Celts had inhabited this place since the 5th century B.C. A town seems to have been in place around 150 B.C. which was later fortified by the Romans. After the Romans left around 400, the Alemannic people took over but were quickly swallowed by the kingdom of the Franks. By 900 the town was part of the kingdom of Burgundy and with it fell to the German Empire in 1032. The first bishop is mentioned around 740 and he seems to have had the rule over the city as all bishops would have it coming after. In 917, the town was completely destroyed by the Huns.
999, the bishop was made a prince by the kings of Burgundy and retained the title under the emperors until 1806. In 1225, Bishop Heinrich of Thun had a bridge built over the Rhine River which was the foundation of the future riches of the town. It was for a long time the only bridge between Lake Constance and the North Sea. 1348 half the population fell to the pest, and 1356 90 per cent of the town were destroyed by an earthquake.
From 1431 to 1449, Basel was the center of Christendom with the Council being held in the city. It was due to all these notables being present that the news of the battle of St Jakob was all over Europe within weeks. In this battle being fought just outside the town walls, 1,500 soldiers from the Swiss Confederation were defeated by 40’000 soldiers of the French king in a ten hour battle at such high cost to the French that they withdrew. It is believed that 6,000 French soldiers were killed, not counting the wounded. Nobody really cared to attack the Confederation after that.
1459, the Pope donated a university to Basel, and in 1471 the emperor granted the fair privilege to the city. The fair is still held yearly in November and is considered the oldest in Europe. The University drew notable scientists of their day to Basel, such as Erasmus of Rotterdam, Paracelsus, and Holbein. In later days the University brought forth such genies as the members of the Bernoulli family or Leonhard Euler. Changing members of the Bernoulli family held the professorship for mathematics at the university for 105 consecutive years. In 1501, Basel joined the Swiss Confederation.
After the Napoleonic wars, Basel regained independence and received together with Bern the lands formerly belonging to the prince-bishop of Basel. With the founding of the Swiss state in 1848 Basel lost all political influence in Europe and in Switzerland. In the late 19th century, Basel became a center for the new pharmaceutical industry and remains a major player to these days. Apart from numerous historic buildings, Basel has over 60 museums.
The language spoken is Alemannic with many French words used at the same time, but pronounced the Alemannic way. The Swiss make fun of the city as it sees itself on a par with New York, Paris, or London where culture and the arts are concerned. It is said that you may joke about everything in Basel, as the people have a high regard for the ridiculous, except about carnival which they take very seriously.
Every year, Basel hosts the World Jewellery and Watch Fair, the largest of its kind anywhere, and the Art Fair for modern art. A spinoff Art Fair is held yearly in Miami under the name Basel Art Miami. And besides that: The Swiss National Day is the 1st of August being observed with a holiday and fireworks everywhere in Switzerland except in Basel, where the fireworks and the parties are held on the 31st of July so people may sleep off their headaches during that holiday.
For further information on the city of Basel you may want to go to the official homepage of the city government basel.ch.
Further reading
The Town of Baden in Baden
City on the Language Divide: Fribourg
Town of Embroidery: St Gallen
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