Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Basel shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Basel offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Basel at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Basel? Wrong! If the Basel is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Basel then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Basel? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Basel and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Basel wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Basel then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Basel site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Basel, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Basel, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
{{Infobox Swiss town| subject_name = Basel
| municipality_name = Basel
| municipality_type = municipality
| imagepath_coa = Bale-coat of arms.svg|pixel_coa=
| map = Karte Gemeinde Basel 2007.png
| languages = German
| canton = Basel-Stadt
| iso-code-region = CH-BS
| district = n.a.
| lat_d=47|lat_m=34|lat_NS=N|long_d=7|long_m=36|long_EW=E
| postal_code = 4000
| municipality_code =
| area = 22.75
| elevation = 260|elevation_description=
| population = 165,529|populationof = December 2006 | popofyear = 2006
| website = www.basel.ch
| mayor = [Barbara Schneider ([Basel-Stadt)|mayor_asof=|mayor_party=
| mayor_title = |list_of_mayors =
| places =
| demonym =
| neighboring_municipalities= [Allschwil (BL), [Binningen (BL), [Birsfelden (BL), [Bottmingen (BL), [Huningue (FR-68), [Münchenstein (BL), [Muttenz (BL), [Reinach, Basel-Country (BL), [Riehen, [Saint-Louis, Haut-Rhin (FR-68), [Weil am Rhein (DE-BW)
| twintowns =
|-->
Basel (British English traditionally:
Basle and more recently Basel http://www.basel.comhttp://iq.lycos.co.uk/qa/show/651/What's+the+correct+spelling+of+Basle%3F+Basle+or+Basel%3F/ , , , ) is
Switzerland's third most populous city (165,529 inhabitants (2006); 690,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area stretching across the immediate cantonal and national boundaries made Basel Switzerland's second-largest urban area as of
2003).
Located in north-west Switzerland on the river
Rhine, Basel functions as a major industrial centre for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. The city borders both Germany and France. The Basel region, culturally extending into German
Baden-Württemberg and French Alsace, reflects the heritage of its three
states in the modern Latin name: "Regio TriRhena". It has the oldest
University of Basel of the Swiss Confederation (1460).
History
During the days of the
Roman Empire, in 44 BC, the settlement of
Augusta Raurica was founded 10 or 20 kilometres upstream of present Basel, and a castle was built on the hill overlooking the river where the Basel Münster now stands. But even older Celtic settlements (including a
vitrified fort) have been discovered recently in the area predating the Roman castle. The city's position on the
Rhine long emphasised its importance: Basel for many centuries possessed the only bridge over the river "between Lake Constance and the sea".
The town of Basel was called "Basilia" in
Latin, and this name is documented from the year 374 CE. From 999 till the
Reformation, Basel was ruled by
prince-bishops (see
Bishop of Basel).In 1019 the construction of the cathedral of Basel (known locally as the
Münster) began under German Emperor
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor.In 1225–1226 the Bridge over the Rhine was constructed by
Bishop Heinrich von Thun and lesser Basel (Kleinbasel) founded as a beachhead to protect the bridge.
In 1356 the Basel earthquake destroyed much of the city along with a number of castles in the vicinity. The city offered courts in the city to nobles as an alternative to rebuilding their castles, in exchange for the nobles' military protection of the city. The
De Bâle family moved in and helped rebuild the city and the surrounding country, but set up house in the countryside.
In 1412 (or earlier) the well-known guesthouse
Zum Goldenen Sternen was established.Basel became the focal point of western Christendom during the 15th century
Council of Basel (1431 –1449), including the 1439 AD election of
antipope Felix V.In 1459 Pope
Pius II endowed the
University of Basel where such notables as
Erasmus of Rotterdam,
Paracelsus and
Hans Holbein the Younger taught. At the same time the new craft of
Spread of printing was introduced to Basel by apprentices of Johann Gutenberg.
The Schwabe publishing house was founded 1488 by Johannes Petri and is the oldest publishing house still in business. Johann Froben also operated his printing house in Basel and was notable for publishing works by Erasmus. In 1495, Basel was incorporated in the Upper Rhenish
Imperial Circle, the bishop sitting on the Bench of the Ecclesiastical Princes. In 1500 the construction of the
Basel Münster was finished.In 1501 Basel
de facto separated from the
Holy Roman Empire and joined the
Old Swiss Confederacy as 11th state, and began of the construction of the city council building. The bishop continued to reside in Basel until the reformation of
Johannes Oecolampadius in 1529. The bishop's Crosier was however retained as the city's coat of arms. In March 1536 the first edition of
Christianae religionis institutio (
Institutes of the Christian Religion) was published in Latin by John Calvin at Basel. There are indications Joachim Meyer, an influential 16th century author of a book on fighting (
kunst des Fechten) came from Basel.
