Music Festivals How and Where to Swimming Safety: Special Report: Updates Abound in Basel Celebrate Swiss Following the Rules to Allowance Limits and Beyond! National Day of the Rhein Over the Border Volume 2 Issue 10 CHF5/ 4 A Monthly Guide to Discovering Basel JULY/AUGUST 2014 Happy 500th Birthday, Rathaus! Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag! Basel Celebrates as Their Iconic ‘Rathaus’ Turns Half a Millennium EVENTS T R A D I T I O N S LIVING O U T I N G S SPECIAL REPORT LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers, SWIMMING IN THE RHEIN MAGAZINE Summer is officially here and this means that Basel is sizzling with One of the highlights of living in Basel is arguably the Rhein. Its ever-changing moods are always fascinating—whether you admire its JULY/AUGUST 2014 Volume 2 • Issue 10 outdoor fun! Enjoy music under the open sky at Summer Blues in Klein- calm serenity as it gently flows on a sunny day or watch in amazement at the forces of nature when it angrily sweeps up everything in basel; the Im Fluss concert series on the Rhein; Basel’s outdoor jazz festi- its path following heavy rain. Although the inhabitants of Basel enjoy the Rhein year-round, the river really comes to life in the warmer TABLE OF CONTENTS val, Em Bebbi sy Jazz; the Basel Tattoo; and the multitude of other open- months as thousands of people flock to its shores daily to enjoy all of the activities that it has to offer in the water and on shore. With air music festivals in Basel and beyond. If you prefer movies to music, you water temperatures ranging from 18-23°C (65-74°F) during the summer months, a swim (or rather a float) down the Rhein can be a refresh- can check out the outdoor cinema at Münsterplatz or enjoy a throw-back Special Report: Swimming in the Rhein 3 ing and rewarding experience. As with all sports, however, swimming in the Rhein carries some risks. The information below is meant to to the 50s and 60s at the drive-in cinema in Pratteln. You can also chill out or take in one of the soccer World Cup games at some great indoor help you make it a safe and enjoyable experience for the whole family. For more detailed information about swimming in the Rhein, read our Information Desk in the July/August 2013 issue of Basel Family Magazine from our archives at www.baselfamilymagazine.com. Events in Basel: July / August 2014 4-8 and outdoor venues, make a night-time visit to the zoo, or go for a swim by candle- and moonlight. Additionally, Basel is hopping this summer with festivals of all kinds, including film, medieval, Roman, bike, dragon Floatation Devices: When you swim in the Rhein, your start- and Santihans near St. Johann has a basin for swimmers and non-swim- Info Desk: New Duty-Free Allowances and Limits 9 boat, wine and food, theater, and blues festivals. end-points are usually quite far from each other. To avoid having to walk mers, costs CHF 4 for adults and CHF 2 for kids, and is open from For more active pursuits, turn the pages to learn all about swimming in back to your starting point in your swimsuit to retrieve your belongings, 10:00-18:00. Note that these have no lifeguards on duty! the Rhein, hiking and sleeping in the mountains with the Swiss Alpine you can purchase specially designed waterproof bags into which you www.badi-info.ch/bs/basel.html Fun Outings: Beyond Basel 10-11 Club, or participating in Basel’s annual Bruggelauf (bridge run). Other can put your dry clothes, wallets, keys, tram-pass, and towel. They have options to spend your summer days (and nights) include such fabulous the added advantage of serving as a floatation device, and because Water Quality: The water quality is measured sporadically and at times of special events at four points along the Rhein in Basel. The Workshops, Tours, and Education 12-14 events as theater, circus, concerts, dances, shows, opera, magic acts, flea- they are brightly colored, they make swimmers more visible to boats markets, and an old-car parade. and others. You can buy these swim-bags called Wickelfish (changing results are generally reported to be quite good (except after heavy This issue also contains some practical information about life in Basel, fish) at sports stores, Manor, or at the IWB (energy company) for about rains), with the Kleinbasel side normally rating better than the Calendar: July / August 2014 15-18 such as the National Day celebrations on August 1 and the Do’s and CHF 20. Please note that the use of other inflatable swimming aids such Grossbasel side. You can find information about water quality at Don’ts of buying and setting off your own fireworks for the occasion, as tubes, air mattresses, and water wings/vests is not allowed. www.kantonslabor-bs.ch as well as about the new duty-free allowances and limits that go into Inside Basel: Basel’s City Hall Turns 500! 