Riehen village church, Reformed church in Riehen, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland
Riehen village church is a Reformed church on Baselstrasse, first mentioned in 1157 and rebuilt in late Gothic form after the Basel earthquake of 1356. Its single nave, widened in 1693/94, ends in a five-sided choir polygon and seats about 400 people under a Gothic ribbed ceiling painted with stars. The main entrance sits unusually in the middle of the street-side long facade, and the 41-metre tower on the north side remains Riehen's tallest structure.
The church, first mentioned in 1157 and dedicated to Saint Martin, was destroyed by the Basel earthquake of 18 October 1356. It was rebuilt in late Gothic style with a narrow nave, and its tower, erected in 1395, was raised to 41 metres in 1544 and 1612. Riehen joined Basel in 1522, the Reformation was adopted in 1528, and the church passed to the city of Basel in 1540.
The church is the parish church of the Riehen Dorf district, one of three districts in the Riehen-Bettingen parish, which covers Riehen and Bettingen. It was dedicated to Saint Martin and first mentioned in 1157; the Reformation was adopted in 1528, and in 1540 the church passed into the ownership of the city of Basel.
The main entrance sits unusually in the middle of the Baselstrasse long facade, not at the tower end. The tram stop Riehen Dorf is right by the church, and until 1914 the Basel line terminated here at a small three-track tram station, replaced in 1959 by a green space. The church and the neighbouring Meierhof are both listed buildings.
The mathematician Leonhard Euler grew up in the parsonage next door, where his father Paul Euler served as pastor. From 1908 to 1914 a small three-track tram terminus stood between the church and the road; the stop Riehen Dorf remains at the same spot.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,449 contributors worldwide.