University of Basel

One of the centers of learning in the Renaissance.

Basel became an early center of book printing and humanism. The official opening ceremony was held on April 4, 1460. The University of Basel was decreed to have four faculties: arts, medicine, theology, and jurisprudence. The faculty of arts served until 1818 as the foundation for the other three.

Inauguration ceremony of the University of Basel, 1460
The Cathedral of Basel sits on a high bluff overlooking the Rhine where it bends and widens to begin its northward journey.