Erasmus is back in Basel

14 August 2026

The great humanist, theologian, writer and scholar Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466–1536) is not only buried in Basel Cathedral, but his legacy will also be celebrated in Basel during the ‘Erasmus klingt! Festival – LAB’.

It is an interdisciplinary festival that aims to highlight Erasmus’s influence on the sciences in the centuries that followed. From 6 to 13 September 2026, Basel’s historic city centre will, for the third time, be the venue for this interdisciplinary festival.

For the third edition of the festival, Erasmus’s travelogues will serve as a source of inspiration for numerous concerts and events centred on the theme ‘Viaggio’ – Erasmus on the move.

The festival is organised in collaboration with various educational and cultural institutions in Basel, including the University of Basel, the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and the Volkshochschule beider Basel.

The University Library of Basel houses a unique collection of correspondence, first editions of his writings and other publications. Some of these are accessible to the public (in digital form). Furthermore, the university is a renowned centre for research into Erasmus, his work and his era.

(Source and further information: Erasmus Klingt! Festival –LAB)