Basel – the slightly different city

“Basel ticks differently.” – This is the motto that Basel Tourism uses to market the amiable quality of Basel’s residents, in contrast to the more conservative and Europe-critical rest of German-speaking Switzerland, which is simply a bit more liberal and Europe-friendly. The third largest city in Switzerland (after Zurich and Geneva according to neovideogames ) is the capital of the canton of Basel-Stadt, and functions as a capital and banking center as well as a trade fair and congress center. It also has more than thirty museums, many theaters and the oldest university in Switzerland. In addition to the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Barth, Jacob Burckhardt and Karl Jaspers have also taught at the latter.

Otherwise, Basel is a city full of historical evidence, which the people of Basel cherish as an important legacy of a checkered past. Already in the 5th century BC BC members of the Celtic tribe settled at the knee of the Rhine. Around 44 BC BC the Romans founded the settlement Augusta Raurica. This was 10 to 20 kilometers upstream from the point where today’s Basel expands. The city’s location on the Rhine made it very important early on. In addition, for centuries it had the only bridge over the Rhine between Lake Constance and the North Sea. At that time the city was still called Basilia and thus had a Latin name that was first documented for the year 374.
In Basel, quite “normal” events took place every now and then, which were supposed to have a world-historical character. Apart from the Council of Basel (1431 – 1449), which was probably the most important synod of the 15th century, the 1st World Zionist Congress organized by Theodor Herzl took place in Basel between August 26 and 29, 1897. The decision to “create a publicly and legally secure home for the Jewish people in Palestine” goes back to this meeting.
The St. Jakob Park football stadium in Basel was the venue for the 2008 European Football Championship. The results of the games there can be found under Sights – Football stadiums.

Caution
Information that applies to the entire country, e.g. B. on currency, entry requirements, health issues, etc., can be found under Switzerland .

Basel: special features and events

City peculiarities

Earthquake
In 1356, Basel was struck by a severe earthquake, which is considered to be the worst in Europe. The quake had a magnitude of 6.9 on the Richter scale. Almost the entire city was destroyed as a result of the earthquake.

Baselisk
The Baselisk is a mixture of rooster, dragon and eagle. Originally it was a monster that could kill with a glance. Today the strange mythical creature is the city’s mascot, which adorns numerous fountains and houses in the city.

Basel – Switzerland’s Manchester?
Basel has recently come to be known as the “Manchester of Switzerland”. This name is the result of many comparisons that can be made between Basel and the British city.
These include the weather, the wide range of shopping opportunities, multiculturalism and geography.

Rheinschwimmen
Swimming in the Rhine is gaining in popularity in Basel. The bathing areas and “swimming lanes” in the Rhine are indicated by signs.
You just let yourself drift downstream. The “entry and exit” can be done at one of the river swimming pools. You can return by public transport, on foot, or you can be picked up by car.
You carry your clothes with you in a fish-shaped, waterproof bag specially developed by the city of Basel. The bags are now so popular that they quickly run out of stock at the beginning of the bathing season.

Tour through the Basel sewer system
In Basel you can join a guided tour into the dark half of the city. This leads to the sewage system, which because of the Swiss orderliness cannot be compared with Victor Hugo’s creepy descriptions of the Paris sewage system. The tour will last 11/4 hours and end at the Safranzunft restaurant in the city center. The costs for this event will currently (2007) amount to CHF 250 per group. You can find out more at:
Lindenberg 3
Tel. 0041 – (0) 61 – 683 56 52
www.lindenberg3.ch

Wakker Prize
www.heimatschutz.ch
Basel has been the recipient of the Wakker Prize, which is awarded by the Swiss Homeland Security, since 1996. It is awarded once a year for special services to the protection of the townscape and is endowed with 20,000 francs.

European Football Championship 2008
www.euro08.basel.ch
From June 7th to June 29th, 2008 in Austria and Switzerland the 13th UEFA European Football Championship 2008 took place. 16 national teams fought against each other in group and qualifying matches. There were a total of 31 games (= 24 group, 4 quarter-finals, 2 semi-finals and finally the final). The championship organization was based on the soccer World Cup in Germany in 2006 and also relied on screens, party miles, fan miles and much more. As part of this third largest sporting event in the world, a total of six games were played in Basel’s St. Jakob-Park stadium one of the main venues of the EM’08. These games were the three 3 group games with Switzerland on June 7th (= opening game), June 11th and June 15th. In addition, there were two quarter-finals on June 19 and June 21, as well as on June 25.