Nature and Trees in Basel
10 March 2026
In the Middle Ages, the forest was a place of danger and mystery. Nobody went for a walk for pleasure. Today, on the other hand, the forest is a refuge for rest, fresh air and the experience of pure nature.
The quality of life in the city is closely related to its size, particularly in terms of its proximity to nature and recreational areas. Residential areas are preferably located within a reasonable distance of green zones.
Bern. Photo: TES
The meaning of the tree
The exhibition showcases the history of trees and greenery spanning a thousand years in Basel. In the various phases of urban development, the tree has served multiple functions, such as decorative, city planning, private gardening, botanical purposes, or religious, political, or administrative significance. For example, court proceedings were held under the lime tree, the liberty trees of the French Revolution, or Christmas trees.
The philosophy of the Stadtgärtnerei Basel, summer 2021. Photo TES
The exhibition “Bäume in Basel: Das Grün im urbanen Wandel” (Trees in Basel: Greenery and Urban Change) presents the historical development of nature and flora in the city, from its past to the present, and even looks to the future.
The relationship between wood, trees, and the city is omnipresent in the Kleines Klingental museum. The cathedral’s Romanesque wheel of fortune (das Glücksrad) is made of oak from 1220.
The (ancient) university and its botanical garden. Photo: TES.
The botanical era
At the beginning of the modern era (around 1500), the intellectual and cultural developments changed the city. Scholars and entrepreneurs with international connections promoted the transformation of Basel into a cosmopolitan city.
Even then, botany was closely linked to pharmacology, medicine and horticulture. The founding of the University of Basel in 1460 strengthened the scientific interest. This period laid the foundation for the city’s current chemical and pharmaceutical industry.
The art of printing and the outstanding quality of the paper produced by the many paper mills (see also: www.papiermuseum.ch), the many (famous) publishers and the humanist, relatively tolerant city made Basel one of the leading university cities in Europe.
Renaissance
The city grew significantly in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Citizens created Italian Renaissance gardens, and they built the first country houses and summer residences. During this period, the tree also emerged as a key element in urban development.
Baroque and Rococo
From the mid-18th century, the Baroque estates (e.g., Villa Merian and Wenkenhof) outside the city mark the heyday of Basel’s architectural culture. They express a new style of architecture, nature and gardens in Baroque, Rococo and English landscape styles.
Romanticism
Inspired by the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, a new relationship between the city and nature emerged towards the end of the 18th and 19th centuries.
The residential and garden culture in the late 18th and 19th centuries is characterised by the import of exotic trees and the construction of galleries.
It is a mixture of Baroque, Rococo, the English Garden, Romanticism and Chinese and Japanese influences in stately private gardens. At the same time, hygiene problems in the ever-faster-growing city led to the creation of green areas.
The garden city
Around 1900, the city’s growth and other ideas stimulated a rethinking of urban planning. The garden city concept was first applied in 1912 in Münchenstein, near Basel. It was Switzerland’s first garden city.
Basel, Rhine Promenade. Photo: TES
The Green City
Cemeteries, old monasteries, and their gardens within the city ring, along with the demolition of ancient city walls, made room for the first urban green areas. Trees were planted along the river and streets, and the Rhine bank even became a leafy promenade, which it remains today.
The last decades of the 20th century and the first decades of the 21st century are characterised by redevelopment and the changed use or refurbishment of undeveloped areas and old factory sites.
The modern city
Nowadays, parks and green spaces are often enriched with works of art and recreational structures. This development reflects an increased environmental awareness in urban areas. The municipal department maintains no fewer than 27,000 trees carefully.
The motto: a healthy tree means a healthy city.
(Source and further information: www.mkk.ch).
The Münsterplatz