Basel

Basel is a center of the pharmaceutical industry. The merger of Basel-based Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz in the 1990s produced international pharma giant Novartis (http://www.novartis.com), still headquartered in Basel. The smaller, but still significant Hoffmann-La Roche (http://www.roche.com), provides competition. There are also other large chemical and life sciences companies such as CIBA Specialty Chemicals (http://www.cibasc.com), Syngenta (http://www.syngenta) and the aluminium company Lonza (http://www.lonza.com).

Basel is also emerging as a software cluster, particularly in the field of enterprise web software, with companies such as AdobePreviously known as Day Software (http://www.day.com) Communique CMS, Obtree (http://www.obtree.com/) now owned by OpenText, Things Prime (http://www.thingsprime.com) Generic Applications, Genedata (http://www.genedata.com), and Magnolia International Ltd. (http://www.magnolia.info) Magnolia CMS, all having their headquarters in Basel.

Basel is also jointly with Zurich headquarters of UBS AG (http://www.ubs.com), Switzerland's biggest and internationally very active bank, and home of the Bank for International Settlements (http://www.bis.org).

University of Basel

universitã¤t basel (http://www.unibas.ch/), +41 61 267 31 11. switzerland's oldest university, founded in 1460. the main campus is on and around petersplatz, reachable by tram no. 3 direction burgfelden grenze, stop at lyss or spalentor. for student exchange or study abroad programs visit the university's website and go to international students. because of its close links with the basel-based pharmaceutical companies novartis and roche see work, the university's school for molecular biology, biozentrum (http://www.biozentrum.uni...), attracts many international doctoral and post-doc students and is considered one of the top schools in europe in this area.

Schule für Gestaltung Basel

(http://www.sfgbasel.ch/), vogelsangstrasse 15, +41 61 695 67 70 is one of switzerland's leading art and design schools, offering academic curricula for design professionals and artists, as well as apprenticeships for trades such as bookprinting, jewelry making and photography.

ArtBasel

(http://www.art.ch/) mid-june. co-founded by gallery owner ernst beyeler see beyeler foundation in the late 1960s, this is the world's premier fair for modern and contemporary art. another event that seems to all but double the population of the city. the five day fair attracts major galleries and wealthy art collectors from around the world. artbasel showcases works by virtually every important artist from the late 19th century up to red hot trendsetters. concurrently with artbasel, three other contemporary arts fairs are held in basel each year, liste (http://www.liste.ch), voltashow (http://www.voltashow.com) and hot art (http://www.hot-art-fair.com). liste and voltashow feature international but generally younger and less established artists from around the globe, while balelatina focuses on art from latin america. all three "little sister" fairs tend to make room for somewhat more affordable artists than artbasel. competition among galleries to get into artbasel is immense and prices for renting a booth astronomical. so expect the prices to reflect that. but basel is well worth a trip just for this gigantic artfest if you are interested in seeing modern art, in being seen seeing modern art, and in buying modern art if you can afford it. the international art world virtually takes over basel for the week leading up to and during the fairs, with all kinds of art-themed parties and side events and much the same kind of beautiful and somewhat self-important people whose company you can enjoy, or not, in new york's chelsea and london's east end. if you're serious about visiting the fairs, plan at least three days to see them all - artbasel alone is exhaustingly vast in scope and requires at least a day unless you already know which picasso or rauschenberg you've got your eyes on. by the way, because of its immense success, artbasel has branched out to a second fair, held in december in miami, fl, by all accounts an even bigger zoo.

work authorization

Note that Swiss immigration laws are quite strict. To become a legal resident of Switzerland and to legally access the labor market requires the necessary permits. If you are a citizen of one of the 15 countries of the EU prior to the latest enlargement, a bilateral agreement providing for free movement of persons makes it much easier to get the permits. If not, you will need to have special skills and generally have to be sponsored by an employer. Working illegally can lead to criminal prosecution and detention pending deportation.

Atlantis

(http://www.atlan-tis.ch), +41 61 288 96 96, klosterberg 13, city center near heuwaage, is probably the most venerable venue for all kinds of popular music basel has to offer. it's been around since the 50s and is, after many incarnations as a jazz club, theater, rock venue, now one of basel's most popular dance clubs. a national and international set of djs turns the tables nightly and finds an audience aged between 17 and 30. but the spirit of rock is still alive, and the 'tis also provides a stage for numerous local bands, with concerts taking place about five times a month.

