The best of Basel
A version of this article appeared in The Irish Times. It has since been updated
Used to be that visitors to Basel fell into one of two categories: (a) discerning; (b) changing trains. No longer — today this gem on the Rhine is now a destination for art, cultural and architecture pilgrims from all over the world
Even functionality in Basil comes elegantly packaged. This fire escape for the Warteck-Brauerei has both panic and panache in mind.
IT MAY not have the glitter of Gstaad, the winter show-off city of the rich just up the road, nor the nonchalant élan of Geneva in the southerly reaches of French-speaking Switzerland. But neither is Basel as conservative as you might think. In this outwardly staid city, psychedelia and philosophy have long enjoyed a prominent role.
Nietzche, Erasmus, Hesse, Holbein – they all strolled along the leafy banks of the Rhine pondering the nature of existence, or trying to decide whether a wait-and-see position would be more sensible.
All the while they were unaware that Basel would soon become the unlikely setting for an extraordinarily seminal event in metaphysics.
Picture, if you will, a dreary Friday afternoon in 1943 in one of Basel's major pharmaceutical companies. Dr Albert Hoffman is experimenting on fungus, hoping to extract a cure for migraine. Feeling a bit odd, he decides to call it a day. He makes his way across the fast-flowing Rhine, which makes a lazy right hand-turn here. He peers down at its dark waters, but only fleetingly. He heads into the Old Town, through the 700-year-old Spalentor gate tower — his bike rattling on the cobblestones — and past the elegant 16th century Town Hall. But he sees none of these architectural delights. Instead his eyes are assailed by "an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures . . . a kaleidoscopic play of colours." And that’s just the boring bits.
Because what our Albert had discovered wasn't a cure for migraine at all, but LSD.
Don't try this one at home folks.
The quite unnecessarily beautiful Herzog and de Meuron’s shimmering, rust-coloured Stellwork Signal Box, sheathed in horizontal copper strips. Basel is a pivotal point in the rail networks of Europe, so a state-of-the-art signal box is required. But don’t expect to see men in overalls and flat caps standing at a row of levers.
TODAY, Basel's cobbled streets have a resonance of high living rather than hallucinogens. Its baroque town-houses, once the des res of Huguenot refugees involved in the silk trade, were at the forefront of dye-processing — the forerunner of Basel's world-dominating pharmaceutical companies, and the impetus for Herr Hoffman's trip.
But it’s not all baroque & roll. This city of design and culture, has more eye-popping architecture than you could reasonably shake a set-square at.
They say that the sober Swiss, had they been consulted, would never have come up with anything as outré as the Alps; a more modest topography would have suited. No such caution attaches to their buildings. Mein Gott (as they say locally, this being a German-speaking canton), they even have a railway signal box in Basel designed by Herzog and de Meuron, of Tate Modern fame. Basel is their home turf.
The VitraHaus building designed by Herzog & de Meuron. The building is part of Vitra Campus, a collection of works by the likes of Frank Ghery, Zaha Hadid, Alvaro Siza
Formal splendour too. Atop the Old Town’s skyline stands the majestic Münster. From the Münsterplatz steep lanes thread down through leafy courtyards, past mediaeval churches and cosy inns.
Switzerland's non-qualification for the big events of 1914-18 and 1939-46 left its cities largely intact.
The Rhine bisects Basel. To the south-west lies Grossbasel: basically Basel ancient + glitzy shopping streets. Beyond the north bank is Kleinbasel full of ethnic eateries, laid back nightlife; oh, and two other countries. Germany and France. These are within a three kilometre radius; apparently there's a pub where you can drink in Switzerland and piss in Germany. Whether you need your passport or not, I couldn't say.
Cool commuting in Basel — pop your stuff into a watertight buoyancy bag (called a Wickelfisch) and float on home
BASEL'S charming, rattling trams will deliver you to pubs, clubs, shops and a bewildering range of museums (over 40 at the last count), dedicated to everything from puppets to pharmaceuticals. Alongside all the standard-issue collections — history, anthropology, culture, art — there's a paper museum, a furniture museum, one dedicated to non-European ethnicity, a doll's house museum, a wine cultivation museum. Stand back and marvel at the depth of human curiosity.
