Bey de Stett Basel mit dem für fliesendem Rhein und allen fürnemmen Gebewen

Title

Bey de Stett Basel mit dem für fliesendem Rhein und allen fürnemmen Gebewen

Description

Map shows the city map of Basel, on reverse shows the bishop of Base, Philipp von Gundelsheiml.

ca. 1550

Artist

Münster Sebastian (1489-1552)

Sebastian Münster (1489–1552) was a leading Renaissance cosmographer. His most famous work, the Cosmographia (1544), was a comprehensive description of the world with 24 maps, based on research dating back to 1528. Continuously revised, the 1550 edition already included many new maps. It was the first scientific yet accessible world description published in German, illustrated with numerous woodcuts by artists such as Hans Holbein the Younger. Between 1544 and 1650, the Cosmographia appeared in 46 editions (27 in German) and was translated into several languages. Münster’s work combined the knowledge of scholars, artists, and travelers and remained influential long after his death.

Historical Description

Basel is one of Switzerland's oldest and most historically significant cities. Located on the Rhine River, at the meeting point of Switzerland, Germany, and France, it has been an important trading and cultural center for over 2,000 years. Originally founded as a Roman settlement called Basilia, Basel flourished during the Middle Ages thanks to its strategic position on the Rhine. In 1356, a devastating earthquake destroyed much of the city, but Basel was quickly rebuilt. A major milestone was the founding of the University of Basel in 1460, the oldest university in Switzerland. During the Renaissance, the city became a leading center of humanism, printing, and scholarship, attracting renowned thinkers such as Erasmus of Rotterdam. Basel joined the Swiss Confederation in 1501 and gradually developed into one of Europe's most important commercial cities. Today, it is internationally renowned for its thriving pharmaceutical industry, world-class museums, and annual Art Basel fair, one of the world's leading contemporary art exhibitions.