Intended as a defence of
Huguenots then persecuted in France, Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion was an exposition of Protestant Christian doctrine which later became known as Calvinism. In 1543 De humani corporis fabrica, the first anatomy book was published and printed in Basel by
Andreas Vesalius (1514–1564). In 1662 the Amerbaschsches Kabinett formed the basis of a collection and exposition, forming the core of the Basel Museum of Art.
In 1792 AD the Republic of Rauracia, a revolutionary French client republic, was created. It lasted until 1793. In 1912, the extraordinary congress of the Second International was held in Basel, due to the outbreak of the Balkan Wars
Accords
Throughout history, Basel has been the host to numerous accords. In 1499 Treaty of Basel (1499) was signed to conclude the Swabian War, in effect allowing Basel to join the Swiss Confederation. In 1795, the Peace of Basel allowed the cessation of fighting in the
French Revolutionary Wars against the
First Coalition. In more recent times, on September 3, 1897, the
World Zionist Organization held its first congress in Basel under the leadership of
Theodor Herzl; this umbrella organization would later play an instrumental role in the creation of the Jewish state of
Israel. In 1989, the Basel Convention was opened for signature with the aim of preventing the export of hazardous waste from wealthy to developing nations for disposal.
Transport
Basel has Switzerland's only cargo port, through which goods pass along the navigable stretches of the
Rhine and connect to ocean-going ships at the port of
Rotterdam.
EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is operated jointly by two countries, France and Switzerland. Contrary to popular belief, the airport is located completely on French soil. The airport itself is split into two architecturally independent sectors, one half serving the French side and the other half serving the Swiss side; there is a customs point at the middle of the airport so that people can "emigrate" to the other side of the airport.Basel has long held an important place as a rail hub. Three railway stations — those of the German, French and Swiss networks — lie within the city (although the Swiss (Basel
SBB-CFF-FFS) and French (Basel
SNCF) stations are actually in the same complex, separated by Customs and Immigration facilities). The largest goods railway complex of the country is located just outside the city, spanning the municipalities of Muttenz and Pratteln. The new highspeed ICE railway line from Karlsruhe to Basel will be completed in 2008 while phase I of the LGV Est line, opened in June 2007, has reduced travel time from Basel to Paris to 3 1/2 hours.
Basel has an extensive public transportation network serving the city and connecting to surrounding suburbs. The green-colored local
light rail and buses are operated by the BVB ( Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe). The yellow-colored buses and trams are operated by the BLT
Baselland Transport, and connect areas in the nearby half-canton of Baselland to central Basel. The trams are powered by
overhead lines, and the bus fleet is mix of electric and conventional fuel-powered vehicles. The BVB also shares commuter bus lines in cooperation with transit authorities in the neighboring Alsace region in
France and Baden region in Germany. The Regio-S-Bahn Basel, the commuter rail network connecting to suburbs surrounding the city, is jointly operated by SBB, SNCF and DB.
Within city limits, five bridges connect greater and lesser Basel, from upstream to downstream:
- Schwarzwaldbrücke (built 1972)
- Wettsteinbrücke (current structure built 1998, original bridge built 1879)
- Mittlere Brücke (current structure built 1905, original bridge built 1225 as the first bridge to cross the Rhine River)
- Johanniterbrücke (built 1967)
- Dreirosenbrücke (built 2004, original bridge built 1935)
A somewhat anachronistic yet still widely used system of ferry boats links the two shores. There are four ferries, each situated approximately midway between two bridges. Each is attached by a cable to a block that rides along another cable spanning the river at a height of 20 or 30 yards. To cross the river, the ferryman orients the boat around 45°From the current so that the current pushes the boat across the river. This form of transportation is therefore completely hydraulically driven, requiring no outside energy source.
Industry and trade
An annual Federal Swiss trade fair (Mustermesse) takes place in Kleinbasel on the right bank of the Rhine. Other important trade shows include "Baselworld" (watches and jewelry),
Art Basel, Orbit and Cultura.
