The St. Alban ferry (Wild Maa), one of Basel’s four traditional unpowered Rhein ferries, was forced to suspend its service due to critically low river water levels. Basel’s Rhein ferries rely entirely on the natural force of the current to glide across the river while tethered to a steel cable stretching between the Grossbasel and Kleinbasel sides of the river. For the Wilde Maa ferry, its unique geographic positioning between the historic St. Alban-Tal on the Grossbasel side and the Wettstein neighborhood on the Kleinbasel side makes it particularly vulnerable to severe drought conditions; when low water levels combine with westerly winds blowing directly against the vessel, the Rhein’s current becomes too weak to propel the boat across. The temporary closure highlights how extreme summer weather and dwindling water reserves affect even the most quintessential, centuries-old modes of sustainable transit in the heart of Basel.

Unlike the St Alban ferry, the low water level is not preventing another local tradition—the Baseler Rheinschimmen, which will be taking place on Tuesday, August 11. The 46th edition of this traditional event, where thousands of people float down the Rhein together on the Kleinbasel side, is set to begin as scheduled at 18:00.

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