Pfalz, by the Minster

From here you’ve got a fantastic view over the roofs.

It’s a beautiful stroll up Rheinsprung to here, the terrace vantage point next to the Minster that people in Basel call the Pfalz. Can you imagine that just a few years ago, Münsterplatz and its historical buildings were home to a sprawling car park?

 
It’s almost impossible to imagine.
On the other side of the river in Kleinbasel we can make out the massive buildings of the Messe Basel Congress Centre which is next to the Basel Trade Fair Tower (Messeturm). A huge photovoltaic system is installed on the roof of the new Messehalle 1 building. A similar system is located in St. Jakob-Park, the home stadium of the soccer club FC Basel. Or s’Joggeli, as it is known affectionately among Basel locals. You must know that! The two systems provide green and renewable solar power to over 500 households in Basel … Or to put it differently: the energy that the two systems produce is enough for FC Basel to hold 50 home games each year.

 
Solar power is not the only source of energy that is renewable and doesn’t produce CO2. The Rhine itself is used as a reservoir of green energy. For instance the Birsfelden hydroelectric plant just upriver, where the water current drives huge turbines, transmitting their power to generators and producing climate-friendly energy. The facility generates enough energy for 200,000 households in Basel, and is well worth a visit. The power station is located on an Inseli, or eyot, and if you’re lucky enough you might even see ships passing the locks.

 
Basel is determined to use renewable energies – 100 per cent. Even today, IWB, the energy company in Basel, uses its own green power station capacities to produce all the energy that the city needs: most of it comes from hydroelectric power – with energy from the Birsfelden power station and the large hydroelectric power stations in the alpine regions of Grisons, Bern and Valais.

 
Trees are also important for the environment and the climate. We are standing here beneath towering old chestnut trees. Each day, several hundred litres of water evaporate from their leaves, bringing a milder touch to the arid city climate. They also produce oxygen and bind CO2, making them perfect air-conditioning systems. The trees are more than just important local climate regulators: they are biotopes, offering shelter and a habitat for animals and plants, insects and fungi and even bats.

 
Of course! Do you know the story about the bats?

 
Yes, I’ve heard it. The bats are well looked after, as they play an important role in preserving the variety of species and biodiversity here along the Rhine. This is why an inspection is conducted to check whether bats are living in a tree before it can be felled. If the animals are discovered, a probe is introduced to identify their precise location. Then, the bat family home is carefully extracted and suspended from a different tree – just like a bird house.

Let’s cross the Rhine now and head on to Kleinbasel! We’ll go down the steps and take the ferry, which costs CHF 1.60 for adults and 80 rappen for Binggis – Binggis? That’s Basel dialect for children. If you’re travelling by bike or would prefer to walk, you can also go down Rittergasse and then cross Wettsteinbrücke.

Whatever you decide. We’ll meet again in a minute – in Glaibasel.