The Swiss chemical industry operates largely from Basel, with
Novartis,
Syngenta,
Ciba Specialty Chemicals, Clariant, and Hoffmann-La Roche headquartered there. Pharmaceuticals and specialty chemicals have become the modern focus of the city's industrial production. Some of the chemical industry's most notable creations include DDT,
Araldite, Valium, Rohypnol and
LSD.
UBS AG maintains central offices in Basel, giving finance a pivotal role in the local economy. The importance of banking began when the
Bank for International Settlements located within the city in 1930. Basel's innovative financial industry includes institutions like the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. Responsible for the Basel Accords (
Basel I and
Basel II) , this organization fundamentally changed Risk Management within its industry.
Basel has Switzerland's tallest building,
Basler Messeturm.
Quarters
Basel is subdivided into 19 quarters (
Quartiere). The municipalities of Riehen and
Bettingen, outside the city limits of Basel, are included in the canton of Basel-City as rural quarters (
Landquartiere).
{] || align="right" | 1086.10|-| St. Johann || align="right"|223.90 || Bettingen || align="right" | 222.69|-| || align="right" | ||
Canton of Basel-City || align="right" |
3583.84|}
Architecture
The red sandstone
Münster (cathedral), one of the foremost late-Romanesque/early Gothic buildings in the Upper Rhine, was badly damaged in the great earthquake of 1356, rebuilt in the fourteenth and fifteenth century, extensively reconstructed in the mid-nineteenth century and further restored in the late twentieth century. A memorial to Erasmus lies inside the Münster.
Basel is also host to an array of buildings by internationally renowned architects, such as the
Beyeler Foundation by Renzo Piano, or the Vitra complex in nearby Weil am Rhein, comprised of buildings by architects such as
Zaha Hadid (fire station), Frank Gehry (
Vitra Design Museum), Alvaro Siza Vieira (factory building) and
Tadao Ando (conference centre). Basel also features buildings by
Mario Botta (Jean Tinguely Museum and Bank of International settlements) and Herzog & de Meuron (whose architectural practice is in Basel, and who are best known as the architects of Tate Modern in London).
Basel received the
Wakker Prize in
1996.
Education
Basel hosts Switzerland's oldest university, the
University of Basel, dating from
1459. Erasmus, Paracelsus,
Daniel Bernoulli,
Leonhard Euler, Jacob Burckhardt, and
Friedrich Nietzsche worked here. More recently, its work in tropical medicine has gained prominence.
Basel is renowned for various scientific societies, as the Entomological Society of Basel (Entomologische Gesellschaft Basel, EGB), which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005 .
Basel counts several International Schools, including the International School of Basel, the Minerva School and the Rhine Academy. Many expatriate workers and their children come to Basel due to the large presence of pharmaceutical companies, and the majority of those children come to study at the international schools of Basel.
Politics
Geo-politically, the city of Basel functions as the capital of the
Cantons of Switzerland of Basel-Stadt, though several of its suburbs form part of the half-canton of Basel-Landschaft or of the canton of Aargau.
Energy
Basel is at the forefront of a national vision to more than halve energy use in Switzerland by the year 2050. In order to research, develop and commercialise the technologies and techniques required for the country to become a '
2000 Watt society', a number of projects have been set up since 2001 in the Basel metropolitan area. These including demonstration buildings constructed to
MINERGIE or
Passivhaus standards, electricity generation from
renewable energy sources (including a
hot dry rock geothermal energy project), and vehicles using natural gas, Hydrogen economy and biogas.
People from Basel
- Lucius Munatius Plancus (c.87 BC - c.15 BC), city founder
- Joachim Meyer (c. 1537?-1571), fencer and author
- James Bernoulli (1654-1705), mathematician
- Johann Bernoulli (1667-1748), mathematician
- Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782) mathematician
- Leonhard Euler (1707-1783), mathematician
- Jakob Emanuel Handmann (1718-1781), painter
- Johann Peter Hebel (1760-1826), poet & author
- Jacob Burckhardt (1818-1897), professor in history, theology, philosophy
- Karl Barth (1886-1968), Reformed Protestant theologian
- Gottfried Dienst (1919-1998), football referee
- Arthur Cohn (1927- ), film producer (won 6 Oscars)
- Beat Raaflaub (1946- ), conductor
- -minu (1947- ), columnist
- Dani Levy (1957- ), film maker
- Patty Schnyder (1978- ), tennis player
- David Degen (1983- ), football player
- Alexander Frei (1979- ), football player
- Marco Streller (1981- ), football player
- Hakan Yakın (1977- ), football player
- Murat Yakın (1974- ), football player
- Roger Federer (1981- ), tennis player
- Noemi Steuer (1957- ), actress
Sport
Basel has a reputation in Switzerland as a successful sporting city. The football (soccer) club
FC Basel continues to be successful and in recognition of this the city will be one of the venues for the 2008 European Football Championship, as well as Geneva,
Zürich and Bern. The championships will be jointly hosted by
Switzerland and Austria.
