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A brief look at history
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The first fortified settlements on the site where Basel now stands were built about two thousand years ago. In 2001, the two half-cantons of Basel celebrated their adhesion to the Swiss confederation 500 years ago.
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Basels foundation goes back to the first century BC, when the earliest fortified settlements were built on the Münsterhügel (Minster Mount). But a settlement had existed even earlier, in Celtic times, on the Rhine bend where the northern districts of Greater Basel now extend. Basel Basilea first received a mention in Roman history in 374 AD. About 450, the Alemanni arrived. At the end of the 5th century Basel came into Frankish possession, then in 912 it passed to Burgundy, and in 1032 went with the latter to become part of the German Empire.
Bishops crook becomes Basel's blazon
In the 14th century, Basel liberated itself from its episcopal overlords, but kept the bishops crook in its coat of arms. But that century was also a period of great trials for Basel: first came the Black Death, followed in 1356 by a severe earthquake.
One of the great moments in Basel's history was the Great Council of Christendom, held in the city from 1431 to 1448, which brought the city to world attention. One of the results was the founding of Basel's university, ceremonially opened in 1460. In 1501, Basel joined the Swiss confederation. Since 1833, the city and the adjacent rural areas have been two separate half-cantons.
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