Basel Information: Tickets, Venues, Events and More

‘Basel’ is the metropolitan area and third most populous city of Switzerland stretching across the north-west Switzerland on the banks of river Rhine. It is well-known as one of the major industrial centers famous for chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The city borders Germany and France. Basel reflects a heritage of culturally extended German Baden-Württemberg and French Alsace. It is home to the oldest university of Swiss Confederation that was founded in 1460.

It was called Basilia in Latin. The prince-bishops ruled Basel. He donated Abbey Moutier-Grandvalto until Bishop Adalbero II possessed it in 999. The construction of cathedral of Basel began under German Emperor Heinrich II in 1019. Bishop Heinrich von Thun and lesser Basel founded a bridge over the Rhine in 1225–1226.

An earthquake destroyed major portion of Basel and number of castles in the vicinity in 1356. This city remained a focal point of the western Christendom during 15th century Council of Basel. Pope Pius II endowed the University of Basel in 1459. Basel de facto separated from the Holy Roman Empire in 1501. It joined Swiss Confederation as 11th canton. John Calvin published the first edition of Christianae religionis institutio in Latin in 1536 at Basel.

Basel witnessed the conclusion of several accords. The Treaty of Basel was signed in 1499 that marked an end of the Swabian War. Basel joined the Swiss Confederation two years later. Two separate peace treaties between the revolutionary French Republic on the one hand and Prussia and Spain on the other brought about the collapse of First Coalition and cessation of fighting in the French Revolutionary Wars in 1795. The World Zionist Organization held its first congress in Basel on September 3, 1897 under the leadership of Theodor Herzl. This Jewish organization was pivotal in the creation of the state of Israel.

The Basel Convention opened for signature with the aim of preventing the export of hazardous waste from wealthy to developing nations for disposal in 1989.