The largest indoor tennis event in Europe occurs in Basel every October. The best Association of Tennis Professionals-Professionals play every year at the "Swiss Indoors".
In
2002, the World
Judo Championships took place in Basel.
Basel features a large soccer St. Jakob-Park, a modern
ice hockey hall and an admitted sports hall.
Sister Cities
Culture
Basel has a reputation as one of the most important cultural cities in Europe. In
1997, it contended to become the "
European Capital of Culture". In May 2004, the fifth EJCF choir festival opened: this Basel tradition started in
1992. Host of this festival is the local
Basel Boys Choir.
The city is also known for "The Basel Elite", the posh and old money social circle that the city can more than cater to. Although Switzerland can technically have no nobility since such a status would depend on the country being a monarchy, which it is not, the Basel Elite would be the closest thing, and are represented as such by their familiarities with present-day nobilities from bordering countries. One such example is the DeBâle family of Allschwil, who have lived in the area for centuries, but have not acknowledged the nobility that has been bestowed upon them from actual monarchies.
The carnival of the city of Basel (
Basler Fasnacht) is a major cultural event in the year. The carnival is the biggest in Switzerland and attracts large crowds every year, despite the fact that it starts at four in the morning (
Morgestraich) and lasts for exactly 72 hours, taking in various parades.
For more information see also "Welcome to Basel Fasnacht", February 2001
Basler Zeitung ("Baz") is the local newspaper.
===Museums===
{{Infobox Swiss town| subject_name = Basel
| municipality_name = Basel
| municipality_type = municipality
| imagepath_coa = Bale-coat of arms.svg|pixel_coa=
| map = Karte Gemeinde Basel 2007.png
| languages = German
| canton = Basel-Stadt
| iso-code-region = CH-BS
| district = n.a.
| lat_d=47|lat_m=34|lat_NS=N|long_d=7|long_m=36|long_EW=E
| postal_code = 4000
| municipality_code =
| area = 22.75
| elevation = 260|elevation_description=
| population = 165,529|populationof = December 2006 | popofyear = 2006
| website = www.basel.ch
| mayor = [Barbara Schneider ([Basel-Stadt)|mayor_asof=|mayor_party=
| mayor_title = |list_of_mayors =
| places =
| demonym =
| neighboring_municipalities= [Allschwil (BL), [Binningen (BL), [Birsfelden (BL), [Bottmingen (BL), [Huningue (FR-68), [Münchenstein (BL), [Muttenz (BL), [Reinach, Basel-Country (BL), [Riehen, [Saint-Louis, Haut-Rhin (FR-68), [Weil am Rhein (DE-BW)
| twintowns =
|-->
Basel (
British English traditionally:
Basle and more recently Basel http://www.basel.comhttp://iq.lycos.co.uk/qa/show/651/What's+the+correct+spelling+of+Basle%3F+Basle+or+Basel%3F/ , , , ) is
Switzerland's third most populous city (165,529 inhabitants (2006); 690,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area stretching across the immediate cantonal and national boundaries made Basel Switzerland's second-largest urban area as of 2003).
Located in north-west Switzerland on the river
Rhine, Basel functions as a major industrial centre for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. The city borders both Germany and France. The Basel region, culturally extending into German Baden-Württemberg and French Alsace, reflects the heritage of its three
states in the modern Latin name: "
Regio TriRhena". It has the oldest
University of Basel of the Swiss Confederation (
1460).
History
During the days of the
Roman Empire, in 44 BC, the settlement of
Augusta Raurica was founded 10 or 20 kilometres upstream of present Basel, and a castle was built on the hill overlooking the river where the Basel Münster now stands. But even older
Celtic settlements (including a vitrified fort) have been discovered recently in the area predating the Roman castle. The city's position on the Rhine long emphasised its importance: Basel for many centuries possessed the only bridge over the river "between
Lake Constance and the sea".
