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 | Places to visit in Basel |
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| The city of Basel |
| The city was founded in 44 and it was initially given the name Robur (from the latin word for oak grove, roburetum). In the year 374, it was renamed as Basilea (from the Greek word ????????, which means kingship), when it became the royal fortress of the Roman Emperor Flavius Valentinianus (Valentinian I). Nowadays, Basel is the third biggest city in Switzerland with a population of 166,173 inhabitants as of 2009. It is located in the northwest of the country, where the borders of Switzerland meet the borders of France and Germany. |
| Basel's Cathedral (Münster) |
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| Basel's fabulous Cathedral, called The Münster, was built between the 11th century and 16th century and it is one of the main late-Romanesque landmarks of the city. In 1356, the Cathedral was ruined by an earthquake and it was rebuilt by Johannes Gmünd, who also built the Freiburg Münster. Since then, the Cathedral is regularly restored in order to keep its sumptuous Gothic exterior and Romanesque interior intact. In its northern aisle, you will find the tomb of the famous Renaissance humanist Erasmus of Rotterdam, who lived and died in Basel. |
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| Location: Münsterplatz, Basel |
| Trade Fair Tower (Messeturm) |
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| Basel's Trade Fair Tower, known to the Baslers as Messeturm, has recently been built in 2003 and is in fact Switzerland's tallest building with 32 floors and 105 meters high. It is located at Basel's exhibition square in small Basel (Kleinbasel). The well-known hotel chain Ramada operates a 4 stars hotel called the Ramada Plaza Basel Hotel in this same building. A conference center and offices are also available such as a trendy bar called Bar Rouge located on the top floor. |
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| Location: Messeplatz, Basel |
| Marketplace and Town hall |
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| The marketplace is a very central place in the city, where you will be able to find everyday, except Sunday, a market with fresh food such as vegetables, fruits, many different cheeses and also pretty flowers. This place is dominated by the city Town Hall, a prestigious red building built in the 14th century and is now used as the seat of Basel-City's canton government. The building has gone through many extensions and renovations to lead to a building combining old style like Renaissance with the modern style Art Nouveau. |
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| Location: Marktplatz, Basel |
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