Basel: Cultural Crossroads

On the banks of the Rhine, Basel is a city of art and culture, but also a border town, at the crossroads of Switzerland, France and Germany. Its strategic position at the “three corners”, or dreiländereck, made it an important trading post, a vocation that made the city what it is today. Switzerland’s second largest city (after Zurich), Basel—Bâle in French—is an international financial center and headquarters for a number of major industries. Despite the business bent, though, Basel’s historic Old Town is an inviting place to stroll, filled with lovely houses adorned with elaborate facades and sculptures.

The city has roughly 400,000 inhabitants, and some 40 museums—what could be better? One museum for every 10,000 inhabitants—not many cities in the world can claim that kind of a culture ratio. It’s all the more impressive because all those private foundations and municipal or regional museums contain real treasures-these are not quirky special-interest collections devoted to soft drink labels or tramway tickets. Au contraire. Most of them present artists and artworks so renowned that art lovers and connoisseurs come from far and near to admire them. It’s not by chance that Art Basel, held every year in June, is considered the most important contemporary art fair in the world.

Originally founded as part of the Roman settlement of Augusta Raurica in 44 BC, Basel was always a commercial hub. In 1473 it was granted the right to organize two annual trade fairs, a tradition that endures today, with BASELWORLD, the international watch and jewelry show (March 26-April 2); Art Basel (June 10-14); and also, for the last five years, the Basel Ancient Art Fair, specializing in Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Near Eastern antiquities. The first university in Switzerland was founded here in 1460. Known for intellectual  brilliance, the university quickly acquired a reputation for being open to new ideas and welcomed many great teachers and thinkers, including the renowned Erasmus of Rotterdam.

In 1501 the city joined the Swiss Confédération Helvétique. After the mid-16th-century Reformation, Basel became an important center of the Protestant religion, which spread rapidly thanks to the recent invention of the printing press and the translation of the Bible into the vernacular. A little more than 150 years later, when the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV made Protestantism illegal in France, the pragmatic burghers of Basel received with open arms both wealthy Protestant exiles and those with useful skills and talents, including, for example, silk ribbon-makers, thus becoming for a while the capitale du ruban de soie.

Catholics would eventually return to the city, along with Napoleon, who inserted himself into Switzerland’s already fluctuating political situation. The city handily accommodated all the changes—its population flourished, commerce and manufacturing made it rich, and humanism survived. Even more wealth followed in the second half of the 19th century, created by the chemical industry with the invention of the first synthetic pigments; the pharmaceutical industry would soon follow.

Today the city’s industrial sector is one of Europe’s most important. While it was the Rhine that enabled the city and its industries to flourish, the manufacturing plants are clustered downstream from the city center. The riverbanks have been developed for recreation and relaxation, and are a favorite destination for strollers—in summer the entire city gathers on its terraces and gardens, or in the river itself, which becomes an immense open-air swimming pool. In fact, this section of the Rhine Valley enjoys lots of sunshine and mild temperatures, but although local residents call the riverbanks the Riviera, the Rhine is certainly not as warm as the Mediterranean and the swimmers are still a surprising sight.

Surprising too are the fragile-looking crafts called fähre, four 19th-century ferries that carry pedestrians across the river. The fährimaa, or ferry pilots, use the river’s current for power and guide their boats by means of cables, carefully avoiding cargo barges and cruise boats.

The city developed on both sides of the river: the left bank is Grand Bâle, with its cathedral and patrician residences; the right bank is Petit Bâle, more  of a working class community. For a long time the social gulf between the two was very marked and, especially during the three-day Fasnacht, the Mardi Gras carnival, tensions ran high.