But for sample a spot of startling history you don't even need a museum. Just pop into the Les Trois Rois Hotel for a coffee. There's no telling what you might come up with. This old inn, dating back to 1026, has been midwife to momentous ideas. In fact it possibly stands among the very best in the hospitality industry in terms of historical significance.
The eponymous kings, Les Trois Rois in fact (Emperor Conrad II, Heinrich III, and Rudolf III of Burgundy) booked B&B here to thrash out matters of sovereignty. Evidently a fruitful meeting. The citizens of Switzerland, hitherto a handful of German, Italian and French hill-farmers eking out an existence on the side of some very steep mountains, subsequently constructed the richest nation on earth.
Not surprisingly most of the crowned heads of Europe have crashed at Les Trois Rois, obviously a fecund place for scheming. It was while standing here on a balcony gazing down on the Rhine that Theodor Herzl came up with his Big Idea: a new state called Israel.
And so far that’s worked out pretty well.
Even if nation-building isn't on your mind, you could still order up a bellini, sink into a sumptuous sofa and think great thoughts.
Afterwords, go for a dip in the Rhine.
This being Mittel Europa, summer temperatures sizzle in the mid-thirties. So, simply put valuables and invaluables into a plastic, watertight case (doubles as a flotation device) and plunge into the Rhine. Then gently float downriver along with hundreds of other Baselers. Be sure to keep to the right hand side — barges en route to Rotterdam use the left lane; an emergency stop for them is about two miles.
Crossing the Rhine is easy, too — try the cable ferry, just by Mittlere Rheinbricke (middle bridge). www.faehri.ch is the website; better still, just press the bell and the ferry will head, crab-like, across the river. Affixed to an overhead cable, propulsion is entirely by the current of the Rhine. In both directions, mark you. Not sure how that works.
What to visit
The Rathaus
The 16th century town hall dominates the Marktplatz. Its red facade is decorated with the coats of arms of Basel and Switzerland's other canton. The courtyard is a fine place to stroll — especially if you're into statues and frescoes.
The Kunstmuseum, St. Alban-Graben 16
One of the world’s finest collection of Holbeins is housed here — the city fathers bought twenty of the 15th-century German artist and printmaker's works in 1661; although born in Augsburg, Hans Holbein worked mainly in Basel as a young artist. The gallery also houses works by Rembrandt, Goya, Gauguin, Renoir, Chagall and Van Gogh.
Schaulager Art Gallery, Ruchfeldstrasse 19
With so many world class art galleries and museums, you're guaranteed cultural brio on a grand scale. The stunning Schaulager, another Hz & de M design, has impressive contents ranging of contemporary art and design.
Winter suits the Tinguely Museum rather well
Tinguely Museum
Paul Sacher-Anlage 1, www.tinguely.ch
Featuring the kinetic sculptures of Jean Tinguely, your first reaction may well be that this was a man who was evidently barking. Unbelievably complex machines and whimsical gadgets (all made from scrap metal) are equipped with huge pulleys, pistons, cogs, springs, and do nothing more than, for instance, wave a feather or make a mechanical teddy bear nod his head.
Whether the almost comically rude box office staff are part of the exhibition, I never quite worked out.
Beleyer Fondation, Baselstrasse 101
Designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano this world-class gallery features a huge collection of Paul Klee works.
Where to stay
Afternoon tea at Les Trois Rois. Switzerland remains a cake superpower, so how come in this land of gargantuan portions of desserts, not to mention cheese and chocolates, the citizens are among the most svelte and classy-looking in Europe?
Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois, Blumenrain 8
Three Kings, five star opulence. Les Trois Rois has been innkeeper to Europe's great and not-so-good since 1026. Double rooms from €370
Krafft, Rheingasse 1
The Krafft Hotel — Herman Hesse, René Magritte and Roy Lichtensein have all enjoyed B&B here
www.hotelkrafft.ch Herman Hesse wrote Steppenwolf here. The five star view across the river to the medieval town obviously didn't distract him from scribbling away. René Magritte and Roy Lichtenstein have also stayed in the comfortable old rooms — ask for one with a balcony and you never know what you might come up with. Double rooms from €120
Teufelhof, Leonhardsgraben 47
www.teufelhof.com With each of its rooms decorated by a different artist your companion for the night might well be a piece of sculpture. Doubles from €150
Dorint, Schönaustrasse 10
www.dorint.de In Kleinbasel's Messe district. Comfortable rooms with superb facilities. Doubles from €100
Au Violon, Im Lohnnhof 4
www.au-violon.com Stylish hotel in the Old Town, overlooking tree-lined courtyard. Double rooms from €80
Hotel Euler, Centralbahnplatz 14
The hotel, dating from the 1870s, is central (just by the main railway station), comfortable and friendly. Double rooms from around €100
The Roter Bären, one of the top tables in Basel. They even let you in if you play a guitar
Where to eat / drink / carouse
Chez Donati, Sankt Johanns-Vorstadt 48
Wine and dine on the Rhine at the best Italian restaurant in town — cross-river views included. Not cheap, but as Marilyn Monroe use to say: it's funny how 'what the hell' is so often the best choice.
Roter Bären, Ochsengasse 17
Buzzy, bustling, clubby.
Lily's Stomach Supply, Rebgasse
Eclectic menu: Thai soups, Japanese noodles, Pakistani curries.
Acqua, Binningerstrasse 14
A 'see and be seen' place, hugely enjoyable. Creative Italian-inspired menu.
Acqua — perfect setting for louche behaviour
Balthazar, Steinenbachgässlein 34
00-41-61-2818151
Gourmet restaurant. Snails are the signature dish.
Restaurant Wilhelm Tell, Spalenvorstadt 38
00-41-61 261 15 38. Solid Swiss fare: sausages, schnitzels, fondues. Also serves a definitive dish of rösti. Presumably freshly-shot apples as well.
Bar Rouge, Messeplatz 10
00-44-61-3613031 www.barrouge.ch
On the top floor of the Messeturm, Switzerland's tallest building. Ideal for nibbles and cocktails. Extraordinary views as well - even from the stalls in the toilets. Dunno about the ladies toilets, of course.
Herr Wanner's Crimbo emporium — not a pop-up shop. You can do your seasonal shopping here the whole year round. (Closed on Christmas Day.)
Shopping
* Designer shops, classy boutiques, local swag — just what you'd expect. In the heart of the Old Town, the Spalenberg offers the very best of Basel bling.
* Johann Wanner’s www.johannwanner.ch world famous Crimbo store is stuffed with seasonal knick-knacks the year round.
* Timm Delfs at Rebgasse 41 www.zeitzentrale.ch is perhaps the most impressive horologist in Switzerland, selling only sundials. Apparently the arm of the sun dial (a gnomon, fact fans) casts a shadow which allows you to tell the time by the sun. To put your clock back an hour at the end of October, you just have to move the sundial a mile up the road. Bloke in the shop told me that.
* Läckerli-Huusat at Gerbergasse 57 www.laeckerli-huus.ch sells a variety of Läckerli, the traditional biscuit made from gingerbread with nougat, honey and almonds.
Before you go
Check out the map: lying between the Swiss Jura, the French Vosges and the German Black Forest, Basel is at the southern tip of the Upper Rhine lowland. This topographical serendipity means that the city is officially the sunniest (although not the hottest) part of Switzerland. So pack your sunglasses. Anyway, you'll need them for the night clubs later.
To avoid
Cuckoo clocks. Orson Welles' famous quote that in spite of brotherly love and 500 years of democracy, Switzerland had produced nothing more of value than the cuckoo clock is actually wrong. Turns out this piece of time-keeping technology was in fact invented in the (admittedly) nearby Black Forest, in Germany. Akin to finding out that leprechauns originated in Surrey.
Information:
Basel Tourismus 00-41 61 268 68 68,
Thanks to Basel Tourism for the use of their images
Mal Rogers stayed as a guest of Les Trois Rois Hotel