The Baselcity walls are a complex of walls surrounding the central part of the Swiss city of Basel, only partially preserved today. The first city wall was completed around 1080 under bishop Burkhard von Fenis. A newer wall was constructed around 1230, which is known as the Inner Wall. Its course was mostly identical to the Burkhard wall. In 1362 the construction of a larger wall complex began due to the city's expansion; it was completed in 1398, and is known as the Outer Wall. In 1859 the city's executives decided to raze the inner wall and gates to the ground. Three outer city gates and a short piece of the wall were saved from demolition and are being preserved as part of the city's heritage.
History
At the end of the 11th century, the growing settlement in the valley was walled, though settlement continued outside the wall. As the town spread up the west slopes surrounding the Birsig river, that section was walled also. At the beginning of the 13th century, all these sections were included within a single wall that embraced both the valley and hill settlements. New walls were built around 1400, and those are the ones that lasted until the mid-nineteenth century.
City gates
Outer gates
Three gates from the outer wall have been preserved, and today they represent landmarks of Basel and a heritage site of national significance:
The Spalentor is regarded as one of the most beautiful gates of Switzerland.
The Sankt-Alban-Tor
The Sankt-Johanns-Tor.
The Aeschentor was pulled down in 1861 along with three other gateways and the city walls. From the 14th century, it was the principal gate from Basel to Aesch.
Inner gates
The inner walls used to encircle the Great Basel on the west bank and Small Basel on the east bank of the Rhine. All the inner gates and walls were demolished between 1860 and 1870:
East bank
Aeschenschwibbogen was a small gate near the east bank of the Birsig. Aesch is a village about south of Basel old town. A is a type of buttress, in the form of an arch which braces the structures on either side. Aeschenschwibbogen was first documented in 1261 as 'Eschmertor', in connection with a donation to Saint Urban's Abbey. Later names include 'Aeschentor' and 'Inneres Aeschentor'. Its original function became obsolete in the 14th century when the outer city wall was built, and that function was taken over by the Aeschentor in the outer wall. The upper half of the tower was removed in August 1545, after a crack in the masonry appeared. The gate is recorded as having been equipped with a clock from the middle of the 16th century.
The Steinentor was pulled down in 1866 along with most of the city walls.
The Rheintor was pulled down in 1839, about twenty years before the other city walls. It was located at the Rhine bridge on the western river bank.
