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The Münsterplatz
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The history of the settlement of Basel begins on the Münsterhügel. In the first century BC, Celts from the Rauriker Tribe lived here in a fortified oppidum. In the Rittergasse remains of the so-called Keltenwall (Celtic Wall) can be viewed through panels in the ground. Basel’s Cathedral (Münster) was built in the early 11th century, and has been restored many times in the intervening years.
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In the year 15 BC, Roman troops erected a military base on the Münsterhügel, guarding the border against incursions by Germanic tribes. A covered shaft, the remains of a Roman well, can be seen in the middle of the Münsterplatz. This extends down as far as the groundwater of the Rhine.
Christianity reached the Basel area during the Late Roman Period. There are documents which mention bishops from Augusta Raurica, a civilian Roman town located about 10 km upstream. The names of all the bishops who resided in Basel are known from the beginning of the 8th century onwards.
Traces of the first Cathedral (Münster) date back to the Carolingian Period. This building was destroyed in 917 when the city was sacked by the Hungarians. At the beginning of the 11th century, Emperor Heinrich II endowed a splendid new Cathedral for Basel. During the last quarter of the 12th century the Heinrich Cathedral was replaced by a Late Romanesque building. This was restored in the Gothic style following the terrible earthquake of 1356.
Senior clerics built residences for themselves in the Late Gothic style around the Münsterplatz. The spacious square was used for ceremonial processions, festivals, tournaments and the grand parades of royal and imperial visitors. Markets were also held there.
In the year 1529 Basel collectively converted to the Protestant faith. The bishop and the cathedral chapter left the city. The unoccupied residences of senior clerics were bought up by wealthy merchants, and were altered in the Late Baroque and Classical styles during the 18th century. At this time the Münsterplatz became a quiet, elegant residential quarter, and later an administrative centre. Today efforts are being made to restore some of the area's former bustle and activity.
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