The town of Basel was called "Basilia" in Latin, and this name is documented from the year 374 CE. From 999 till the Reformation, Basel was ruled by
prince-bishops (see
Bishop of Basel).In 1019 the construction of the cathedral of Basel (known locally as the
Münster) began under German Emperor
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor.In 1225–1226 the Bridge over the Rhine was constructed by Bishop Heinrich von Thun and lesser Basel (Kleinbasel) founded as a beachhead to protect the bridge.
In 1356 the
Basel earthquake destroyed much of the city along with a number of castles in the vicinity. The city offered courts in the city to nobles as an alternative to rebuilding their castles, in exchange for the nobles' military protection of the city. The De Bâle family moved in and helped rebuild the city and the surrounding country, but set up house in the countryside.
In 1412 (or earlier) the well-known guesthouse
Zum Goldenen Sternen was established.Basel became the focal point of western Christendom during the 15th century
Council of Basel (1431 –1449), including the 1439 AD election of
antipope Felix V.In 1459 Pope Pius II endowed the
University of Basel where such notables as
Erasmus of
Rotterdam, Paracelsus and
Hans Holbein the Younger taught. At the same time the new craft of
Spread of printing was introduced to Basel by apprentices of
Johann Gutenberg.
The Schwabe publishing house was founded 1488 by Johannes Petri and is the oldest publishing house still in business.
Johann Froben also operated his printing house in Basel and was notable for publishing works by Erasmus. In 1495, Basel was incorporated in the Upper Rhenish Imperial Circle, the bishop sitting on the Bench of the Ecclesiastical Princes. In 1500 the construction of the
Basel Münster was finished.In 1501 Basel
de facto separated from the Holy Roman Empire and joined the Old Swiss Confederacy as 11th state, and began of the construction of the city council building. The bishop continued to reside in Basel until the reformation of Johannes Oecolampadius in 1529. The bishop's Crosier was however retained as the city's coat of arms. In March 1536 the first edition of
Christianae religionis institutio (
Institutes of the Christian Religion) was published in Latin by John Calvin at Basel. There are indications
Joachim Meyer, an influential 16th century author of a book on fighting (
kunst des Fechten) came from Basel.
Intended as a defence of Huguenots then persecuted in France, Calvin's
Institutes of the Christian Religion was an exposition of Protestant Christian doctrine which later became known as
Calvinism. In 1543 De humani corporis fabrica, the first anatomy book was published and printed in Basel by
Andreas Vesalius (1514–1564). In 1662 the Amerbaschsches Kabinett formed the basis of a collection and exposition, forming the core of the Basel Museum of Art.
In 1792 AD the Republic of Rauracia, a revolutionary
French client republic, was created. It lasted until 1793. In 1912, the extraordinary congress of the Second International was held in Basel, due to the outbreak of the
Balkan Wars
Accords
Throughout history, Basel has been the host to numerous accords. In 1499 Treaty of Basel (1499) was signed to conclude the Swabian War, in effect allowing Basel to join the Swiss Confederation. In 1795, the Peace of Basel allowed the cessation of fighting in the French Revolutionary Wars against the
First Coalition. In more recent times, on September 3, 1897, the
World Zionist Organization held its first congress in Basel under the leadership of Theodor Herzl; this umbrella organization would later play an instrumental role in the creation of the Jewish state of
Israel. In 1989, the Basel Convention was opened for signature with the aim of preventing the export of hazardous waste from wealthy to developing nations for disposal.
Transport
Basel has Switzerland's only cargo port, through which goods pass along the navigable stretches of the Rhine and connect to ocean-going ships at the port of
Rotterdam.
EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is operated jointly by two countries, France and Switzerland. Contrary to popular belief, the airport is located completely on French soil. The airport itself is split into two architecturally independent sectors, one half serving the French side and the other half serving the Swiss side; there is a customs point at the middle of the airport so that people can "emigrate" to the other side of the airport.Basel has long held an important place as a rail hub. Three railway stations — those of the German, French and Swiss networks — lie within the city (although the Swiss (Basel SBB-CFF-FFS) and French (Basel SNCF) stations are actually in the same complex, separated by Customs and Immigration facilities). The largest goods railway complex of the country is located just outside the city, spanning the municipalities of Muttenz and Pratteln. The new highspeed ICE railway line from Karlsruhe to Basel will be completed in 2008 while phase I of the LGV Est line, opened in June 2007, has reduced travel time from Basel to Paris to 3 1/2 hours.
