Barfüsserplatz, Basel

In Basle's busy Barfüsserplatz is the 14th C. Barfüsserkirche (church of the barefoot friars), which now houses the Historical Museum, with an important collection on the history of culture and art (renovated 1975-81); cellars constructed and reconstruction of the rood screen). Notable exhibits in the nave of the church are the Late Gothic tapestries and the "Lällenkönig" ("Babbling King"), a crowned head with a movable tongue and eyes, once the emblem of Gross-Basel (17th C.). In the aisles are weapons and furnished rooms, in the choir religious art, in the crypt the Minster treasury.Changing exhibitions on the lower level reflect the history of the city of Basle. One of the most important textile productions in the late 18th and throughout the 19th C. was that of silk ribbons.

Above the west side of Barfüsserkirche rises St Leonard's church (Leonhardskirche), rebuilt between 1480 and 1512 and restored in 1965. The crypt is Romanesque; the choir dates from the 13th-14th C. The former monastery adjoining the church, known as the Lohnhof, is now occupied by the police. In the Gasthaus Teufelhof can be seen an exhibition of the civic fortifications in the height of the Middle Ages.

The exhibition program is grouped around three principal themes: Swiss architecture of the classical Modern period. Exhibitions on Hermann Baur, Hans Bernoulli, Le Corbusier, Hannes Meyer or Hans Wittwer analyze the contribution made by Swiss architecture to Neues Bauen. A second theme is contemporary architecture in the international field. Exhibitions on Wiel Arets, Hermann Czech, Frank O. Gehry, Herzog & de Meuron, Rem Koolhaas, Rafael Moneo, Luigi Snozzi or Livio Vacchini provide insights into major contemporary attitudes. Thirdly, various themes from the architectural periphery are featured. Wide-ranging exhibitions cast light on the links between fine art and architecture and address specific themes such as architectural photography, children's toys, tents or the historical development of models. The Architekturmuseum Basel is the only institution in Switzerland to examine architecture so comprehensively.

A collection of old musical instruments can be viewed on Leonhardsstrasse 8 in Basle.