Medieval Allschwil

The municipality of Allschwil in the canton of Basel-Landschaft has a long history, dating back to the Stone-, Bronze- and Roman times when the Celtic tribe of the Rauracen inhabited the area. In the year 1033, the town was mentioned for the first time in a document under the name Almswilre. It belonged to the duchy of Alsace and under Birseck and the prince-bishopric of Basel in the eleventh century. During the Reformation, Allschwil signed a defensive treaty (Schirmvogtei) with the city of Basel in 1525 but remained part of the prince-bishopric of Basel. Although the Eidgenossenschaft, apart from Grisons (Graubündner Wirren 1618-1639), was not a battlefield during the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), Allschwil was plundered by Swedish troops in 1634. Allschwil. At the Congress of Vienna (1815), Allschwil (and the entire Birseck) was assigned to the canton of Basel (the remaining area of the prince-bishopric of Basel went to the canton of Bern, the canton of Jura split off in 1979). Since 1833 the city is part of the canton Basel-Landschaft. Allschwil borders on France and was part of the Duchy of Alsace and the urban planning and language are the cultural heritage of this multicultural region.