Three countries corner is seen on the Rhein river where the borders between France (L), Switzerland (sculpture) and Germany meet in Basel. Three countries corner is seen on the Rhein river where the borders between France (L), Switzerland (sculpture) and Germany meet in Basel.
Basel - The Swiss city of Basel, straddling the River Rhine, is proud and ancient, but also small, picturesque and easy to get around. GARETH HUW DAVIES finds intrigue in the world’s smallest museum (possibly), the ancient river ferry, a century of fountains and some dreamy Monet waterlilies...
1...BORDER COUNTRY
Basel, on Switzerland’s northern border with Germany and France, hardly fits the swiss national stereotype. There is no lake, and the nearest snowy mountains are miles away. at the terminus of the No8 tram line you are a short walk from a point where three nations meet. To get to Basel we took the train from london. It’s an easy six-hour journey with just one change.
We stayed at the handy and comfortable Hotel.D (hoteld.ch) where - in common with many other hotels - they hand out free “go anywhere” public transport passes, which makes getting about exceptionally easy on the elegant trams that glide hither and thither.
Sample a few at random, and you’ll see most of the city (including the swanky offices of the world-famous drugs companies that are based here).
2...GO WITH THE FLOW
On our trip, the Rhine was flowing high after a wet summer. To get across, we tried Basel’s “reaction” ferry. The boat has no engine, but the man who took our money wore a “you’ll be quite safe” smile. The small wooden boat is attached by a long, movable lead to a high wire stretched across the river. The prow faces into the flow, and the helmsman simply steers the boat like a sailor tacking into the wind, using only the current’s power. I imagine the romans devising a rhine-crossing solution like this. It takes only a few minutes, shuffling sideways, and we are over. The stronger the current, the quicker the crossing.
3...THE POCKET-SIZED MUSEUM
There’s a door in a house in a steep narrow street in the Old Town that doesn’t open. That’s because the door itself is a museum, said to be the world’s smallest. The owners of 31 Imbergässlein were tired of people peering nosily into their home through the glass, and decided to give them something to look at in the door itself. The Hoosesagg (Trouser Pocket) Museum was born. In the window section of the door they display random items in small wooden compartments. recently it was fire engines,
then storks, then swissair aircraft. In the summer they displayed artefacts to mark football’s World Cup. It’s brilliant - and free.
4...SEARCHING FOR ERASMUS
Inside the 1 000-year-old cathedral, which dominates old Basel with its red sandstone and green and yellow roof tiles, we found ourselves on a five-minute mission with a perfect stranger. a determined little French lady came up to us and asked if we could point out the slab commemorating erasmus, the free-thinking Dutch theologian buried here in 1536. We searched together. No luck. she asked at the desk. still she couldn’t find it. she asked again. This time, success. It was behind a pillar that seemed to have mysteriously sprouted since we looked last.
Basel has many other fine churches, museums and galleries, including the Cartoonmuseum,devoted exclusively to satirical art.
5..DREAMING WITH MONET
For A few beautiful moments, in a gallery room flooded with natural light, we were all alone with one of the dreamiest of artist Monet’s waterlily paintings, the Water-lily Pond. The bright and restful Fondation Beyeler gallery has fine works by artists including Degas, seurat, lichtenstein, Picasso and Miro.
6...DIANA’S CHRISTMAS SHOP
Johann Wanner’s year-round Christmas House in the Old Town is a city institution. Hillary Clinton bought decorations for the White House here, and Princess Diana also visited. Items are expensive but quality is high (johannwanner. ch). There’s a cupcake shop of distinction next door (cupcake- affair.ch), one of many smart shops in the area. The university Botanic Garden (free) is a short walk away, its glasshouses offering a welcome refuge on a cold day. - Mail on Sunday