Basel’s Mittlere Brücke — Connecting the Shores of the Rhein for 800 Years

Did you know that in 2025, Basel’s Mittlere Brücke is celebrating it’s 800th anniversary? The current bridge is of course not quite as old, but the first solid bridge was built at this site around the year 1225.

Building a Bridge Across the Rhein

It was Prince-Bishop Heinrich II of Thun who dared to do the previously unimaginable: to build a bridge over the Rhein. To fund this enterprise, he pawned Basel Minster’s treasure to Jewish moneylenders and secured additional funding from monasteries. Construction began “around 1225” (it’s unclear whether the bridge was planned, under construction or almost completed at that time), but it is conceivable that the inauguration took place in 1226. At the time, it was called the Bishop’s Bridge and was the only solid bridge crossing the Rhein between Basel and the delta of the Rhein into the North Sea! (There were, however, a couple of bridges across the river between Basel and Lake Constance.) It remained Basel’s only crossing over the river until the inauguration of the Wettsteinbrücke in 1879.

Interestingly enough, the bridge was built both from stone and from wood: On the Kleinbasel side, there were five stone pillars; on the Grossbasel side, however, the water was too deep and the current too strong for 13th century builders to erect stone pillars, so they build eight posts from oak. Also, there were no railings along the side, and the surface was just wooden planks. This construction obviously was subject to damage from flooding, drift wood, ice floes in winter, and the regular wear and tear from the river water and the increasing traffic. The bridge was repaired continuously, but at the beginning of the 20th century it became obvious that a new bridge had to be built.

An architectural competition was announced, and construction of the winning design by Emil Faesch (Basel) and Friedrich von Thiersch (Munich) called “Granite II,” began in 1903. The construction costs were more than 3 million Swiss Francs. Prior to the 3-year construction period, a temporary wooden bridge was built to allow traffic to continue, as well as a smaller bridge to give workers and materials access to the construction site. The old bridge was dismantled and the new bridge built from concrete that was then covered in granite from the Gotthard region. Thus, for a short time, there were actually three bridges side by side! The new bridge—the current Mittlere Brücke—was inaugurated on November 11, 1905, and became a new landmark for Basel.

The Bridge’s Roles

Throughout its existence, the Mittlere Brücke has played many roles. First and foremost it is of course a transport axis for pedestrians, horses, carts, horse-drawn omnibuses, bicycles, and since the late 19th century, motorized vehicles. In 1895, Basel became the first city in Switzerland to have its own, state-run, modern tram system when 12 trams started rumbling along from Central Station (now SBB) across the Mittlere Brücke to the old Badischer Bahnhof. The ride across the bridge soon became a panoramic route, adorning countless postcards.

However, the bridge also served as a legal space, where judicial proceedings were held and sentences carried out. Public punishments involving water were carried out at the bridge’s chapel until the 17th century. Adulterers were dragged under the bridge, from one side to the other on a rope. People (mostly women) convicted of witchcraft or infanticide were tied up and thrown into the water—if they survived floating a certain distance and were recovered from the river alive, they were pardoned and instead banned from the city. The last person to be punished this way was Madlen Egerin in 1634, who was accused of being a child murderer. Today, a bronze plaque on the bridge that was created in 2019 serves as a memorial to those who were so cruelly punished.

Especially during the two World Wars, when Basel as a border city had to prepare for the worst, the Mittlere Brücke served strategic functions. It became a key strategic point in Switzerland’s line of defense and was made into a military roadblock: In 1914 and 1939, barricades and artillery were installed and explosives were placed beneath the deck of the bridge, so that it could be blown up if there was any threat of an enemy invasion. Indeed, the explosives remained in place underneath the bridge long after the World War II was over—only in 2009 were the last explosives removed by the army!

The Bridge as Part of Basel’s Cultural Life

The Mittlere Brücke plays a central role in many traditions and cultural events in Basel. In 1892, it became the launching point for the celebrations of the 500th anniversary of the unification of Kleinbasel and Grossbasel. From the end of World War II to the 1960s, annual sports days on the Rhein included an official “Brückenspringen” (bridge jump—now strictly prohibited).

