Basel: The City of Art in Switzerland

I couldn’t suppress a grin when I noticed St George fighting a dragon smaller than the saint’s horse on the façade of Basel’s Minster. “Why is the dragon so tiny?” I asked my guide. “We just don’t have a lot of evil in the city,” she replied. I wasn’t quite sure if she was pulling my leg but in famously neutral Switzerland maybe she wasn’t that far off. Evidently, Basel was built less on wars and more on wealth which transformed it into a vibrant metropolis of art over the years.

A Stroll through Basel’s History

A stroll through the narrow, cobblestoned alleyways past venerable buildings opens up the city’s long history. Its location on the Rhine River attracted the Celts in the Bronze Age before the Romans made it an important trading point. In 1460, it became home to Switzerland’s first university and scholars like Erasmus von Rotterdam, whose grave can be visited at Basel Minster, were particularly drawn to the city. Today, Basel’s prosperity is associated with the pharmaceutical and chemical industries which have laid the foundations for its reputation as Switzerland’s wealthiest city.

Art Everywhere

But ever since the city fathers bought twenty Hans Holbein paintings in 1661, Basel has had a long-standing patronage of the arts which has resulted in first-rate museums and galleries. When three of its gallery owners began collaborating in the late 1960s, they had no way of knowing that they were paving the way for one of the world’s most prestigious art fairs, Art Basel, founded in 1970.

One of the original organizers, dealer Ernst Beyeler, started his own collection from the classical modern and contemporary periods in the 1950s and made it accessible in 1997. The Fondation Beyeler, Basel’s finest gallery, features works by Picasso, Rothko, Rodin, Miró and others. The building alone, designed by Renzo Piano, architect of Paris’s Pompidou Centre, is worth the twenty-minute tram ride to the suburb of Riehen.

The ancient collection of Holbeins in the Kunstmuseum Basel has now almost been eclipsed by modern art – Cubist and American paintings mostly – but it still includes works by Rembrandt, Rubens, Gauguin, Monet, Cézanne and Van Gogh.

Beyond the Art

It’s not just art lovers, curators and collectors who are drawn to Switzerland’s third largest city. It’s busy all year round according to Isidora Rudolph from Basel Tourism. “In winter, we have the Christmas market, in summer, thousands of people jump in the river at the Rhein Schwimmen but by far the most popular time is what we call the three best days of the year.”

The country’s biggest carnival is outrageously funny, creative, musical, and … anarchical chaos. Processions turn one of Europe’s best preserved historic centers into a sea of illuminated, hand-painted lanterns when thousands of costumed drummers and piccolo-players march through the streets.

Historic Treasures

The beating heart of the city is the market square, dominated by the red sandstone town hall which dates from 1504 and delights with paintings by Hans Bock. It was built after the great earthquake of 1356 to replace the former seat of government and to this day the Cantonal Parliament meets here twice a month in the Assembly Hall. The inner courtyard of the town hall with its ornate paintings is open to the public.

Only a few streets further, towering over the Rhine River, stands the Basler Münster, built between the years 1019 and 1500 in the Romantic and Gothic styles. The crypt, the chancel, the tomb of Erasmus of Rotterdam, the Gallus gate and the two cloisters are witness to a fascinating tale of construction over a period of several centuries. Outside, the Pfalz – the terrace offering unobstructed vistas over the Rhine – is one of the most popular viewpoints in the city.

A Blend of Architectural Styles

While many of the traditional 13th century half-timbered houses in Basel’s Old Town proudly display their construction dates, some of the best attractions arrived more recently. Modern masterpieces designed by renowned architects such as Mario Botta, Diener & Diener and Richard Meyer are presented in Basel in an unrivaled density.

Perfectly signifying the blend of old and new is the Volkshaus, a former concert hall, which dates back to 1925 and was converted into a French brasserie by the star architect duo Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron.
Trailblazers in shaping the cityscape, Basel’s famous sons set up their business at Rheinschanze 6 in 1978 and continue to work there to this day. Although now having offices from London to Tokyo and employing more than 400 staff, both still live in Basel, the place with the largest number of buildings designed by them.

The most eye-catching is the headquarters of pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche, a skyscraper which at 584 ft is Switzerland’s tallest building. Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder but I can’t pretend to take a shining to the monstrosity which sticks out like a sore thumb. “Do you like it?” I asked Elsa just before we parted. “Yes, I do,” she replied, adding very matter of fact: “The pharmaceuticals pay half the city’s taxes.” Taking in the clean streets, untainted house facades, immaculate parks and well-run public transport network, I thought that Basel was doing well, loving the skyscraper or not.