On the two hills of Grand Bâle, in the oldest part of the city, lovely mansions cluster around the lofty 12th-century pink sandstone cathedral, the Münster, with its roof of glazed tiles. A tour here is best done on foot—many streets are pedestrian-only, and walking is the best way to soak up the city’s chic but relaxed atmosphere and to enjoy its well-preserved architecture, its delicious little streets and squares, and its surprising boutiques. Most unusual of all, perhaps, is the shop of Johann Wanner, purveyor to both the Queen of England and the White House, where you can buy amazing Christmas ornaments year round. The shop sells nothing but Christmas paraphernalia, including glass ornaments of every shape and theme. And certainly don’t miss the läckerli, a specialty sold in all the local bakeries—a sort of flat spice cookie strongly perfumed with anise and cinnamon. At first sight, its grayish-beige color is not tempting, and neither is its texture, somewhat like an old, flattened sponge. In fact it’s excellent, but it must be eaten when fresh; otherwise you risk breaking a tooth.

In the warren of small streets, one or another will eventually lead to the Renaissance City Hall, entirely restored with its painted courtyard and polychrome statues, while turning another corner will take you to remarkable contemporary buildings. Because while Basel respects its heritage, it has not been not afraid of modernity. Since the beginning of the 20th century more than a hundred renowned architects have embellished the city’s urban fabric, as if adding brand new beads onto a lovely old scarf to make it more precious. Today the city’s buildings boast no fewer than seven architectural prizes.

Basel has also retained its long tradition of tolerance. In its streets many languages are spoken and the industrial zone has attracted engineers from many countries. At once truculent and serious, hardworking and party loving, the typical Bâlois also prides himself on having a sharp sense of humor. Maybe that’s true, but anyone who doesn’t speak the local dialect—a variation of Swiss German—will have a hard time appreciating it. On the other hand, the local reputation for kindness and hospitality is well deserved. Everywhere you go, you’re welcomed with a smile, and almost everyone speaks some English and French.

The taste for art among the citizens of Basel is not a myth. Many years ago, while Picasso was still alive, the city decided to buy two of his paintings. This being Switzerland, where democracy rules in all areas, a vote was organized to determine whether taxpayers agreed that the money for the acquisition should come from public funds. The “yes” was so overwhelming and the elderly Picasso was so touched by the enthusiastic response, that he gave two more paintings to the city as gifts.

No visitor will have the time to visit all of Basel’s museums, but several of them should not be missed. Set in its own park, the Fondation Beyeler is housed in a building designed by Renzo Piano that skillfully plays with natural light and the surrounding landscape to show artworks at their best, both the foundation’s permanent collection of modern art and its excellent temporary exhibits.

The Jean Tinguely Museum houses the Swiss artist’s animated sculptures—at once both playful and unsettling—and also hosts temporary exhibits in a setting designed by architect Mario Botta. So vast is the collection of  the immense Kunstmuseum, founded in 1661, that the works must be shown in rotation; it includes paintings and drawings from the Dutch and Flemish schools, the Renaissance and the 19th century, as well as a wealth of 20th-century art-Cubism, German Expressionism and American art-and a growing collection of contemporary works. The roster of artists includes Schongauer, Grünewald, Holbein, Delacroix, Daumier, Courbet, Manet, Monet, Cézanne, Braque, Picasso, Miró, Ernst and Klee. The next major exhibit will present landscapes by Van Gogh, April 26-September 27.

For design lovers, the Vitra Design Museum, just a stone’s throw across the German border in Weil am Rhein, is worth a visit for its terrific furniture collection and its temporary exhibits (until May 3, American architect and designer George Nelson). Both the museum’s Vitra Campus and its parent company Vitra’s furniture manufacturing headquarters in nearby Birsfelden are housed in buildings by architects including Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Herzog & de Meuron and Tadao Ando.

Other museums in and around town are dedicated to Greek and Roman antiquities, contemporary art, drawings and prints, photography, human anatomy, caricature and cartoons, mechanical music boxes and figures, and antique coaches and carriages. website

The country code for Switzerland is 41; the city code for Basel is (0)61.

Originally published in the March 2009 issue of France Today.