Switzerland Guide
Basel
Historisches Museum
This elegant white church, built by and named after the bare-footed Franciscans, dates from the fourteenth century, was deconsecrated in the eighteenth, and is now home to the impressive Historisches Museum, devoted to documenting Basel's cultural pre-eminence during the Middle Ages. The highlight of the ground floor is the collection of sumptuous fifteenth-century tapestries; these vivid, wall-sized pieces were woven to decorate private houses and churches, specifically in Basel and Strasbourg, and are exceptionally rare, both for their artistic quality and their excellent condition. Their imagery frequently concentrates on woodsmen, fabulous animals and courtly lovers – only three of the sixteen pieces show religious imagery.
Downstairs you'll find an excellent detailed survey of Basel's history, including a board locating ancient buildings, and maps and globes galore. Head to the back, and you'll come across a side room displaying the treasury of Basel cathedral, including two stunning silver-and-copper busts dating from 1270–1325. Another highlight is a series of paintings showing the Dance of Death. The sequence originally formed part of a sixty-metre-long mural, which covered the inside of the cemetery wall of Basel's Dominican convent until its demolition in 1805. The mural depicts, in a graphic reminder of human mortality, an array of people of all different ages and professions on a macabre procession, which leads, eventually, to the cemetery's charnel house.
Opening time: Mon & Wed– Sun 10am–5pm
Price: Fr.7
Website: www.historischesmuseumbasel.ch