20-21 effect on July 1. Additionally, you can read about the history of Basel’s Currents: The Rhein can flow very quickly after a heavy downpour or Rheinschwimmen (August 19): On the third Tuesday in August, beautiful Rathaus (city hall), which is celebrating its 500th anniversary several days of rain. It is best to swim when the water levels are low. everyone is invited to float down the Rhein together in an annual tradi- this summer! tion called “Rheinschwimmen.” Thousands plunge into the water simul- Sports and Recreation 22-24 You always should be careful near the bridge piers as eddies that form As always, there is something for everyone, which is why Basel Family behind them can be dangerous. Also be mindful of the wakes of passing taneously, anywhere along the permissible swimming lane on the Klein- Magazine will come to you under a new name, Basel Life Magazine, ships or of the turbulence when swimming behind a ship. basel side, and let the current carry them downstream. The event starts Did You Know? 25 starting with our next issue. You will still find the same great content, just at 18:00, when all shipping is temporarily halted for this event. Whether a new name to better reflect that this magazine Accompanied Swimming: It is highly recommended that you you participate or simply come to watch, this is an event worth mark- is for all English-speaking residents of the Ba- never swim alone. If you would like to swim with a group of people, the ing! In case of bad weather it will be postponed to August 26. There Special Feature: Music Festivals 26-27 sel area—singles, couples, and families alike! Sports Department Basel Stadt organizes a “group float” at 17:45 on will be sponsor stands located along the Rhein where you can pick Best wishes for a great summer and/or happy every Tuesday in July and August. This offer is free of charge and is up snacks, drinks, and small sport-related giveaways. All participants Entertainment: Night on the Town 28-30 and safe travels, open to participants of all ages. Simply register on the day itself be- receive a commemorative medal. www.rheinschwimmen.ch tween 9:30-16:00 by phone at 061-267-5726 or by email at alexis. Christine [email protected], and show up at Solitude Park underneath the Ticket Office: Get Your Tickets Now! Back Page Tinguely Museum. To learn more, go to www.ed-bs.ch/jfs/sport/ Christine Pesold Swimming Lanes: As the Rhein is a fast-flowing Editor-in-Chief sportangebote/fuer-alle/begleitetes-rheinschwimmen. [email protected] shipping corridor, it is important to be aware of the Mark Your Calendar: September 2014 Back Page Bathing Houses (Rheinbäder): These are platforms built over potential dangers and to stay in the approximately the Rhein for lounging, sunbathing, or swimming in the river, with 2 km of dedicated swimming lanes within the Basel city changing rooms and lockers that can be rented. There are two such limits (see green zones on the graphic). Especially with Basel Family Magazine Contacts: establishments on the Grossbasel side of the Rhein. The art nouveau ongoing construction work on the old railway bridge COVER: The Marktplatz in front of Basel’s Rathaus Rhybadhysli Breiti (near Breite) is open from 11:00-20:00. It has next to the Schwarzwaldbrücke, swimming in that area Editor-in-Chief: two platforms for sunbathing, a shop, a restaurant, and Christine Pesold (city hall) is a hub of activity, and has been for is strictly forbidden! The 40 meter-wide many centuries. The river Birsig actually bisects a food kiosk; it costs CHF 5 per day and is not suit- swimming lanes on the Kleinbasel side Advertising & Subscription able for young children. The historical Rhybadhysli Manager / Editor: the square, but it was covered up in the middle of the Rhein are marked on either side by Susanne Hiller of the 13th century and now flows underground. blue buoys. Note that jumping off any of the bridges is strictly prohibited! Art Director: Since then, the square has served as a place where markets were held as well as court trials, Jon Hoefer Recommended starting point: and the punishments were meted out there as For more information about well. At the end of the 19th century, the square subscribing or advertising – obtained its current size and was connected to please contact us: the tram lines.