Basel has an extensive public transportation network serving the city and connecting to surrounding suburbs. The green-colored local
light rail and buses are operated by the BVB ( Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe). The yellow-colored buses and trams are operated by the BLT Baselland Transport, and connect areas in the nearby half-canton of Baselland to central Basel. The trams are powered by
overhead lines, and the bus fleet is mix of electric and conventional fuel-powered vehicles. The BVB also shares commuter bus lines in cooperation with transit authorities in the neighboring Alsace region in
France and Baden region in Germany. The Regio-S-Bahn Basel, the commuter rail network connecting to suburbs surrounding the city, is jointly operated by SBB, SNCF and DB.
Within city limits, five bridges connect greater and lesser Basel, from upstream to downstream:
- Schwarzwaldbrücke (built 1972)
- Wettsteinbrücke (current structure built 1998, original bridge built 1879)
- Mittlere Brücke (current structure built 1905, original bridge built 1225 as the first bridge to cross the Rhine River)
- Johanniterbrücke (built 1967)
- Dreirosenbrücke (built 2004, original bridge built 1935)
A somewhat anachronistic yet still widely used system of ferry boats links the two shores. There are four ferries, each situated approximately midway between two bridges. Each is attached by a cable to a block that rides along another cable spanning the river at a height of 20 or 30
yards. To cross the river, the ferryman orients the boat around 45°From the current so that the current pushes the boat across the river. This form of transportation is therefore completely hydraulically driven, requiring no outside energy source.
Industry and trade
An annual Federal Swiss trade fair (Mustermesse) takes place in Kleinbasel on the right bank of the Rhine. Other important trade shows include "Baselworld" (watches and
jewelry),
Art Basel, Orbit and Cultura.
The Swiss chemical industry operates largely from Basel, with Novartis, Syngenta,
Ciba Specialty Chemicals,
Clariant, and
Hoffmann-La Roche headquartered there. Pharmaceuticals and specialty chemicals have become the modern focus of the city's industrial production. Some of the chemical industry's most notable creations include DDT,
Araldite,
Valium,
Rohypnol and
LSD.
UBS AG maintains central offices in Basel, giving finance a pivotal role in the local economy. The importance of banking began when the
Bank for International Settlements located within the city in 1930. Basel's innovative financial industry includes institutions like the
Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. Responsible for the Basel Accords (
Basel I and
Basel II) , this organization fundamentally changed Risk Management within its industry.
Basel has Switzerland's tallest building, Basler Messeturm.
Quarters
Basel is subdivided into 19 quarters (
Quartiere). The municipalities of Riehen and
Bettingen, outside the city limits of Basel, are included in the canton of Basel-City as rural quarters (
Landquartiere).
{] || align="right" | 1086.10|-| St. Johann || align="right"|223.90 ||
Bettingen || align="right" | 222.69|-| || align="right" | ||
Canton of Basel-City || align="right" |
3583.84|}
Architecture
The red sandstone Münster (cathedral), one of the foremost late-Romanesque/early Gothic buildings in the Upper Rhine, was badly damaged in the great earthquake of 1356, rebuilt in the fourteenth and fifteenth century, extensively reconstructed in the mid-nineteenth century and further restored in the late twentieth century. A memorial to Erasmus lies inside the Münster.
Basel is also host to an array of buildings by internationally renowned architects, such as the Beyeler Foundation by Renzo Piano, or the
Vitra complex in nearby Weil am Rhein, comprised of buildings by architects such as
Zaha Hadid (fire station), Frank Gehry (Vitra Design Museum),
Alvaro Siza Vieira (factory building) and Tadao Ando (conference centre). Basel also features buildings by
Mario Botta (Jean Tinguely Museum and Bank of International settlements) and
Herzog & de Meuron (whose architectural practice is in Basel, and who are best known as the architects of
Tate Modern in London).
Basel received the
Wakker Prize in 1996.
Education
Basel hosts Switzerland's oldest university, the University of Basel, dating from 1459. Erasmus, Paracelsus, Daniel Bernoulli,
Leonhard Euler, Jacob Burckhardt, and Friedrich Nietzsche worked here. More recently, its work in tropical medicine has gained prominence.
