Basel Cathedral - A Guide to the Stories behind the Stones

A guide to the stories concealed in Basel’s landmark

Richly illustrated with numerous detailed views

Published in two languages: German and English

A lot of books have been written about Basel cathedral, but none like this one. For the very first time, the many figurative depictions and surprising construction details in and on the cathedral are being enabled to speak for themselves, as it were. The singular features of Basel’s landmark tell their stories in a whole new way.

Which figures are on the west facade and why? Why are the sandstones different colours? Why is there a dragon decorating the floor, and what are the elephants doing on the outer wall of the choir? Who is the queen who had herself immortalized praying with her child on a sarcophagus? The city’s major place of interest is presented here from a whole new and accessible perspective in the form of thirty ‘stations’. An informative and surprising tour that invites people to discover Basel cathedral anew.

About the author:
Oswald Inglin (* 1953) is a historian and anglicist and has been working as a teacher and co-principal of the Leonhard secondary school in Basel since 2016. Since 2005 he has been guiding people of all ages around Basel’s cathedral, the town hall and various different residential areas in the city.