Offbeat/Jazzschule Basel

Is a promoter of jazz concerts, often bringing big international names to the city. concerts take place in various venues, including stadtcasinoo and theater basel see above. check current programming via offbeat (http://www.jsb.ch/offbeat...), tickets also there, or at the theater basel box office +41 61 295 11 33.

Yoga

Ashtanga Yoga and Japanese archery, among other things, are offered by Unternehmen Mitte (http://www.mitte.ch), Gerbergasse 30, +41 61 263 36 63 see also the Drink section.

Swim

The rhine! while recommended only for good swimmers - and only during the height of summer, when the water temperature allows to actually enjoy it, it is a fun way of cooling off and getting free sightseeing of the medieval old town at the same time. there are several possible points of entry, including the badhysli [bath house] rheinbad breite (http://www.badhysli.ch/), st. alban-rheinweg 195, +41 61 311 25 75, on the grossbasel bank of the river. exit at the badhysli rheinbad st. johann, st. johanns-rheinweg, +41 61 322 04 42, also on the grossbasel bank, roughly 2 km /1.2 miles below the breite bath. alternatively you can also enter the river on a variety of points on the kleinbasel bank of the river, where the water is accessible along a promenade of about 3 km / 1.8 miles. since you'll be swimming with the current, you will have to either carry your clothes along in a sealed plastic bag the tourist office sells bright orange ones, or be prepared to walk back in your bathing suit. it is probably best to take a swim with a local. the water is generally considered pretty clean, but you may wish to inquire about current conditions including the strength of the current and other possible hazards with one of the badhysli. see also the stay safe section below. each august, there is a popular rheinschwimmen with up to 3000 participants and accompanying boats providing some security. you can also just sunbathe and take a dip without swimming very far at either of the badhysli, which both feature outdoor restaurants with limited menus, showers, and locker facilities.

outdoor pools

There are also several outdoor pools, including Gartenbad St. Jakob, St. Jakobs-Str. 400, +41 61 311 41 44, Gartenbad Bachgraben, Belforterstr. 135, +41 61 381 43 33 and Gartenbad Eglisee, Egliseestr. 85, +41 61 267 47 47. But while these are popular as well, they are far less exciting than a swim in the Rhine.

ice-skating

Wintertime offers ice-skating on a number of large rinks: Eiskunstbahn Egliseee, on the grounds of the swimming pool of the same name details see above; Kunsteisbahn Margarethen, Im Margarethenpark, +41 61 361 95 95; or Genossenschaft St. Jakob-Arena, Brüglingen 33, + 41 61 377 51 74 next to the St. Jakob public pool. All but St. Jakob-Arena are open only in the wintertime. Restaurant Kunsthalle see Eat, Splurge has in some past winters also set up a romantic ice rink in their garden.

Rockclimbing

Or, for the less adventurous, hiking in the nearby jura mountains. falkenfluh (http://www.golfherrenmatt...), near the picturesque little town of seewen about 15 km / 9 miles south of basel, reachable by car or train and post bus is a popular destination, featuring some 227 marked climbing routes, most of which are medium to challenging. to learn more about rockclimbing contact irã¨ne & martin brunner, rã¼ttenenstrasse 19, 4513 langendorf, switzerland, +41 32 622 34 37. there is also an indoor rock-climbing center near the sbb train station, called k7 (http://www.kletterhalle7.ch). it is family friendly and offers courses. there is an even bigger climbing gym over the border in germany, at weil am rhein (http://www.impulsiv-weil.de/) with badminton, squash and ice skating facilities.

Symphony Orchestra Basel

sinfonieorchester basel, (http://www.sinfonieorches...), is the opera orchestra of the theater basel see above, and also performs classical symphonies and other pieces on the grosse bã¼hne and in another venue, stadtcasino basel (http://www.casinogesellsc...), which features an excellent grand auditorium. tickets for the orchestra are generally available via the theater basel box office see above.

 

Other theater venues include Fauteuil and Tabourettli (http://www.fauteuil.ch), box office +41 61 261 26 10, two small stages in a medieval manor on picturesque Spalenberg 12, near Marktplatz, presenting very light comedy, usually in Baseldytsch, and some Fasnacht-related events during the season; and Musicaltheater Basel (http://www.musicaltheater...), Feldbergstrasse 151, near Messe Basel, box office via Ticketcorner (http://www.ticketcorner.ch).