Universities and culture across the language border

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Higher education is one of the fields in which the language border has become a resource. Eucor – The European Campus brings together the universities of Basel, Freiburg, Haute-Alsace and Strasbourg and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Since 2015 it has had legal personality as a European grouping of territorial cooperation.¹ Students enrolled in one member university can attend courses at the others. Several joint degree programmes are taught in German, French and English. Trinational degree programmes in mechatronics, business management and engineering, offered jointly by universities of applied sciences in Lörrach, Mulhouse and north-western Switzerland, require students to study in all three countries and to work in at least two languages.²

The Trinational Eurodistrict Basel supports language learning through projects that bring schoolchildren from both sides of the border together, through bilingual kindergartens and through a range of cultural events. Part H described its institutional structure.³ In the cultural sphere, museums such as the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen and the Musée Unterlinden in Colmar attract visitors from all three countries. The final chapter of this Part examines the role of such institutions as an expression of Basel's identity and soft power.⁴

Notes

On Eucor – The European Campus, established as a European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) in 2015 under Regulation (EC) No 1082/2006, see its website and the annual reports of the University of Basel. To be verified. ↩
On trinational degree programmes in the Upper Rhine region, such as the trinational bachelor's programme in mechatronics of the FHNW, the Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg Lörrach and the Université de Haute-Alsace, see the websites of the participating institutions. To be verified. ↩
See Part H, chapter II of this book on the Trinational Eurodistrict Basel. On its language and education projects, see its annual reports. To be verified. ↩
See Part J, chapter V of this book on museums, foundations and patronage. ↩

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 August 2025.

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I am a Swiss attorney-at-law and also admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong and in England & Wales, with almost 25 years of experience.

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Universities and culture across the language border

Notes

Setting up or expanding in Switzerland?