Basel Town Hall (Rathaus) is the bright red building that fills one side of the Marktplatz, covered in painted figures and topped by a gilded turret. It was built in 1504–1514 to mark Basel's entry into the Swiss Confederation, and it is still a working building where the government and parliament of the canton of Basel-Stadt meet. In local dialect it is the 'Roothuus', a play on 'Rathaus' and the red sandstone.
Basel Town Hall at a glance
- Where: Marktplatz 9, in the middle of the Old Town on the Grossbasel side of the Rhine.
- Built: front building 1504–1514; the Vordere Kanzlei added in 1606–1608; the tower and a new wing in 1899–1901; the Grand Council chamber rebuilt in 1901–1904.
- What it is today: the seat of the cantonal government (Regierungsrat) and parliament (Grosser Rat) of Basel-Stadt.
- Time needed: 15–20 minutes for the façade and the courtyard.
A town hall for a new Swiss city
Courts were held on this spot long before the present building: the name goes back to the 'Richthaus', the house of justice. Basel joined the Swiss Confederation in 1501, and in 1503 the Grand Council decided to build a new town hall to mark the occasion. The front building went up between 1504 and 1514, with the coats of arms of the confederate cantons on its battlements. In 1517–1521 the older building behind it was raised by a storey to make room for a council chamber, and in 1521 the city asked Hans Holbein the Younger, a Basel citizen since the year before, to paint its walls.
Holbein's murals did not survive: when the chamber was remodelled about 300 years later they were destroyed, and only a few fragments are left, now in the Kunstmuseum Basel. The building kept growing with the city. The Vordere Kanzlei, the chancery to the left, was added in 1606–1608, and around 1900 a slender tower and a new wing were built and the Grand Council chamber was redesigned. What looks like one late Gothic building is really four centuries of extensions in matching red.
What to look for
- The painted façade: look for the youth with a parrot on the market-square front, and a lady in a beret with ostrich feathers on the balcony, based on a design by Holbein.
- Justitia above the clock: she holds scales and a sword, but she began life as a Madonna with the Christ Child. She was reworked as Justice in 1608; the figure you see is an 1878 copy, and the original is in the Historisches Museum Basel.
- The gilded turret: the small golden tower on the roof of the front building holds the chimes.
- Munatius Plancus in the courtyard: a stone statue of 1580 by Hans Michel of Strasbourg. Plancus founded the Roman colony of Augusta Raurica near Basel, not Basel itself, as many people think; his red-and-gold lace underwear probably dates from a repainting around 1900.
- The flood plaque: a bronze plaque of 1537 on a column between the courtyard gates marks the floods of the Birsig stream in 1529 and 1530.
- The courtyard murals: the painted walls around the courtyard, where a colourful parrot is hidden among the scenes.
A warning carved in wood
Inside, in the chamber of the cantonal government, early 16th-century carved friezes by a woodcarver known as Meister Hans show a world turned upside down: hares hunting dogs and a hunter. The canton reads it as a reminder to those in power to use it responsibly. The chamber is not normally open to casual visitors, but the parrots on the façade and in the courtyard carry the same playful spirit.
Tips for your visit
- The arcade and courtyard are usually open during office hours. It is a working government building, so keep your voice down and respect closed doors.
- For the whole façade in one shot, stand on the far side of the Marktplatz. Trams cross the square all the time, so watch the tracks.
- Morning light falls well on the façade, and a fresh-produce market often fills the square in front.
- From here it is a short climb up to the Minster and the Pfalz terrace over the Rhine.
Nearby
- Basel Minster: the red sandstone cathedral with twin towers and the Pfalz terrace above the Rhine, a few minutes uphill.
- Mittlere Brücke: the bridge on the site of Basel's first Rhine crossing from the 13th century, a short walk downhill, with the Lällekeenig, a king's head that sticks out its tongue, on a building at the Grossbasel end.
- Spalentor: one of Basel's three surviving medieval city gates, at the top of the Spalenberg through the old town.
See Basel with World City Trail
Our Basel scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 3 hours, with about 44 minutes of walking, and includes the Strassburger Denkmal, the Offene Kirche Elisabethen and Basel Minster. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish or Chinese.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Basel.
Play the Basel scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Basel →
Play the outdoor escape game in Basel →
Facts checked in October 2026.