Basel Off The Beaten Path Tips by Kathrin_E

Scriptorium Rhysprung

Scriptorium Rhysprung is an old-fashioned workshop of calligraphy, just like the one of a professional writer in past centuries who worked with quills, parchment and ink. They sell both calligraphy items and artisitic writings.

This little shop is actually well on the beaten path but often overlooked. No one I spoke to had noticed it. It can be found in the street from the old bridge up Münsterberg, close to the Rhine and the bridge, in the half-timbered house on the corner of the lane that leads up to St Peter's church. It is one of those many little surprises Basel is so rich of.

The shop has rather short opening hours but even when it is closed, a glimpse through the windows is worthwhile.

Opening hours:
closed on Monday
Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday on request

Website: http://www.kalligraphie.com/1-2-Home.html

Leonhardskirche

This is the church the bronze art historian Rudolf Riggenbach is explaining: Leonhardskirche.

The first church was built around 1060/1080, the crypt is still there. After the earthquake of 1356 which destroyed most of the Romanesque church, a gothic basilica was erected. Around 1480 it was turned into a hall with three naves of equal height. Steeple and choir are remnants of the Romanesque church.
Ask Rudolf Riggenbach about more details...

The church is situated on top of the hill above Barfüßerplatz and dominates the silhouette you see from that square. To reach it, take one of the small streets uphill and keep left when you reach the crest. The whole quarter with its old houses is a hidden gem.

Website: http://www.leonhardskirche.ch

Rudolf Riggenbach, the Bronze Art Historian

In the square in front of Leonhardikirche I noticed the life-size bronze statue of an elderly man with beard and belly, who is looking up to the church facade. Position and gesture immediately made me recognize the colleague: this must be an art historian who is explaining the architecture of the church...

Indeed, he is.

Dr. Rudolf Riggenbach (1882-1961), nicknamed "Dingedinge", was a renowned monument conservator who managed to save and preserve a lot of cultural heritage in Basel and elsewhere. His guided tours were famous, he must have been some kind of 'original' in town. A few years after his death, the statue by Peter Moillet has been put up. "Dingedinge" is back to Basel!

More about him (in German): Biography