Basel is renowned for various scientific societies, as the Entomological Society of Basel (Entomologische Gesellschaft Basel, EGB), which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005 .
Basel counts several International Schools, including the International School of Basel, the Minerva School and the Rhine Academy. Many expatriate workers and their children come to Basel due to the large presence of pharmaceutical companies, and the majority of those children come to study at the international schools of Basel.
Politics
Geo-politically, the city of Basel functions as the capital of the
Cantons of Switzerland of
Basel-Stadt, though several of its suburbs form part of the half-canton of
Basel-Landschaft or of the canton of Aargau.
Energy
Basel is at the forefront of a national vision to more than halve energy use in Switzerland by the year
2050. In order to research, develop and commercialise the technologies and techniques required for the country to become a '2000 Watt society', a number of projects have been set up since
2001 in the Basel metropolitan area. These including demonstration buildings constructed to
MINERGIE or
Passivhaus standards,
electricity generation from renewable energy sources (including a
hot dry rock geothermal energy project), and vehicles using natural gas, Hydrogen economy and biogas.
People from Basel
- Lucius Munatius Plancus (c.87 BC - c.15 BC), city founder
- Joachim Meyer (c. 1537?-1571), fencer and author
- James Bernoulli (1654-1705), mathematician
- Johann Bernoulli (1667-1748), mathematician
- Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782) mathematician
- Leonhard Euler (1707-1783), mathematician
- Jakob Emanuel Handmann (1718-1781), painter
- Johann Peter Hebel (1760-1826), poet & author
- Jacob Burckhardt (1818-1897), professor in history, theology, philosophy
- Karl Barth (1886-1968), Reformed Protestant theologian
- Gottfried Dienst (1919-1998), football referee
- Arthur Cohn (1927- ), film producer (won 6 Oscars)
- Beat Raaflaub (1946- ), conductor
- -minu (1947- ), columnist
- Dani Levy (1957- ), film maker
- Patty Schnyder (1978- ), tennis player
- David Degen (1983- ), football player
- Alexander Frei (1979- ), football player
- Marco Streller (1981- ), football player
- Hakan Yakın (1977- ), football player
- Murat Yakın (1974- ), football player
- Roger Federer (1981- ), tennis player
- Noemi Steuer (1957- ), actress
Sport
Basel has a reputation in Switzerland as a successful sporting city. The
football (soccer) club
FC Basel continues to be successful and in recognition of this the city will be one of the venues for the 2008 European Football Championship, as well as Geneva,
Zürich and
Bern. The championships will be jointly hosted by
Switzerland and
Austria.
The largest indoor tennis event in Europe occurs in Basel every October. The best
Association of Tennis Professionals-Professionals play every year at the "Swiss Indoors".
In
2002, the World Judo Championships took place in Basel.
Basel features a large soccer St. Jakob-Park, a modern ice hockey hall and an admitted sports hall.
Sister Cities
Culture
Basel has a reputation as one of the most important cultural cities in Europe. In
1997, it contended to become the "European Capital of Culture". In May
2004, the fifth EJCF choir festival opened: this Basel tradition started in
1992. Host of this festival is the local
Basel Boys Choir.
The city is also known for "The Basel Elite", the posh and old money social circle that the city can more than cater to. Although Switzerland can technically have no nobility since such a status would depend on the country being a monarchy, which it is not, the Basel Elite would be the closest thing, and are represented as such by their familiarities with present-day nobilities from bordering countries. One such example is the DeBâle family of Allschwil, who have lived in the area for centuries, but have not acknowledged the nobility that has been bestowed upon them from actual monarchies.
The
carnival of the city of Basel (
Basler Fasnacht) is a major cultural event in the year. The carnival is the biggest in Switzerland and attracts large crowds every year, despite the fact that it starts at four in the morning (
Morgestraich) and lasts for exactly 72 hours, taking in various parades.
For more information see also "Welcome to Basel Fasnacht", February 2001
Basler Zeitung ("Baz") is the local newspaper.
===Museums===
Basel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Basel (['ba:zəl], also Basle [bɑːl] [1] [2], German: Basel ['ba:zəl], French: Bâle [bɑl], Italian: Basilea [bazi'lɛːa], Romansh: Basilea [bazi'lɛːa]) is Switzerland 's ...
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