Hey everyone, the week is coming to an end and I hope you have a great start to the weekend which will be accompanied by some interesting experiences! In my new post I would like to share something from my trip in Switzerland with you and I am happy if you can learn new things.
When it comes to culture, Basel is probably one of the most important centres and the diversity of this city is noticeable in many ways and even when looking at the buildings, a mixture of mediaeval alleys and modern architecture can be found. Basel is located directly on the Rhine and the city connects the three countries Switzerland, France and Germany with each other and it's unique to be able to walk through three countries in a few minutes. In Basel there are numerous cultural institutions or museums, some of which can be found relatively hidden in the alleys and compared to other old towns, the buildings are very well preserved and another special thing are the numerous fountains that can be found in the city and most of them have drinking water quality. Before I want to go into the modern times, I devote myself to the first traces of colonisation which already took place in prehistoric times and later it became an important location for Roman troops who had important bases here.
During the Middle Ages, Basel became more and more an economic as well as religious centre, and towards the end of this period with the beginning of the 16th century, the direction changed and the development went into a scientific direction and Basel became an important educational centre and here was also founded the first university in Switzerland. During this time, much changed and Basel also became a member of the Swiss Confederation, which resulted in some Reformations and it developed into a place where smart minds met to further develop humanity. Basel is also very well known for the alchemists who had lived here and many may not know that it has developed into the centre of alchemy and while in other areas the topic was often still very strongly pursued, this knowledge was taught in Basel even at the universities and this transparent handling of the alchemy led to much of the old knowledge being processed and more came to the public. Many well-known personalities such as Carl Gustav Jung, Paracelsus or other legends have studied in Basel and some things are still very present in modern times and even today, it's an important location of the pharmaceutical industry which arose from alchemy.
Some large pharmaceutical companies have their location here, such as Roche or Novartis and the towers of Roche are probably one of the most famous architectural works of modernism, which enchants the city during the day and illuminates it at night. In today's time, it's also an important economic centre and here are some companies who are important for the economy of the world as well as the bank for international settlements which has its location right near the old main station and has a high artistic value with the magnificent and modern architecture. When I walked through the city, I saw different works of art in some places and in addition to the historical buildings, you can also see many sculptures here and especially I would like to mention again that it's probably one of the special characteristics of the city to see a mixture of old and modern buildings. In the evening the city offers a lot and the city seems very lively, but is not as stressful or hectic as other cities and I would recommend planning at least two to three days for a visit and think this is enough time to get to know the culture.
If you want to explore all the hidden museums, you need more time in any case and the people here were also very polite, open and it's noticeable that a high quality of life prevails there and those who should be here must definitely try the traditional Swiss cuisine. A restaurant that I can highly recommend is the restaurant Löwenzorn which, in addition to the stylish ambiance, also offers a large selection of traditional dishes and who should be here should not miss eating a Swiss cheese fondue. What should also be put on each list is a visit to the old paper mill which has a lot to offer and tells everything about the history of the mill on three floors and I also liked the Museum of Art and in future contributions, I will go even more into these sights. Also the town hall, the botanical garden or the Spalentor is very interesting and Basel was one of the experiences I had on my trips which I enjoyed very much and in general, I loved my time in Switzerland every time very much.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you could learn something new about Basel! I captured these pictures with my Sony Alpha 6000 plus 55-210 mm lens and iPhone 16.