Basel

The most important Neo-Gothic church in Switzerland was built in 1865 as the first Evangelical church... in Basel after the Reformation. Like its predecessor, it was dedicated to the popular representative of mercy and is under a preservation order. The big Basel land owner, Christoph Merian, provided the money to build the church. Led by Christoph Riggenbach, the three-aisled vaulted hall church with 1,200 seats with galleries, a front tower to the east and a polygonal chancel in the west and a medieval courtyard was built in just eight years. In 1968 the church was to give way to a car park and be torn down, particularly as St. Luke's Church was built for the Reformed community five years later. After many years of reconstruction, St Elizabeth Church was reopened in 1994 under a leasing arrangement with the ecumenical Association of the Open Church of St Elizabeth (Verein Offene Kirche Elisabethen). The tower, which you can go up from Tuesday to Saturday from 10.30 am until 5 pm, provides a wonderful view. more

The Historical Museum Basle, housed in the archaic Barfüsserkirche (former church), is the most important... museum to cultural history in the Upper Rhine area. The highlights include the Basle cathedral treasury, late Gothic tapestry carpets, late Gothic and Renaissance paintings and ecclesiastical art and furniture. The pièce de résistance is the Amerbach Cabinet, which the city opened to the public in 1662, making it the first civic museum open to the public. The Graubündner high altar in the choir and the Nautilus Goblet made by Georg Gloner are both worth seeing. The "Lällenkönig" (Babbling King) can be found in the cellar, an original work from the 17th century with a crowned head made from copper which still sticks its tongue out thanks to an integrated clock mechanism. Not far from the museum, the Fasnachtsbrunnen, with its bizarre figures, also awaits you. At the place where the stage of the old Stadttheater once stood, in 1977 Jean Tinguely installed two playful mechanical sculptures, known as "dr Schuffler" or "dr Waggler", in a huge basin of water. They now provide the action in place of the actors, singers and dancers. With this fountain, the extremely popular Basle artist created a new landmark for the city. more

No less a person than Mario Botta, the star architect from Ticino, designed this striking museum with... its red sandstone surface. Since 1996, it has housed an extensive collection of eccentric works by Jean Tinguely (1925-1991). The artist, who was born in Fribourg and grew up in Basel, is well-known for his moveable, partly even audible or smoking installations which, for the most part, are made of scrap iron. The collection provides a good overview of the creative output of this Swiss artist, who during his lifetime caused a sensation with his "junk art". In the central, glazed hall of the museum there are around 20 huge, impressive machine sculptures, complemented by reliefs, drawings, photographs and posters. Numerous special exhibitions deal with contemporary kinetic art or display works by Tinguely's fellow artists. more