The Rhine Knee: Geography, Celtic Settlement and Augusta Raurica — conclusion

Conclusion

Basel was born at a bend in the Rhine, at the meeting point of routes from the North Sea, Burgundy, the Swiss plateau and Italy. Celtic traders exchanged Mediterranean wine for local goods at the Gasfabrik settlement and used coins more than two thousand years ago. The Romans founded Augusta Raurica, a prosperous colony a few kilometres upstream, and later fortified the frontier on the Rhine, where the name Basilia first appears in 374. The bishopric moved from the Roman fort to Basel, and under the protection of Henry II the episcopal city became part of the Empire at the beginning of the eleventh century.

These foundations defined the options of the later city: its role as a place of passage and transshipment, its situation on a border, its dependence on the river and its function as a safe place in an insecure environment. The next chapter shows how the bishops of Basel turned these options into institutions, above all into the right to coin money, to levy tolls and to hold markets, and how their financial difficulties allowed the citizens to take over these rights.

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of September 2025.

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