Munsterplatz (Basel)
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The Cathedral Square is located in the center of the Swiss city of Basel . It is one of the oldest squares in Basel and is located in front of the Basel cathedral that gives it its name . The square is lined with many hundreds of years old former canon houses, so that the medieval character has been preserved.
location
In the southeast the Rittergasse and in the northwest the Augustinergasse flow into the square as an actual cross connection, and coming from the west and steeply from the Freie Strasse or Barfüsserplatz , the Münsterberg and the Schlüsselberg lead to the Münsterplatz. Münsterplatz was not car-free until 2007 . In contrast to most of the other central squares in the city, there is no public transport line running across the square or in its immediate vicinity. The pier for the cathedral ferry is located directly below the cathedral platform .
history
The area of today's Münsterplatz was already settled in Roman times due to its strategic location on a small hill directly on the Rhine: In the first century BC, Rauriks lived in a fortified oppidum , remnants of which can still be seen at the corner of Münsterplatz and Rittergasse. The Münsterplatz itself was laid out much later, in several construction phases. As part of the construction of the minster in the Middle Ages, then again in the Baroque period and finally in the early 19th century, it was developed to its present form and shape. Its paving dates back to the late 14th and early 15th centuries; It already existed at the time of the Council of Basel in Münster, convened by Pope Martin V from 1431 . The flat Wacken originating from the Rhine are split in the middle and built in with the break edge pointing upwards. They do not have a uniform gray, but lively shimmering colors. In 1871 an asphalt road was laid out over the entire length of the square because the noise of the horse-drawn carriages and carts was disturbing the lessons at the schools next door. Because the square looks like a thoroughfare, the Basel homeland security department applied in 2007 to restore the uniform paving.
While the council was meeting in the Münster, with the main aim of carrying out church reform, an antipope , Felix V , was elected on July 24, 1440 in the Haus zur Mücke on Münsterplatz . But because this could not prevail in the following period, the German Emperor Friedrich III. 1449 the dissolution of the council.
In the course of the Helvetic Revolution of 1798, which had broken out three days earlier in Liestal near Basel, a fraternization ceremony between the French and the Basel population around a freedom tree was held on January 20, 1798 on Münsterplatz . The erection of a tree of freedom became a symbolic act of liberation in all of Switzerland's former subject areas.
Description of the place
The Münsterplatz consists of three parts: an open square, a tree grove and the cathedral platform (also known as the Pfalz). The open space and the tree grove, both of which have a rectangular shape (the tree grove part being smaller and more square), are right next to each other; the two parts of the square are separated from each other by an asphalt road.
If one understands the open space and the tree grove as a unit, it is surrounded on all four sides by representative town houses (formerly canon courts ) with noble baroque facades. However, the square is dominated by the Basel Minster , which stands east of the tree grove and north of the open square and thus protrudes into the square (with the base of the minster, the open square and the tree grove would in turn make a rectangular square). There are also many late medieval half-timbered houses around Münsterplatz . The Paul Sacher Foundation with the world's largest private collection of original scores and bequests from contemporary composers has been located in one of these houses since 1986 . In addition to archiving , the foundation works on musical publications with its own research projects. Opposite the west facade of the cathedral, the grammar school is located on Münsterplatz in the oldest house built in Basel. Jacob Burckhardt and Friedrich Nietzsche taught the upper classes here in the second half of the 19th century . The ethnological seminar is also located in a Gothic building .
In another building on the square, which was built in 1528 as a meeting house for the canons, the cathedral school and the cathedral building administration had their headquarters. From 1830 to 1832 it was converted for the general reading society founded in 1787 , which is housed there to this day. The rooms contain a historical reading room and valuable old book collections.
In the area of the tree grove northwest of the Georgsturm is the Pisonibrunnen , which was completed in November 1784 . A fountain ( Georgsbrunnen ), which was decorated with a group of figures, had stood here since the 14th century . The current fountain is a design by the architect Paolo Antonio Pisoni . Noteworthy is a small, low side trough, which has been attached to the fountain since the renovation in 1937 and is intended as a trough for dogs.
