The eastern front of the market square (Marktplatz) in Basle with the imposing red town hall of the city. Originally being called the corn square (Kornplatz) it was divided by the river Birsig then – nowadays the river is covered until it flows into the nearby Rhine. At the left edge the Eisengasse leads towards the Rhine. A bit left of the centre the small alley Martinsgässchen leads up to the Martinskirchplatz with the St. Martins Church which we see towering above in the background. At the right end the Freie Strasse continues towards the south.
The Rathaus (town hall, then called the “Richthaus”) stood at this square from 1290. The current building was errected in 1504-1514, but only by 1898-1904 the block on the left and the tower on the right were added. Before that it was just the central part as can be seen at Wikipedia. The paintings on the facade were mainly done by Hans Bock the Elder and Wilhelm Balmer. The locals also call the building the “Roothus”, which means both the town hall as well as the red house, referencing the red sandstone facade of the building.
This cityscape panorama of Basle was presented as the first swiss city in week 27 of our 101 weeks 101 cities of europe project.