Walls of Basel

The Basel city wall is a wall building which had been in three different sizes from 1080 to 1860 as a fortification for the Swiss city of Basel. At the Inner and Outer city wall gates and arches formed the entrance and exit to the city. Today, there are three city gates, which are listed buildings.

Inner City Wall

The first detectable city wall left Burkhard von Fenis, which was collected in 1072 by King Henry IV to the bishop of Basel, built around 1080. Around 1230, the Burkhardsche wall was replaced with a new one, the inner city wall. The new wall was followed in the area of ​​today's university largely of Burkhard 's, but with the difference that this new interior wall was built into the moat a few meters in front of the old wall. The space between the old and the new wall filled up you thus obtaining an increased underlying way in which the guard along the wall could make their tours.

Outer city wall

1362 the construction of the exterior walls had begun to surround the now greatly increasing the urban area and Klein Basel. 1398 the construction was completed.

On June 27, 1859 Law on the expansion of the city was adopted by Grand Council decision, which meant the end for the city walls; within twenty years, the city walls were pulled down and demolished almost all the city gates. Of the city gates, only the St. Johanns-Tor, St. Alban-Tor and the Spalen remained. When Spalen the maintenance was very scarce; in the Grand Council vote was only one more vote against the demolition of the gate. In addition, could a short piece of the wall near the St. Alban- Tor, in the so -called " Dalbeloch " be saved, which, like the gates is a protected monument today. Furthermore, in the Markthallenbrücke a bulwark is still preserved.

City gates and arches

Inner City Wall

  • Spalenschwibbogen
  • St. Alban- flying buttress
  • St. Johanns- flying buttress
  • Aeschenschwibbogen

Outer city wall

  • St. Alban-Tor
  • St. Johanns-Tor
  • Spalen
  • Steinentor
  • Aeschentor
  • Riehentor ( in Klein Basel)
  • Bläsitor ( in Klein Basel)

Other gates and arches

  • Rhine Gate (on the Rhine bridge at Grossbasel page )
  • Letziturm ( at St. Alban-Tor )
  • Thomas Tower ( at the St. Johanns-Tor )
  • Railway gate ( built in the 19th century with the Alsatian station)
  • Brigitta light arch ( St. Alban )
  • Upper Rheintörli ( on Kleinbasler shore )
  • Eseltürli
Diaphragm arch Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor Gate of Saint John Gate of Spalen Gate of Steinen Gate of Ashes Gate of Riehen 1356 Basel earthquake
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