BASEL OLD TOWN, Switzerland

The OLD TOWN (Altstadt) of BASEL includes a lot of historic buildings, some of which are around 700 years old and most of them in very good conditions. Luckily maintenance of these beautiful houses has a high priority. Most of the old town areas are easy to walk through, and some steep streets and steps here and there just add to the charm of the historical center. A few highlights are of course the red City Hall at the market square, the huge Cathedral, and the gate towers. The reason why many of the buildings are from the 14^th Century is the fact that they were built after the devastating earthquake in 1356 at which time also all the big churches and castles were destroyed. Strolling around the old town we also admired the many fountains, including the funny Tinguely Fountain by the theatre and the around 30 Basilisk Brunnen (fountains) where the oldest (see picture) is from 1896. From most of the fountains, you can drink the water! Actually, there will always be a signpost if you can’t. A funny time to observe the Tinguely Fountain is during winter – as this includes ever moving installations with running water, fantastic ice sculptures forms. Basel is divided into two parts, Klein Basel and Gross Basel (small and big Basel 😊) as the river Rhine runs through the city. Four small pedestrian ferries transport people between the two parts of Basel. The first ferry started in 1854 at which time there was only one bridge connecting the two parts of Basel. You can spend many hours and walk many kilometers in the old town of Basel, and you will still want to return – as do we.