Attached to the Münsterplatz is the cathedral platform on the back of the cathedral, also known as the Pfalz. This is located on a rocky promontory high above the Rhine and is a well-known vantage point over the Rhine , the Basel Rhine bridges and the Kleinbasel and the surrounding area. A continuous bench is integrated into the boundary wall. From the Palatinate, a staircase leads down to the Münster ferry along a promenade, which has been unofficially called Fähribödeli since 2004 .
use
The Münsterplatz used to be one of the most frequently used squares and a central part of medieval life in the city of Basel. Solemn processions, festivals, tournaments and parades for royal and imperial visitors, as well as markets, were held there. There is also evidence of various events during the Basel Carnival in its early form, which largely took place on Münsterplatz. During the “ evil carnival ” of 1376, for example, a tournament was held on Münsterplatz that ended with several deaths. Various fire customs (including slamming of the panes ) in Münsterplatz and Pfalz are documented for the 15th century . But the driving was soon forbidden by the authorities.
In the course of the steady expansion of the city, the importance of the square decreased steadily, especially for wagons it was difficult to reach (except from the Rittergasse) and respect was also paid to the majestic Minster. Up to the present day, the square is mainly lined with high-end residential buildings. Shops have never settled. Accordingly, the square stayed away from the hectic hustle and bustle of the pulsating city. Until 2007, a part of the Münsterplatz was used as a parking lot during the day . a. used for coaches. The square has been car-free since 2007.
Regular markets no longer take place on Münsterplatz. At the end of January each year, Münsterplatz is the center of the Museum Night . The lanterns are exhibited here for the Basel Carnival . The Allianz Cinema , an open-air cinema , takes place on Münsterplatz every year in August . Every year, Münsterplatz is also one of the locations of the Basel Autumn Fair , a traditional folk festival . The Basel City Run starts on the last Saturday in November on Münsterplatz .
layout
With the design project for Basel Münsterplatz, an example of handicapped-accessible construction in listed old town areas was realized from 2006 to 2013 . In Basel vernacular they are called "Gwäggi": the Rheinwacken (or also: Rheinkiesel). They are a traditional natural stone pavement that has been extracted from the Rhine for centuries and laid in streets and squares. Using different processing methods, solutions were developed to grind the bumpy pavement into a flattened surface that is accepted by organizations for the disabled, as well as by monument preservation and cyclists. After grouting, the Wacken were mechanically ground and flamed on Münsterplatz in order to achieve a high level of walking comfort. This made it possible to remove the sidewalks and make the square and alleys more attractive. Before the conversion into a pedestrian zone Münsterhügel, asphalted streets and sidewalks ran over the Münsterplatz and the other alleys.
The design project was developed by the planning office of the canton of Basel-Stadt and received the Good Buildings award from the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft 2009-2013. The trigger for the project was the extensive renovation work on gas, water and electrical lines as well as the renewal of all surfaces. Supply points with electricity and water were built for the numerous events on the square.
literature
- Uta Feldges: Basel's Münsterplatz and its historic colourfulness. In: Basler Stadtbuch 1989 , pp. 143–148.
- Karl Stehlin : The Münsterplatz Fountain. In: Basler Stadtbuch 1892 , pp. 95–110.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b basel.ch: Information about the Cathedral Square
- ^ Heimatschutz Basel, petition for a uniformly paved Münsterplatz, September 12, 2007 ( Memento of July 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ altbasel.ch: Pisonibrunnen
- ↑ «We need enthusiasts» - TagesWoche , April 4, 2014.
- ↑ altbasel.ch: Carnival at the end of the Middle Ages
- ↑ münsterplatz | urban landscapes - spaces for people. Retrieved September 9, 2019 .
Coordinates: 47 ° 33 '23 " N , 7 ° 35' 29.9" E ; CH1903: 611518 / 267309