I’d always thought of Basel as synonymous with industry. Home to pharmaceutical giants like Roche and Novartis, and hosting luxury trade shows like Baselworld and Art Basel, the Swiss city does, undoubtedly, have a reputation as a hub of commerce. But standing above the Rhine River, on the cusp of Switzerland, France, and Germany, I realised that this tiny city has a big character, defined by a storied history and deep connection with the arts.
To Market, to market
I happen to visit in December, when, in the month leading up to Christmas, many European cities come alive with Christmas markets. Basel is no exception. At Barfüsserplatz, a huge wooden carousel spins slowly, as shoppers buzz about the busy market at its base.
Traditional chalet-style stalls line the square, where artisans sell local specialties like wooden Christmas ornaments, Swiss raclette cheese, and läckerli, a local type of cookie.
The longest queues are at stalls dispensing mugs of hot, spiced glühwein or mulled wine. I nurse a mug to help take the chill off, and head to Münsterplatz market, set against the red sandstone towers of the imposing Münster Cathedral — a definitive mark on the city’s skyline.
The church is, perhaps, the best introduction to Basel’s long history of reformation — a period in 1500s and 1600s Europe when widespread changes in the Catholic doctrine resulted in the establishment of a Protestant order. The grand Münster, originally a Catholic cathedral, was reformed to a protestant church.
Marks of such changes are scattered through the town, most notably on the façades of iconic buildings. Surrounded by warm bakeries and chocolate shops in the Market Square, the 500-year-old Town Hall building’s brick red façade is intricately decorated with frescoes. Prominent among them is an embellished clock with a figurine of Lady Justice. The local guide I’m with tells me the figure was originally of the Virgin Mary, and during the reformation was modified to its current avatar. Whether this is fact or theory, I cannot verify, but it does highlight the fact that in Basel, art is inextricably linked to history, and both come especially alive during the Advent.
Museum trail
Slowly, in the season of festivity and camaraderie, Basel’s layers begin to peel away, and I discover a town as rich in culture as it is in industry. For a city spread across a mere 37 sq.km., there are an astonishing 40 museums, housing collections both large and small, weird and wonderful. A local describes his hometown as “a city of collectors and connoisseurs.”
I could roam for hours in the Kunstmuseum — the largest public art collection in Switzerland — gazing at works by the greatest of greats: Monet, Renoir, Picasso, Dali. But it is Hans Holbein’s iconic 16th Century work that makes me linger the longest. His masterpiece — The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb — is an eerie, almost three-dimensional, and disturbingly life-sized representation of the reclining corpse of Christ.
Leaving the huge art collection behind, I wander through the quaint Old Town’s streets and steep inclines until I stumble across a decorated doorway pressed into a building by a narrow alley. A glass inset in the door houses a charming display — a miniature replica of the apartment building before me, complete with tiny people at their windows and thimble-sized Christmas decorations.
I’m thrilled when I learn this glass display and its contents is actually the Hoosesagg Museum. Basel’s tiniest museum is “small enough to fit in your pocket” and run by the Vergeat family, who live in the house.
It’s Christmas!
Browsing the festive store window displays nearby, I come across a bright green shopfront, adorned with the most intricate Christmas ornaments. The Johann Wanner store is a specialty Christmas shop, which runs through the year. The Swiss institution is packed with delicate, handcrafted baubles and Christmassy things, available all year round.
Across the road from the Barfüsserplatz market, I spot a toy museum. If there was ever a chance to actualise a childhood dream, this was it. Dolls, with the kinds of beady eyes that follow you round the room; impossibly detailed doll houses, over 2,000 teddy bears — the four-storied collection borders on unsettling at times but, I imagine, to a child, it is reminiscent of Santa’s workshop. Especially during Christmas.
The freelance journalist travels to eat strange foods and collect even stranger musical instruments.
