40th Anniversary of the Kulturverein Elsass-Freunde Basel

20 August 2025

The Kulturverein Elsass-Freunde Basel is organising a festive commemoration on Sunday, September 28, to celebrate its 40th anniversary. It will take place from 10:30 AM to 5:15 PM in Ungersheim, Alsace. The cross-border anniversary celebration is entirely dedicated to the centuries-old neighbourliness.

For four decades, this association has been connecting people in these three regions. An encounter marked the beginning of its existence: Dr. Max Gschwend, the first director of the Ballenberg Open-Air Museum (Canton of Bern), met the Alsatian Marc Grodwohl, the later founder of the Écomusée d’Alsace, in Ungersheim. To promote the Écomusée in Basel and its surroundings, the cultural association Elsass-Freunde Basel was founded in 1985 with its headquarters in Basel.

What started with organised trips to the Écomusée quickly developed into regular discovery journeys and meetings, first in Alsace, then also in Northwestern Switzerland and Southern Baden. The goal remained unchanged: to build cross-border bridges and promote cultural exchange, language, history, population, and landscape.

The morning of September 28 begins with a visit to the “Maison des Natures et des Cultures,” a historic building with an architectural style that showcases local, natural products to the population. Following a joint lunch, a festive ceremony will be held to mark 40 years of association history, featuring a cross-border concert by the Harmonie Vogésia orchestra, conducted by Valérie Seiler.

Details about the program can be found on the association’s website. Registration via the cultural association’s website is possible until September 7, 2025.

(Source and further information: Kulturverein Elsass-Freunde Basel)