The Black Death in Basel

The city of Basel has a very long and interesting history, and the inhabitants of Basel are very proud of the many old buildings dating back to the Middle Ages; to a time even before the large earthquake of 1356. But it’s not only this devastating earthquake and ist aftermath that characterize the city of Basel; the Middle Ages were also characterized by many socio-political events as, for example, the power plays between the counsil and the clergy, by a lot of activity in the building line (resulting in the beautiful buildings we admire today), and by different diseases, among others, the plague.

The plague, which had originated in central Asia, travelled along the Silk Way (carried by black rats on merchant ships) to the Crimea and then spread throughout Europe, arriving in Basel in May 1349. This bubonic plague (which was accompanied by the pneumonic plague in the colder months) was soon called the Black Death, since those affected died within a few days after the first symptoms showed up.

Plague, Arnold Böcklin 1898. Kunstmuseum, Basel

The presence of this disease in Europe brought along fear, hysteria, and violence, resulting in social, political, and economic turmoils. Since nobody knew the cause of this disease, the Christian population throughout Europe started a rumor which accused the Jews of having brought this disease to the cities in order to extiguish the Christians. According to this rumor, the Jews deliberately contaminated the wells to kill the Christian population. It is thought that the ones who circulated those rumors the most were those who owed the Jews money or saw them as competitors. Consequently, in Basel, all the Jews (between 150 and 300) that had not fled the city were killed on 16 January 1349, even before the plague arrived in Basel in May 1349.

Woodcut illustration of the mass murder of Jews in Basel on 16 January 1349

Even though different sources state that thousands of people (up to 14.000) died in Basel due to the Black Death, several historians believe that only around 10% (around 700 people) of Basel’s population died, since no document from before or after the plague informs about the disappearance of many names; something that should have happened had this disease killed more than half of the population. Nevertheless, no exact number of deaths in Basel is known.

The presence of the plague gave rise to the artistic representation of death through the Dance of the Dead. The Dance of the Dead is the portrayal of the power of death over all human beings with no regard for social standing. It is thought to first have been performed by people, then poetized, and finally painted. In Basel, a painting called Basler Totentanz was depictured on the inner side of the cemetery wall next to the Predigerkirche in the late Middle Ages.

Basler Totentanz on the inner side of the cemetery wall close to the Predigerkirche

Predigerkirche in Basel around 1774

Predigerkirche in Basel today

I hope you have enjoyed reading about this little piece of Basel history. Thanks for stopping by!

source: http://www.visitbasel.ch/stadtfuehrungen/auf-den-zweiten-blick/papst-pest-und-andere-seuchen.html

source: http://www.altbasel.ch/fussnoten/pest.html

source: http://www.basler-bauten.ch/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=111:totentanz&catid=49:denkmaeler&Itemid=71

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death

source: http://entomology.montana.edu/historybug/YersiniaEssays/Medrano.htm

source: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basler_Totentanz

photo credit: http://www.wikiart.org/en/arnold-b-cklin/the-plague-1898

photo credit: http://www.viciousbabushka.com/2011/01/this-week-in-history-jews-of-basel-switzerland-are-massacred-in-black-death-blood-libel.html

photo credit: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basler_Totentanz

photo credit: http://www.abendmusiken-basel.ch/Abendmusiken/xx.Predigerkirche/00.html
photo credit: http://kulturtour.ch/gruppenfuehrung/predigerkirche/