Hospital St. Jakob at Birs, Quarantine settlement in Basel-Stadt, Switzerland.

St. Jakob an der Birs is a former quarantine settlement on the Birs and the St. Alban-Teich, today part of Basel's St. Alban quarter. Its centre is the Siechenhaus, a walled leprosarium for Basel citizens first recorded in the 13th century and listed in the canton's monument register. Around it stood a chapel dedicated to St. James, a customs house and farm buildings, giving the place the name "Dörflein".

The facility was established in the 13th century and initially functioned as a leprosarium for people with leprosy. Over time it adapted to serve patients suffering from other contagious diseases.

The chapel on the grounds served as a shared space where patients and staff found solace through prayer. This blending of spiritual care with medical treatment shows how faith shaped medieval approaches to healing.

The site sits directly along the Birs River and is accessible via local pathways. It is best visited during drier periods, as the ground can become difficult to navigate when water levels are high.

The 1444 Battle of St. Jakob an der Birs was fought at the river crossing here, not inside the buildings: a small Confederate force was surrounded and destroyed by the Dauphin's army. The place name itself changed after 1425, when Basel replaced the old crossing with a stone bridge and dropped the name Birsbruck for St. Jakob, first recorded in 1418 as "ze sant Jacob an der Birsse".