Basel Minster, Gothic cathedral in Basel, Switzerland
Basel Minster is a cathedral of red sandstone with two slim towers, the northern Georgsturm and the southern Martinsturm, whose openwork spires rise above a facade with a clock face and a sundial. Inside, clustered columns carry pointed arches along a long nave, and a large circular chandelier hangs by a chain above rows of dark wooden chairs.
A first cathedral, the Haito Minster, was built in the first half of the 9th century; the Ottonian Heinrich Minster was consecrated on 11 October 1019 in the presence of Emperor Henry II and Empress Kunigunde. The present late Romanesque building was begun in the last third of the 12th century and completed around 1225. The 1356 Basel earthquake destroyed five towers, the choir and vaults; Johannes Gmünd rebuilt it, and Hans Nussdorf finished the south tower on 23 July 1500.
The cathedral served as the spiritual center of Catholic Basel before becoming a Protestant house of worship during the Reformation. Today visitors can see inside a mix of religious artwork and reformed elements that reflect this profound transformation.
The cathedral sits on Münsterplatz and can be reached by taking trams 2 or 15 to Kunstmuseum station, then walking through Rittergasse to the entrance. The site is easy to navigate on foot, as the steps leading to the building itself are manageable for most visitors.
The north tower, the Georgsturm, rests on a tower of light limestone and molasse built around the end of the 11th century for the Heinrich Minster; the south Martinsturm was only finished by Hans Nussdorf on 23 July 1500, the date taken as the architectural completion of the minster.
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