Basel Town Hall

The Basel Town Hall

The Basel Town Hall (German: Rathaus Basel, locally known as Roothuus) is a 500-year-old building dominating the Marktplatz in Basel, Switzerland.

The Town Hall houses the meetings of the Cantonal Parliament as well as the Cantonal Government of the canton of Basel-Stadt.

The Great Council Chamber at one time featured a series of frescoes painted in 1522 by Hans Holbein the Younger, which have been lost.[1][2] Fragments of the work as well as some of the initial drawings are kept in the Kunstmuseum.[3]

The German term "Rathaus" literally means "council house" while the local Basel German dialect term "Roothus" means both "council house" but also sounds like "red house", a pun with reference to the red sandstone facade of the building.

  • Samuel Cursing Saul, by Hans Holbein the Younger
    Samuel Cursing Saul, by Hans Holbein the Younger
  • Rehoboam's Insolence, by Hans Holbein the Younger
    Rehoboam's Insolence, by Hans Holbein the Younger
  • Fragment of Wall Painting from Basel Town Hall Council Chamber, by Hans Holbein the Younger
    Fragment of Wall Painting from Basel Town Hall Council Chamber, by Hans Holbein the Younger
  • The Humiliation of Emperor Valerian by Shapur, King of Persia, by Hans Holbein the Younger
    The Humiliation of Emperor Valerian by Shapur, King of Persia, by Hans Holbein the Younger
  • Interior courtyard of the building
    Interior courtyard of the building
  • A statue from 1580 by Hans Michel depicting Lucius Munatius Plancus in the city hall[4]
    A statue from 1580 by Hans Michel depicting Lucius Munatius Plancus in the city hall[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ Gadi Algazi; Valentin Groebner; Bernhard Jussen (2003). Negotiating the Gift: Pre-Modern Figurations of Exchange. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. pp. 264–. ISBN 978-3-525-35186-4. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  2. ^ Britannica Educational Publishing (20 December 2009). The 100 Most Influential Painters & Sculptors of the Renaissance. The Rosen Publishing Group. pp. 286–. ISBN 978-1-61530-043-3. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  3. ^ Derek Wilson (26 September 2006). Hans Holbein: portrait of an unknown man. Pimlico. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-84413-918-7. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  4. ^ "Kein Basler: Lucius Munatius Plancus". www.staatskanzlei.bs.ch (in German). Retrieved 2021-05-10.
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47°33′30″N 7°35′18″E / 47.55833°N 7.58833°E / 47.55833; 7.58833