SCHÜTZENHAUS TO PAULUSKIRCHE
This walk takes us to an area that lies some distance westward from what used to be Basel’s medieval defence walls. It was here, in the open countryside, that the city’s first firearms shooting range was laid out in the 15th c. - we know it today as the Schützenmatte. In mid 19th c., the tracks of the Alsatian railway cut through the area - today trams run along this line. It was only at the turn of the 19th c. / 20th c. that a new neighbourhood - the Paulus Quartier - was developed here. Characterised by wide streets, round squares and generous green areas, it was named after its landmark, the Pauluskirche. During the walk we will look at how our understanding of nature has changed through time and at how it influences the way we perceive urban space. Another topic of interest will be the depiction of nature as stylised in architectural ornament typical of Jugendstil buildings.
Our walk will start at the northeastern side of the Schützenhaus, in an area that - from the 13th c. to the 19th c. - used to be a pond. After having a look at the 16th c. Schützenhaus and its Renaissance portal, we will proceed to the Schützenmattpark. Walking around the Bundesplatz and further along the Arnold Böcklin Strasse, we will discuss some fine examples of Jugendstil houses. The tour will end at the Pauluskirche.
Our walk will start at the northeastern side of the Schützenhaus, in an area that - from the 13th c. to the 19th c. - used to be a pond. After having a look at the 16th c. Schützenhaus and its Renaissance portal, we will proceed to the Schützenmattpark. Walking around the Bundesplatz and further along the Arnold Böcklin Strasse, we will discuss some fine examples of Jugendstil houses. The tour will end at the Pauluskirche.
TOTENTANZ TO PETERSPLATZ / BOTANICAL GARDEN
The second walk in the series on “Nature and Architecture” takes us through an area just outside of what used to be Basel’s inner ring of defence walls. In the early 13th century, the open countryside extending to the north of the fortified densely built city, provided space not only for large pleasure garden (across the Peterskirche) and for a Dominican monastery (in front of the city’s Kreuztor gate), but also for the development of a new residential neighbourhood, the “Neue Vorstadt.” Some of Basel’s most prominent Baroque houses, surrounded by generous ornamented gardens, were built here in the late 17th and 18th century. During our walk we look at some historical depictions of these buildings, try to decipher the role nature had played in earlier times, and discuss some of the changes that have taken place since.
We meet at the Totentanz, a small park across from the Predigerkirche, where we address the symbolic meaning of a tree grove and its place in monastic graveyards, as well as the historical importance of the “Dance of Death” murals. Walking along Spitalstrasse, we look at the recreated Baroque garden of the Faesch’es Haus, and discuss some nature related interpretations of Herzog&deMeuron’s Rossetti building. We then visit the garden of the University Hospital and address the healing role of nature. Continuing on to Hebelstrasse, we look at the Markgräflerhof and the Holsteinerhof, the legacy of an aristocratic couple, the Margrave of Baden-Durlach and his wife. Both buildings and their gardens are being used today by the University Hospital.
The walk ends on Petersplatz, a tree-covered public space reminiscent of large hall churches. We discuss its history and the way in which its location between what used to be Basel’s inner and outer rings of defence walls had influenced its character in the times past.
Basel's Botanical Garden is right next door - why not explore it on your own?
Here you can see en nature all the plants sculpted in stone on the main portal of the Münster!
Here you can see en nature all the plants sculpted in stone on the main portal of the Münster!
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