The best walks and hikes around Therwil

Die Martinskirche Among the places of worship in old Basel, St. Martin's was a special gem. First mentioned around 1101/03, the church's roots likely reach much further back; it stands on a site where people settled as early as the Bronze Age. As early as around 900 BC, there was a settlement of approx. 15 houses on the spur where the church would later stand. The hill was secured by a defensive ditch, the course of which is marked today by the Archaeological Soil Research at Martinsgasse. The historical thread of settlement at this location runs through the Romans to the time of the Frankish kings of the 6th century, who revered St. Martin as a patron saint of the empire. An empire to which the small river city of Basel belonged in those days. Simple houses from the Carolingian era are documented for the Martinskirchplatz, as is the fact that burials took place there. However, whether there was already a church or chapel dedicated to St. Martin remains a mystery shrouded in the fog of the early Middle Ages. The first documentary mention of St. Martin in the early 12th century holds an interesting detail: the house of worship had a close connection with the church of St. Agatha in nearby Hüningen, Alsace. The high altar of St. Martin was dedicated, among other things, to this saint. Besides Agatha, St. Martin also had someone else by his side in Basel. This is evidenced to this day by a rarely large wall painting in St. Martin's Church, which additionally places St. Lawrence alongside the patron saint Martin. The St. Martin's Church, redesigned several times and a focal point of the Basel Reformation, carries the traces of its long history within it to this day. The magnificent 14th-century choir alone could tell endless stories with its details. For example, the meticulously placed strokes on the frescoes are traces that point to the struggles of the Reformation era. In the Middle Ages, the church had over half a dozen altars. Brotherhoods of Basel guilds cared for their salvation at St. Martin's. The numerous coats of arms and stained glass windows in the nave still bear witness to this today. However, later times were not kind to the house of worship. Source: https://www.martinskirche.ch/historie

Beautiful fountain in the old town of Basel

The current fountain with its limestone trough was moved to this spot in 1846. Sculpture: On the fountain base is a basilisk, the coat of arms of the city of Basel, holding a shield.

St. Martin's Church is a beautiful venue for concerts. It is the oldest parish church in Basel, first mentioned in 1101/1103.

A very beautiful Sevogel fountain from 1530 with a varied history. https://de.wikipedia.org › wiki › Sevogelbrunnen

You can read about the church here, for example: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martinskirche_(Basel) "Here, Johannes Oecolampadius, the reformer of Basel, preached for the first time in 1529 "in the Reformed manner," and thus also in German. The church was substantially renovated and rebuilt in 1851. The facades were significantly redesigned, and the first concert stage was built inside in place of the rood screen. Even then, St. Martin's Church served as a concert church and for various state events."

The fountain consists of a hexagonal fountain basin and a column with a figure. The column is bordeaux red, draped with green leaves and gold-colored rings. The middle of the column is decorated with elongated golden inlays, slightly tilted to the left. Three Basel staves are attached around the column. At the very top is an image of Henman Sevogel in armor. In his right hand, he holds a halberd, and with his left hand, he leans on a large coat of arms showing the Basel staff. On the left side of his hip, he wears a sword, and on the right side, a dagger. His head is adorned with a beret. In 1530, Hans Dobel created the figure of Henman Sevogel. Originally, it stood on a fountain in the market square. The city council commissioned the figure because the previous warrior figure had been destroyed by a flood of the Birsig two weeks earlier. The previous figure showed a bearded warrior. It had a sword, a dagger, a shield, and a banner. The figure was the work of the sculptor Martin Hoffmann. The people told stories that it was Henman Sevogel. With the new figure, they wanted to depict Henman Sevogel again, but decided to equip the warrior with a halberd instead of a banner. In 1888, the market square was rebuilt, so the statue was moved to the storage of the Historical Museum Basel. It remained there for eleven years. Around 1349, a fountain was erected on Martinskirchplatz. When the square was rebuilt in 1854, the fountain was moved to its current location. Initially, it only had a simple fountain base. In 1899, the town hall was renovated. Those responsible now wanted to place a Renaissance-style figure on the fountain. They decided on the image of Henman Sevogel. The figure was repainted four times.

The Martinskirche on the Münsterhügel is the oldest parish church in Basel. Thanks to its excellent acoustics, the former place of worship has established itself as the most important concert church in Basel.