Spooky Basel: Evil Spirits at St. Johanns-Vorstadt

St. Johanns-Tor

Our clocks have been turned back one hour, and the nights are becoming longer. Who appears at night? Ghosts! So watch your back when you walk the streets of Basel :-). Here is why:

Up until the 20th century, many ghost stories existed in Basel where restless spirits were believed to be haunting the streets of Basel. One of those stories took place at St. Johanns-Vorstadt (the street leading up to one of the city gates: St. Johanns-Tor, see photo above) at the former establishment of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem (Johanniterorden). This grand house (see picture below) was later inhabited by Arnold Böcklin (1827-1901), a Swiss symbolist painter. 

The former establishment of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem (St. Johanns-Vorstadt 84/88)

St. Johanns-Vorstadt leading up to the city gate

At this house, uncanny figures terrified the inhabitants with curious appearances and maddish noises. Sometimes they heard a child screaming and climbing out of a fountain, sometimes they saw a woman dressed in a black coat or a small, white dog. One time even a dead knight appeared in the courtyard holding a sword.

So keep this in mind next time you walk by this house at night...or not :-). 

Thanks for reading!

Laura

Reference

Gerber, Kurt (2006): Basler Sagen. Basel, Friedrich Reinhardt Verlag, S. 85-87.

Galluspforte

The north facade of the Münster

The Galluspforte is the most impressive feature of the Basel Minster and the oldest Roman portal in the German-speaking world. It dates back to the 12th century and is located on the north facade of the Minster. It is made of red sandstone and has been restored in different phases from 1597 onwards.

Galluspforte

The Galluspforte has a relief of Jesus Christ as a world judge (on the tympanum). Below, the parable of the ten virgins is depicted (Gospel according to Matthew): on the right, the five foolish virgins are shown, whereas the five wise virgins are depicted on the left. In the middle, one can see Jesus lifting up his hand and blessing the virgings to the left. You can also find dragons, lions, and eagles on the capitals; these animals were viewed as guardians. Furthermore, there are four statues beside the bronze door. They depict the Four Evangelists: Matthew and John to the left, and Mark and Luke to the right.

This portal is a good example of Romanesque art, since it has many characteristic features: round arches, reliefs, and the arrangement of the sculptures' folds. It truly is worth a closer look. 

Thanks for reading!

Laura

References
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galluspforte
http://www.baselinsider.ch/enzyklopaedie/aus-der-geschichte/aus-dem-atlen-basel/basels-kluge-und-toerichte-jungfrauen.html

Photo credit
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galluspforte#/media/File:Galluspforte_des_Basler_Muensters_ws.jpg

The saga of the Spalentier

Spalenvorstadt in the 20th century

The son of a good citizen of Basel went abroad to learn a trade at the beginning of the 17th century. He soon fell on hard times and asked his father to help him in order not to die of hunger. His father, enraged about this beggary, replied that he didn't have him learn a profession just to be the one supporting him. He wanted his son to be hardworking and independent. He sent him only one kreutzer and added that if this wasn't enough, he shall buy a rope and hang himself.

The son was hit hard by his father's reaction and hung himself. When the father learned about his son's suicide, he felt so bad that he hung himself, too. 

This tragic story was believed to be the work of the devil, as was usual at that time. According to the saga, evil spirits settled down in the father and son's house at Spalenvorstadt. People were afraid to enter the house due to noises that came from it. One day, a brave citizen tried to end the evil spirits' rumbling and noisiness and entered the house. However, the man fell into a rage; he started wrenching his limbs like an animal and cursed terribly. The citizens of Basel were terrified, because he sometimes turned invisible and placed himself on the streets, making pedestrians fall and hurt themselves. 

This monster was called "Spalentier" (Spalen- from the place where he fell into a rage, -tier  meaning 'animal' in German). He often appeared accompanied by a warm Foehn wind, and the weather often was an indicator for mischief. Furthermore, this monster always appeared in different shapes: sometimes as a dog, a pig, a calf, a hippopotamus, a dragon, or a lindworm (often even in that sequence). He also sometimes appeared looking like a tall, white column with a long tail (anyone else wondering what this must have looked like?). 

Spalentier

The Spalentier committed his monstrous deeds up until the 19th century. People were especially afraid when they were a bit short of domestic bliss, as is described in Philipp Hindermann's (1796-1884) poem:

Basel het e Spaledier,

Das zaigt sich no ze Zyte,

Wenn an dr Spale Ma und Frau

In Zangg und Hader strytte.

Spalenvorstadt today

Thanks for reading!

Laura

Reference

Gerber, Kurt (2006): Basler Sagen. Basel, Friedrich Reinhardt Verlag, S. 109-111.

Photo credit

http://look-back.ch/?tag=spalentor

http://www.bs.ch/bs/bilddatenbank/detailseite-bilder-und-multimedia.htmll?act=detail&oid=55613

http://www.spalenvorstadt.ch/PDF/besonderes.merkw%C3%BCrdiges/das%20spalentier.pdf

Origin of the city name Basel

The site where the city of Basel is today was first mentioned by a Roman historical writer in the year 374 AD following the stay of the Roman emperor Valentinian The Great in this area. In his scripts, this historical writer called this place Basilia. To the present day, it is not known for certain what the meaning of this word is. During the Middle Ages, it was believed that the city name derived from the basilisk which was a symbol for the devil and of death (for more on the basilisk click here). Nevertheless, today other theories exist. One of them is that the name has a Celtic origin. Basel would thus derive from the Celtic word basios, meaning 'boar' ('Eber' in German). Others believe that, since the first mention of the name was Basilia, the name could derive from the Greek word basileia meaning 'queen'. 

As you can see, there are many theories concerning the origin of this city name and I'll leave it to you to decide which one you want to believe :-).

Happy Monday!

Laura





References
Gerber, Kurt (2006): Basler Sagen. Basel, Friedrich Reinhardt Verlag, S. 9-10.
Heusler, Andreas (1917): Geschichte der Stadt Basel. Basel: Frobenius, S. 5.

Photo credit
http://www.bloomberg.com/ss/07/04/0423_efte/source/3.htm

DIY How to make a CHALKBOARD from a mirror: A step-by-step tutorial

DIY chalkboard

Hi everyone! So I had this ugly old mirror that I didn't like anymore, and I decided to make a chalkboard out of it, because who doesn't need a chalkboard?! :-D Here's a step-by-step tutorial:

1. What you need: an old mirror (you could also use an old picture frame) / newspaper to put beneath the mirror / paint for wood border in the color of your choice (I used chalk paint, because I wanted a matte finish) / chalkboard paint (plus a screwdriver to open the chalkboard paint) / a paint brush to paint the wood border / a small foam roller / a painting pan to use with the foam roller

2. Flip over the mirror and remove the mirror from the frame (if this isn't possible, you can simply mask off the frame with painter's tape).

3. Cover your workplace with newspaper.

4. Use your foam roller to paint the mirror with chalkboard paint. Make sure not to use too much paint at a time to prevent uneven spots; use the painting pan for this. Wait at least an hour before you apply another coat (or even a third).

5. Paint the wood boarder. I applied three coats here to make sure that everything is covered nicely. Make sure to let it dry completely between coats.

6. I let everything dry for at least a day before I put it together and hung it up.

On this chalkboard, I like to write things related to the season we're in. This is also a fun thing to have during a party, since guests can write fun stuff on it. Don't hesitate to comment below if you have any questions.

Thanks for stopping by!

Laura