The Basel Historical Museum

The historical museum Basel opened in 1894, it is housed in three separate buildings and ranks among the most important museums of cultural history on the Upper Rhine

It is one of the largest and most important museums of its kind in Switzerland, and a heritage site of national significance

The permanent exhibition spotlights Basel's historic identity at the crossroads between three cultures: Swiss, German and French. Several hundred historical accounts and art works trace aspects of the city's history over the last thousand years. Among the highlights are fragments of the Basler Totentanz (Dance of Death) and the Basel Cathedral treasure. The tapestries from Basel illustrate both medieval fantasy worlds and scenes of everyday life. The Renaissance and Baroque collections 

feature the "Kunstkammer” or collection of curiosities as a world model, while another section is devoted to the region's rich archaeological heritage

Prehistory since 1231, brothers of the Franciscan begging order, also known as barefooters in German-speaking countries, have been based in the city of Basel. At first they were outside the city walls at today's Petersgraben, where the Gnadental Monastery was built after them. In 1250, Bishop Berthold von Pfirt gave them the right to settle within the city walls. The first monastery church was built there between 1253 and 1256. In 1298 it burned down

The museum is managed by the canton of Basel City. Its origins lie with the Amerbach family in the 16th century whose Wunderkammer was bought by Basel 1661 and brought to the public 1671. The cultural history objects of this Wunderkammer, together with the ones of other collections, became the Historical Museum Basel in 1894