Basel
Basel
Basle | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
Rhine with Middle Bridge in background Old building of the University of Basel (below) Basel Minster Roche Tower and Roche Tower 2 Panorama with Rhine, Messeturm, Roche Tower, and Wettsteinbrücke | |
|
Flag Coat of arms | |
Location of Basel | |
Basel Basel | |
| Coordinates: 47°33′17″N 07°35′26″E / 47.55472°N 7.59056°E | |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Canton | Basel-Stadt |
| Government | |
| • Executive | Regierungsrat with 7 members |
| • Parliament | Grosser Rat with 100 members |
| Area | |
• Total | 23.85 km2 (9.21 sq mi) |
| Elevation (Barfüsserkirche) | 261 m (856 ft) |
| Highest elevation (Wasserturm Bruderholz) | 366 m (1,201 ft) |
| Lowest elevation (Rhine shore, national border at Kleinhüningen) | 244.75 m (802.99 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 177,595 |
| • Density | 7,400/km2 (19,000/sq mi) |
| Demonyms | German: Basler(in), French: Bâlois(e), Italian: Basilese, Romansh: Basilean(a) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (Central European Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time) |
| Postal code(s) | 4000 |
| SFOS number | 2701 |
| ISO 3166 code | CH-BS |
| Surrounded by | Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS), Saint-Louis (FR-68), Weil am Rhein (DE-BW) |
| Website | www SFSO statistics |
Basel (/ˈbɑːzəl/ BAH-zəl; Swiss Standard German: [ˈbaːzl̩] ⓘ), also known as Basle (/bɑːl/ BAHL),[note 1] is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High to the Upper Rhine).[4] Basel is Switzerland's third-most-populous city (after Zurich and Geneva), with 177,595 inhabitants within the city municipality limits.[5]
Basel is commonly considered to be the cultural capital of Switzerland[6][7] and the city is famous for its many museums, including the Kunstmuseum, which is the first collection of art accessible to the public in the world (1661) and the largest museum of art in Switzerland, the Fondation Beyeler (located in Riehen), the Museum Tinguely and the Museum of Contemporary Art, which is the first public museum of contemporary art in Europe.[8] Forty museums are spread throughout the city-canton, making Basel one of the largest cultural centres in relation to its size and population in Europe.[9] It is the hometown of Art Basel, the world's most prestigious and influential international art fair, showcasing modern and contemporary works from leading galleries and attracting top collectors, artists, and enthusiasts globally.
The University of Basel, Switzerland's oldest university (founded in 1460),[10] and the city's centuries-long commitment to humanism, have made Basel a safe haven at times of political unrest in other parts of Europe for such notable people as Erasmus of Rotterdam,[11] the Holbein family, Friedrich Nietzsche,[12] Carl Jung, and in the 20th century also Hermann Hesse[13] and Karl Jaspers.[14]
Basel was the seat of a Prince-Bishopric starting in the 11th century, and joined the Swiss Confederacy in 1501.[15] The city has been a commercial hub and an important cultural centre since the Renaissance,[16] and has emerged as a centre for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries in the 20th century.[17] In 1897, Basel was chosen by Theodor Herzl as the location for the first World Zionist Congress, and altogether the congress was held there ten times over a time span of 50 years, more than in any other location.[18] The city is also home to the world headquarters of the Bank for International Settlements.[19] The name of the city is internationally known through institutions like the Basel Accords,[20] Art Basel[21] and FC Basel.[22]
Basel is Switzerland's main centre for the pharmaceutical industry, hosting both Novartis and Roche.[23] In 1938, the world-renowned chemist Albert Hofmann discovered LSD in Basel, where he spent most of his life. Other influential and renowned figures such as Roger Federer, Paracelsus, Matthäus Merian, Michel von Tell and Stephan Remmler are closely associated with the city or were born there. In 1734, the so-called 'Basel Problem' was solved in the city, which is regarded as one of the most important achievements in mathematics.
The official language of Basel is German,[note 2] but the main spoken language is Basel German, the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect.[24] Basel was ranked the tenth most liveable city in the world by Mercer in 2019.[25]
- ^ a b "Arealstatistik Standard - Gemeinden nach 4 Hauptbereichen". Federal Statistical Office. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
- ^ "MONATLICH AKTUALISIERTE ZAHLEN - KANTONALE STATISTIK". Federal Statistical Office. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
- ^ "Ständige Wohnbevölkerung nach Staatsangehörigkeitskategorie Geschlecht und Gemeinde; Provisorische Jahresergebnisse; 2018". Federal Statistical Office. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
- ^ City chief of staff. "Tri-national metropolitan region (TMO)". canton of Basel-Town. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ World Population Review. "Population of Cities in Switzerland 2023". World Population Review. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ "Basel is Switzerland's Culture Capital; the Alps Have Art Worth Traveling for, Too. See Our City-and-Country Guide". 13 September 2021.
- ^ Kanton Basel-Stadt. "Cultural Capital of Switzerland". Kanton Basel-Stadt. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ "Unsere drei Häuser" (in German). Kunstmuseum Basel.
- ^ Haus des Sports. "About Basel". Swiss Fencing. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ University of Basel. "History". University of Basel.
- ^ University of Basel. "History". University of Basel. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Burghartz, Georg; Kreis, Susanna. "Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)". Unigeschichte.unibas.ch – an online project on the history of the University of Basel, Department of History of the University of Basel. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Fischer-Zehnder, Eva. "C. G. Jung – Biografische Zeittafel". Psychologische Gesellschaft Basel. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Karl Jaspers-Foundation. "The move from Heidelberg to Basel". Karl Jaspers-Foundation. Archived from the original on 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ The Swiss Spectator ®. "The Prince-Bishopric of Basel". The Swiss Spectator. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Dong, Xiang (25 October 2016). "Basel – a Swiss City Neighboring Germany and France". Dong World. Archived from the original on 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Schwan, Severin. "Science and the city". F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. Archived from the original on 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Heim, Gabriel (29 August 2022). "City on the Rhine as centre of the Zionist movement". Swiss National Museum. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Bank for International Settlements Media and Public Relations team (16 December 2005). "Contact". Bank for International Settlements ("BIS"). Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Bank for International Settlements Media and Public Relations team (16 January 2001). "Basel II: The New Basel Capital Accord". Bank for International Settlements. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Horowitz, Noah. "The Business of Art Runs on ArtBase". Art Basel. Archived from the original on 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Swiss Football League (SFL). "KONTINGENTSLISTEN CSSL". Swiss Football League (SFL). Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ "Biotech companies wing their way to the Basel Area". Basel Area Business & Innovation. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ Bideau, Nicolas. "Languages and dialects". Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ "Quality of Living City Ranking | Mercer". Archived from the original on 27 April 2023.
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