Basel

The Basilisk -- a creature with the head and claws of a rooster, the body of a dragon, and the tail of a serpent -- is Basel's heraldic animal and guardian symbol. According to legend, a basilisk could kill with a single glance; the only way to defeat it was to show it its own reflection. On 18 October 1356, a catastrophic earthquake struck Basel, the most significant seismological event in Central European recorded history, nearly levelling the city. In 1884, artist Wilhelm Bubeck designed the Basilisk fountain, manufactured 50 times and placed throughout the city.

The Basler Fasnacht is the largest carnival in Switzerland and the biggest Protestant carnival in the world, inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2017. At precisely 4:00 AM on Monday, all streetlights are extinguished and the city plunges into darkness. The only light comes from the Laternen of the Cliquen -- carnival groups marching with Piccolo flutes and Basel drums. The first officially permitted Morgenstreich was held in 1835 with burning torches; pole-mounted lanterns appeared in 1845.

Swimming in the Rhine is a beloved Basel summer tradition dating back centuries -- nuns from the Klingental abbey swam the Rhine as early as the 15th century. The annual Basler Rheinschwimmen has been held since 1980, drawing up to 4,000 swimmers each August. Swimmers carry belongings in the iconic Wickelfisch -- a waterproof, fish-shaped inflatable bag invented in Basel. Four traditional cable ferries still cross the Rhine: the Wild Maa, Leu, Vogel Gryff, and Ueli, all propelled solely by the river current.

The great humanist Erasmus of Rotterdam arrived in Basel in 1514 to have his works printed by Johann Froben. In 1516, Froben published Erasmus's landmark Novum Testamentum -- a critical Greek New Testament that Martin Luther used for his German Bible translation. Froben employed Hans Holbein the Younger as an illustrator and controlled up to seven presses. Erasmus died in Basel in 1536 and was buried in the Protestant Muenster despite being a Catholic clergyman.

In 1474, a rooster in Basel was sentenced to death and publicly burned because it was accused of having laid an egg -- citizens feared the egg would hatch into a basilisk. The basilisk, Basel's heraldic creature, could supposedly kill with a single glance. The name 'Basel' and 'Basilisk' share an etymological connection from the Greek 'basileus' meaning king. This bizarre historical event reflects medieval superstition about the city's legendary creature.

Leonhard Euler (1707-1783), born in Basel and educated at the University of Basel under Johann Bernoulli, was one of the most prolific mathematicians in history with over 800 research papers. He introduced the symbols e (Euler's number), pi in its modern usage, and the summation notation to mathematics. The University of Basel, founded on 4 April 1460, is Switzerland's oldest university. The Mittlere Bruecke, opened in 1226, is one of the oldest Rhine crossings.

Basel Muenster is built from distinctive red Buntsandstein (red sandstone) with a roof of colourful patterned tiles. The original was consecrated in 1019 under Emperor Heinrich II. On 18 October 1356, the most devastating earthquake in Central European history struck Basel, destroying all churches and towers. The Muenster lost five of its towers. The current structure blends Romanesque and Gothic styles from the post-earthquake reconstruction. Its two asymmetrical towers -- the Georgsturm and the Martinsturm -- define Basel's skyline.

The Vogel Gryff festival is Kleinbasel's proudest tradition, rooted in the 14th century and celebrated continuously since the 16th century. Three legendary figures -- the Wilde Maa (Wild Man), the Vogel Gryff (Griffin), and the Leu (Lion) -- represent Kleinbasel's three historic guilds. The figures perform traditional dances on the Mittlere Bruecke, famously keeping their backs turned to Grossbasel -- a playful gesture of the centuries-old rivalry between Basel's two halves.