Basel Town Hall

Basel Town Hall (Basler Rathaus) is a 500-year-old building, known also as Roothuus, and it dominates 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 was covered with a series of frescoes painted by Hans Holbein the Younger in 1522. However, they have since been lost. Some of the initial drawings are also kept in the Kunstmuseum, and a number of fragments of the piece are kept there as well.

In its literal German translation, the name “Rathaus” literally means “council house,” but in the local German dialect it is known as “Roothus,” which is a combination of “council house” and also sounds like “red house,” which is a word play with regard to the red sandstone facade of the building.

To visit the Basel Town Hall is worthwhile, not only because of the council chamber, which is beautiful inside, but also due to the arcades, which make for a nice, peaceful atmosphere, and the tower, which has a commanding view of the city.

The new government building was built after the great earthquake to replace the former seat of government. When Basel became a member of the Swiss Confederation, the front part of the building was replaced with a newer, more imposing structure.

The coats of arms of Basel and the other 11 founding members of the Confederation are emblazoned on the crenellations of the castle. The town hall was extended during the beginning of the 17th century, and an artist named Hans Bock painted an optical illusion of figures on the building’s facade.

Additional buildings were constructed on the building’s right side in 1900 to accommodate the tower.