Town hall with fountain, Town hall with decorative fountain in Laufen, Switzerland

The Stadthaus mit Brunnen stands in the old town of Laufen, in the canton of Basel-Landschaft, on the Birs river. The town hall is a multi-storey building with a steep roof, and a stone fountain with a basin and a carved column stands directly in front of it. The fountain marks the small square beside the building.

Laufen gained town rights around 1295 under the Prince-Bishops of Basel, who held the town until 1792. The town hall rose as the seat of the council and the bailiff at the centre of the small planned town laid out along the Birs. Its stone base and timber upper storey follow the regional building practice of the 16th century, when the town was rebuilt after fires.

The town hall serves as the administrative heart of Laufen and displays features typical of Swiss building traditions. The fountain at its entrance acts as a gathering spot where locals naturally pause while moving through the town center.

The building is centrally located in Laufen and easily reached on foot. It operates during standard business hours on weekdays and provides accessible facilities for all visitors.

The fountain by the town hall is fed by a wooden or stone trough typical of the Basel-Landschaft region, where such Brunnen once supplied households before piped water arrived. Look for the carved year or coat of arms on the basin, which records when the present trough replaced an older one.