Basel

Regional Overview

Rhenish Switzerland

This small region highlights the cultural synthesis of the Rhine Valley and Switzerland. The city of Basel once formed the center of a Prince-Archbishopric until the Reformation, when the Protestant city joined the Swiss Confederation. As the last major port city on the Rhine, Basel feels more like a Rhenish city than a Swiss one. No trip along the Rhine is complete without a stop in one of its most beautiful cities.

Regional Identity

What to Lookout For

  • Basel: a beautiful historic city center full of architecture typical for the Upper Rhine, mainly from the Baroque period.
  • The “Red” Renaissance civic architecture, e.g., Basel City Hall, Freiburg Merchant’s Hall, Liestal Cityhall, etc…
  • The Alemannic Gothic architecture of the Breisgau in the South, i.e., the political and economic ties to Strasbourg and Switzerland

8.4

8

10

Justin Bunch | CityscapeTravel My suggested travel destinations with the top three destinations highlighted.

What is Basel?

Basel and its small region form a remarkable cultural borderland, combining the jovial Rhineland cultures of France and Germany with the austerity of Switzerland. The result is a relaxed multi-national city in Switzerland, something otherwise unthinkable in the business districts of Zurich or the Villas of Geneva. Despite its small size, Basel has a unique cultural identity, with festivals, food, and distinctive architecture worthy of a much larger city. Basler Land and the Jura, the area around the city, are beautiful alpine foothills full of castles, picturesque villages, and forgotten ruins.

8.4 / 10

The score is based on the following:

  • Accommodation: 10
  • Transportation: 8
  • Volume/Capacity: 6
  • Infrastructure: 10
  • Interactivity: 8

8 / 10

The score is based on the following:

  • Context: 8
  • Monuments: 8
  • Quality: 8

10 / 10

The score is based on the following:

  • Abstraction: 10
  • Tradition: 10

Navigation

Upper-Rhine

The heartlands of the Holy Roman Empire

Leave a Reply