Dollhouse Museum
    Dollhouse Museum

    The Dollhouse Museum in Basel is the largest museum of its kind in Europe....
     
  • Historical Museum Basel
    Historical Museum Basel

    Opened in 1894, the Basel Historical Museum is one of the largest and most important museums of its kind in Switzerland, and a Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance....
     
  • Kunsthalle Basel
    Kunsthalle Basel

    Since opening in 1872, Kunsthalle Basel has staked out and explored positions of contemporary art. This renowned exhibition institution in the Switzerland City Basel can look back on a long tradition of supporting the avant-garde and expanding the accepted boundaries of contemporary art....
     Modern and contemporary art museum
  • Kunstmuseum Basel
    Kunstmuseum Basel

    The Kunstmuseum Basel houses the largest and most significant public art collection in Switzerland, and is listed as a Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance....
     Upper Rhenish
    Upper Rhine

    The Upper Rhine is the part of the Rhine that flows northbound after Basel, Switzerland, along the Rhine rift, and then westward to Bingen am Rhein, Germany....
     and Flemish painting
    Flemish painting

    Flemish painting flourished from the early 15th century until the 17th century. County of Flanders delivered the leading painters in Northern Europe and attracted many promising young painters from neighbouring countries....
    s, drawing
    Drawing

    Drawing is a visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoals, chalk, pastels, marker pens, stylus, or various metals like silverpoint....
    s from 1400 to 1600 and 19th- to 21st-century art
  • Monteverdi Automuseum
  • Museum of Cultures Basel
    Museum of Cultures Basel

    The Museum of Cultures Basel is a Switzerland museum of ethnography with large and important collections of artifacts, especially from Europe, the Oceania, Mesoamerica, Tibet, and Bali....
      Large collections on European and non-Europeancultural life
  • Museum of Contemporary Art
    Museum of Contemporary Art (Basel)

    The Museum of Contemporary Art in Basel opened in 1980 as the first public museum in Europe exclusively dedicated to the production and practice of contemporary art from the 1960s to the present....
     Art from the 1960s up to the present
  • Music Museum
    Music Museum (Basel)

    The Music Museum of the Historical Museum Basel in the former Lohnhof prison houses Switzerland?s largest collection of musical instruments.The Music Museum is a Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance....
      of the Basel Historic Museum
  • Natural History Museum of Basel
    Natural History Museum of Basel

    With a heritage dating back over 300 years, the Natural History Museum of Basel houses wide-ranging collections primarily focused on the fields of zoology, entomology, mineralogy, anthropology, osteology and paleontology....
     
  • Pharmazie-Historisches Museum der Universität Basel
    Pharmazie-Historisches Museum der Universität Basel

    The Pharmazie-Historisches Museum in Basel is dedicated to Pharmacy history and houses one of the world?s largest collections on the subject. It features ceramic pharmaceutical vessels, complete pharmacy interiors, an Alchemy laboratory, mortars, first-aid kits, books, medications from bygone eras and everything related to the historic manuf...
  • Schaulager
    Schaulager

    Designed by the renowned architectural office of Herzog & de Meuron under commission from the Laurenz Foundation, the Schaulager was opened in 2003 in M?nchenstein outside Basel and was conceived as an open warehouse that provides the optimal spatial and climatic conditions for the preservation of works of art....
     Modern and contemporary art museum
  • Swiss Architecture Museum
    Swiss Architecture Museum

    Through its program of temporary exhibitions and events, the S AM Swiss Architecture Museum in Basel contributes to international debates on architecture and urban development as well as related sociopolitical aspects....
     
  • Tinguely Museum
    Tinguely Museum

    The Tinguely Museum is an art museum in Basel, Switzerland that contains a permanent exhibition of the works of Swiss painter and sculptor Jean Tinguely....
     Life and work of the major Swiss iron sculptor Jean Tinguely
    Jean Tinguely

    File:Tinguely by Wolleh.jpgFile:Basel Tinguely vor Museum.jpgFile:Z?rich - Seefeld - Heureka IMG_1605.JPGJean Tinguely was a Swiss Painting and sculpture....
  • Vitra Design Museum
    Vitra Design Museum

    The Vitra Design Museum is an internationally renowned, privately owned museum for design in Weil am Rhein, Germany.Vitra CEO Rolf Fehlbaum founded the museum in 1989 as an independent private Foundation ....
     Museum in Weil am Rhein
    Weil am Rhein

    Weil am Rhein is a Germany town and commune situated on the east bank of the River Rhine, and close to the point at which the Switzerland, France and German borders meet....
     near Basel


See also

  • Basel German
    Basel German

    Basel German or Baseldytsch is the dialect of the city of Basel, Switzerland. Among the Swiss German dialects, it is the only Low Alemannic German one....
     (language)


External links

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