Exposing The World

Switzerland: Basel

Europe’s Biotech Hub

Switzerland is in an ideal location, in the center of Europe while remaining an independent country not under the regulatory thumb of Brussels. Basel is a historic banking and finance center at the head of the navigable Rhine, and in modern times has become a biotech hub. Several of the world’s largest pharma companies are based here..
R: One of the gates in the former medieval wall of Basel’s city center.

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A busy crossroads

Because Basel is located at the tip of northern Switzerland, at the point where it touches France and Germany, it has been a trading center for centuries.

The Rhine runs through the heart of Basel
We think of the right of initiative and referendum as being quintessentially American, but the idea actually comes from Switzerland. These political posters are urging No and Yes voters on propositions.
Basel has an extensive light rail system
It’s recycling day for paper
Whose clothes are these? Who knows?
Old folks’assisted living housing
Old military bunkers close to the French border
A log sliced into mossy sections
These ‘kiosks’ are found at each major tram stop
Traditional half-timbered houses
Sheep are still grazed along the walkway
At the Swiss Railways station…
Through Kannonfeld Park
Kannonfeld Park
A playground near the Rhine
Into central Basel
Up the Münsterberg, Cathedral Hill
The dragon is the ancient symbol of Basel
Assembling a large Ferris wheel for the midwinter Carnival
On St. Alban’s Hill
The new underground approach to the Swiss Railways Station on the north side…
With parking for thousands of bicycles
This is a fancy pay restroom, with showers as an option
Light rail running next to a major road
A light-rail tram In Basel football colors
The Spalenberg neighborhood
Kleinbasel , the district on the north side of the Rhine, has an Old Town of its own
The Warteck brewery, home of one of two local brands
Back in the Barfüsserplatz (“Barefoot Plaza”) neighborhood






Near the University
…plans for the Herbstmesse summer festival are almost final
This low-head dam on the Rhine just north of Basel generates some of the city’s power. It is bypassed by a small-boat lock.
Street sculpture

The cloister

The Cloister of Basel Münster (cathedral) originated in the 12th century as the third church on the site. After damage in the Earthquake of 1356, it was repaired and expanded.

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