Today, many events still involve the bridge. Every January, it’s the site where the “Vogel Gryff Day” starts, Kleinbasel’s most important holiday. On this day, the heraldic animals of the three Kleinbasel honor societies are brought to life: The Wilde Maa (wild man) travels down the Rhein on a float, amid gun salutes and drum rolls. At Mittlere Brücke, he is met by the Vogel Gryff (griffin) and Leu (lion), and together they dance on the bridge and through Kleinbasel. While the honor societies have been around since the Middle Ages and were responsible for guarding the city walls of Kleinbasel, the three wild creatures appeared together for the first time in 1838. Since then, each January, they perform their specific dances, accompanied by drummers and the “Ueli” (jesters) who collect donations for charitable causes in Kleinbasel.

Be it the big parades (Cortèges) of the Basler Fasnacht (carnival), the Basel Tattoo parade in the summer, the celebrations and fireworks for Swiss National Day (traditionally held the night before, on July 31), or the Basel City Run in November—many annual events take place at least in part on the Mittlere Brücke. Traffic is halted on the bridge, and it becomes an entertainment venue for the population to enjoy.

Similarly, the bridge plays an important role in the arts. It has inspired artists for centuries, appearing in countless drawings, prints, and paintings, including works by world-famous painters such as William Turner and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Today’s tourists continue the tradition by taking lots of photos and selfies of and on the bridge. The bridge also was the site of Basel’s first movie, directed by François-Henri Lavanchy-Clarke. The 54-second film was shot on an autumn day in 1896, in bad weather, and showed pedestrians crossing the old bridge. Not very exciting by today’s standards, but an impressive document of the Belle Epoque in Basel.

The bridge itself features several artworks. On the Grossbasel side, it’s the statue “Amazon Leading a Horse”(1926) by Carl Burckhardt. On the Kleinbasel side, Bettina Eichin’s “Helvetia on the Road” (1980) gazes pensively down the river. And in the river, upstream of the first pillar on the Kleinbasel side, is the sculpture “Lagerstätte” (Deposit, 1992) by Ludwig Stocker, which only is visible when water levels are low enough.

Hazards of the River

But life on the Rhein also comes with hazards—for ships, the bridge itself, and the people living along the river. Over the centuries, high waters after heavy rains repeatedly washed away wooden pillars of the first bridge and undermined its stone pillars, forcing people to find other means to cross the river. The new Mittlere Brücke, however, successfully withstood catastrophic flooding that inundated many streets and cellars in 1910, 5 years after its opening.

The relatively low clearance height of the bridge also is a hazard for ships. Over the years, several cargo ships crashed into the bridge and were damaged, got stuck against the pillars, or had other mishaps, resulting in sometimes complex salvage operations. And for today’s large container ships, passing under the bridge without touching it can be a matter of millimeters, especially when water levels are high. Additionally, the bridge is located in a curve of the river, making currents even more tricky. In fact, captains need a special certification to be allowed to steer their ships by themselves along this section of the Rhein—otherwise, they need to take a pilot on board to direct them.

Throughout its 800-year history, the Mittlere Brücke has connected the two sides of the Rhein and the people who live there, contributing to Basel’s economic and cultural development and rise as a center for trade and industry. And it remains an integral and picturesque part of Basel’s cityscape.

Learn More

If you want to learn more about the history of the bridge, check out the 12 large signs that have been posted on the bridge with information and many historic photos; they will be on view until January 13, 2026. While the text is in German (the full text and pictures can be found at https://craft.cmsbasel.ch/downloads/38525_Pulte_RZ_low.pdf), QR codes on each sign direct you to translations of the main texts in English and French (you can find these at https://www.baslerstadtbuch.ch/tag-fuer-tag if you go to the entry for the corresponding year). There also will be guided tours (in German) on October 25, November 22, December 13, and January 10 at 14:00. Meeting point is by the “Helvetia” sculpture on the Kleinbasel side; participation is free and no registration is necessary.