Müensterplatz
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Müensterplatz is a square in front of Basel Cathedral on Münsterhügel in Basel.
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Why go
- The bend in Münsterberg suddenly reveals the cathedral’s twin-tower façade.
- Three Gothic houses remained unaltered: the Sigristenhaus, Schürhof and Reinacherhof.
- Amadeus of Savoy was crowned antipope in front of the cathedral in 1440.
- The university’s founding charter was read aloud here in 1460.
Opening hours
TodayClosedShow all
MondayClosed
TuesdayClosed
WednesdayClosed
Thursday00:00 – 23:59
FridayClosed
SaturdayClosed
SundayClosed
Know before you go
- The square is open 24 hours every day. These hours apply to the square, not the cathedral, surrounding buildings or Pfalz terrace.
Tips for your visit
- Suggested visit time: about two hours.
Interesting facts3
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The cathedral stands off-centre between the two squares that form its forecourt.
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The smaller square’s east side once housed courts, cathedral construction administration and a treasury office.
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St. Johanneskapelle served as the cathedral’s old baptistery and a station for major religious processions.
Münsterplatz
History
The traditional market sold food, wood, hay and straw.
- Roman periodA 19-metre-deep well marks the site of a Roman settlement and later fort.
- Early Middle AgesAlemannic settlers built pit houses with workrooms dug into the ground here.
- 8th–9th centuriesA bishop’s seat on Münsterhügel is suspected from the mid-8th century; a bishop’s church is documented from the 9th.
- 10th centuryAfter the church cemetery ceased to be used in the 10th century, the site became a square and developed into Basel’s political and spiritual centre. It belonged to the bishop’s estate.
- 13th century; 1449A court linden stood on the smaller square from the 13th century; one fell in 1449 and damaged the courthouse.
Show all
- First quarter of 15th centuryThe square had continuous paving by this time.
- 1356The earthquake badly damaged the canons’ residences. The market temporarily moved to the area before the Barfüsser monastery.
- 1431–48The council ended the market on the square.
- 1583Ten lime trees were planted, giving the square the name “unter den Linden” (“under the lime trees”).
- 1735–1821Fifteen horse chestnuts were planted on the west side in 1735 to cool nearby homes; the last were removed in 1821.
- 1758Modernisation of the square’s buildings began with the Rollerhof.
- 1763–1770Johann Jakob Fechter reshaped the chapter houses on the west side, giving their façades a unified appearance.
- 1779Samuel Werenfels’s work on Falkensteinerhof ended the square’s Baroque remodelling.
- 1785The plantings were redesigned as a promenade with paths and benches.
- 1529After the bishop and cathedral chapter left Basel, the chapter house, episcopal court office and St. Johanneskapelle became grain stores.
- 1803After Basel’s prince-bishopric was secularised, its chapter houses on the square passed to the state.
How to get there
- On footFrom the eastern side of the smaller square, take the passage to the Pfalz terrace.
Sources: Münsterplatz · 1784 Ryhiner Plan · checked 29 Sep 2026
Where
Münsterpl., Basel, 4001
- Phone
- +41 61 268 68 68
Questions and answers
How do I reach the Pfalz terrace from Müensterplatz?
A passage on the smaller square’s east side leads to the Pfalz terrace.
When was Müensterplatz fully paved?
It had continuous paving by the first quarter of the 15th century.
What happened to Müensterplatz’s chapter houses in 1803?
They passed to the state after Basel’s prince-bishopric was secularised.
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