BASEL
We have the four-corners area; Switzerland has the Dreiländereck where Switzerland, France and Germany meet. In the U.S. the place to visit to celebrate Mardi Gras is New Orleans; in Switzerland it’s Basel. The Basel Carnival (Fasnacht) dating back to the 1300s is a three day celebration which begins at 4:00 am on the Monday after Ash Wednesday with the “Morgestraich”. All the lights in the city are switched off, a couple of hundred carnival lanterns are lit and hundreds of drummers & piccolo players march through the city. You’ll want to join the natives as they “gässle” (wander) throughout the alleys and side streets of old Basel. It truly is a marvelous event.
During the middle ages many affluent towns were surrounded by massif stone walls for protection. Entrance to the towns was via fortified gates. (The City of Bern is famous for many of these). Although the old city walls of Basel are now gone, one remnant is left in the Old City – the Spalentor dating back to the mid 1300s. For those of you interested in architecture a tour of the old town is a must. You will definitely want to visit the impressive bright red Town Hall (Rathaus) & the 12th century Münster, and wander around the old artisans’ neighborhoods. You will undoubtedly be crossing the Middle Bridge (Mittlere Brücke) during your visit. When you do, take a few minutes to say hello to “Helvetia” who is sitting at the end of the bridge on the Kleinbasel side thoughtfully looking downstream.
One of the more fascinating aspects of Basel is the incredible array of different museums scattered throughout the city. You’ll find a Cartoon Museum, a Paper Mill Museum, a Pharmaceutical Museum, a Dollhouse museum just to name a few. Don’t forget to take the time to visit the Jean Tinguely Museum. You probably saw his wacky fountain at the Theaterplatz. If you happen to visit Basel in January, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in Museumsnacht during which the city’s museums keep their doors open late into the night. Concerts, special shows and performances take place until the wee hours of the morning.
If you like parades, drums & pipes, marching bands, and military music, you’ll be enthralled with the Basel Tattoo which takes place yearly in July in the old military barracks in Basel. Of course there are also parades throughout the city. It’s the second largest Tattoo in the world with participants coming from all over the world. This year’s performances will take place from July 21-30. If you go, bring us back a drum of the famous Basler Läkerli.
Check out the Videos and websites by clicking on the highlighted links.
We have the four-corners area; Switzerland has the Dreiländereck where Switzerland, France and Germany meet. In the U.S. the place to visit to celebrate Mardi Gras is New Orleans; in Switzerland it’s Basel. The Basel Carnival (Fasnacht) dating back to the 1300s is a three day celebration which begins at 4:00 am on the Monday after Ash Wednesday with the “Morgestraich”. All the lights in the city are switched off, a couple of hundred carnival lanterns are lit and hundreds of drummers & piccolo players march through the city. You’ll want to join the natives as they “gässle” (wander) throughout the alleys and side streets of old Basel. It truly is a marvelous event.
During the middle ages many affluent towns were surrounded by massif stone walls for protection. Entrance to the towns was via fortified gates. (The City of Bern is famous for many of these). Although the old city walls of Basel are now gone, one remnant is left in the Old City – the Spalentor dating back to the mid 1300s. For those of you interested in architecture a tour of the old town is a must. You will definitely want to visit the impressive bright red Town Hall (Rathaus) & the 12th century Münster, and wander around the old artisans’ neighborhoods. You will undoubtedly be crossing the Middle Bridge (Mittlere Brücke) during your visit. When you do, take a few minutes to say hello to “Helvetia” who is sitting at the end of the bridge on the Kleinbasel side thoughtfully looking downstream.
One of the more fascinating aspects of Basel is the incredible array of different museums scattered throughout the city. You’ll find a Cartoon Museum, a Paper Mill Museum, a Pharmaceutical Museum, a Dollhouse museum just to name a few. Don’t forget to take the time to visit the Jean Tinguely Museum. You probably saw his wacky fountain at the Theaterplatz. If you happen to visit Basel in January, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in Museumsnacht during which the city’s museums keep their doors open late into the night. Concerts, special shows and performances take place until the wee hours of the morning.
If you like parades, drums & pipes, marching bands, and military music, you’ll be enthralled with the Basel Tattoo which takes place yearly in July in the old military barracks in Basel. Of course there are also parades throughout the city. It’s the second largest Tattoo in the world with participants coming from all over the world. This year’s performances will take place from July 21-30. If you go, bring us back a drum of the famous Basler Läkerli.
Check out the Videos and websites by clicking on the highlighted links.
