Basel Town Hall

Basel City Hall, shop facade, exterior view

The Rathaus Basel ( locally called Roothuus ) is a representative building in Basel. The building, situated directly next to Basel's marketplace stands out for its red sandstone and the distinctive tower. At the same place, the political center of Basel was established in 1290. The so-called judgment hall was destroyed by the Basel earthquake in 1356. All files on hand and records were lost. As a substitute of the so-called palace of the Lords was built.

1501 Basel joined the Swiss Confederation. The Grand Council, who was then spared no expense, decided in 1503 to build a new building with a connection to the palace of the Lords. The construction work proceeded from 1504 to 1514 at this time. Well as the coat of arms of the places created (cantons ) on the battlements. The original palace of the Lords, which since then is in the background, was 1517-1521 increased and established the then Grossratssaal. Hans Holbein the Younger was commissioned in 1521 with the painting of this room and Hans Bock the Elder with the restoration. Hans Bock created 1608/ 09, the painting " Jehoshaphat exhorts the judges " and " Herod of Hyrcanus ' on the side walls under the arches of the courtyard and the" Last Judgment " on the stairs on the right side. In addition, he continued to paint until 1611 on the facade of the Basel coat of arms, representations of goddesses of victory with palm branches and a children's pageant.

The remains of the palace created by the Basel earthquake are the oldest parts of the town hall, followed by the late Gothic Mittelbau with the three arc inputs and the golden turrets from the year 1507. Created The Clock Master William in the year 1511th

Between 1606 and 1608 the bordering north Front office was created. To make the construction as uniform as possible, they decided on a simulated architecture: although the late Gothic era was over, elements of this era were used.

The iron bars in front of the entrance hall dates from the year 1611, the bronze plaque of 1537 on the right pillar reminiscent of the earlier flood of today underground flowing Birsig.

Only from 1898 to 1904 were related to the transformation of the marketplace, the growth of the city and the new cantonal constitution the right of the tower and left the wing with the bay window to do so. Conversions followed in the Gothic Revival style and the new Renaissance. The previous Grossratssaal was canceled simultaneously and 1901-04 replaced by a new hall with side rooms.

The painting on the tower was created in 1901 by Wilhelm Balmer and shows the standard-bearer Hans Baer, who was killed at the Battle of Marignano in September 1515. The façade facing the marketplace contains reliefs childlike warrior on the left and of Wins angels that adorn the Basel shields with laurels over the arcade arches and a Justitia at the height of the Near council chamber, which, to the court function of the Small Council, as the executive was previously named recalls.

Today, the Basel City Hall is used primarily as a place of meeting of the Great Council (legislature ) and the Government Council ( executive). In addition, houses the City Hall offices of the State, the Parliamentary Service and parts of the Präsidialdepartementes. The Front council chamber, now government council chamber is equipped with a late Gothic wooden paneling and a grand door court in the Renaissance style of Franz Pergo.

There are regular guided tours through the building.

On Saturday, August 23, 2014, the 500th anniversary of the completion of the oldest part of the city hall is celebrated with a festival.