| Why is the northern city of Basel described as Switzerland's cultural capital and how come the pharmaceutical industry started there? A new book called ‘Leaps in Time’ takes us on a journey down the centuries, introduces reformers, humanists, artists, plague doctors and the powerful tradesmen who ousted the aristocracy. From the first settlement at the time of the Celts, it grew into Switzerland’s third most populous city. It’s known for its many museums, art collections, and its annual carnival parade, which is included on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.The presence of printing presses and the founding of a university in the Middle Ages attracted famous scientists, humanists, writers and reformers. Hans Holbein the Younger spent his early career there, and painted Erasmus of Rotterdam in Basel before going on to produce a portrait of King Henry VIII of England. Andreas Vesalius came to Basel to publish his ‘De Humani Corporus Fabrica’, his major opus on the human anatomy. Protestant reformer, Jean Calvin, also published his major work there. Basel was an important trading city on the Rhine. Textile industries developed into chemical and pharmaceutical giants over the centuries. Roche and Novartis still have their head quarters there. But the busy port was also the gateway for plague to enter Switzerland. Tradesmen took the disease to surrounding towns and villages. The pandemic struck every ten to twenty years for centuries. A co-author of ‘Leaps in Time’, Gudrun Piller, explains why these moments in Basel’s past made it the place it is today. --- swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role is to report on Switzerland and to provide a Swiss perspective on international events. For more articles, interviews and videos visit swissinfo.ch or subscribe to our YouTube channel: Website: http://www.swissinfo.ch Channel: http://www.youtube.com/swissinfovideos Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=swissinfovideos |
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1 comment
Eisen J Eisen
2020-09-01 at 15:25 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Very interesting, thanks for the download