Basel City Gates
© Basel Tourismus
Spalentor:
In times gone by, many important supplies and provisions entered the city through this gate having arrived from Alsace. Its square main tower, flanked on each side by two round towers, would have been seen long before arriving at the gates of the city. The façade facing away from the city is also decorated with three figures dating back to the 15th century - the Madonna and two prophets.
St. Johanns-Tor:
Today this former gateway to the city is home to Basel's police force, who occupy the rooms right at the top of the tower. The gateway is the landmark of the St. Johann quarter of the city, which is one of the districts of the city that is currently undergoing an evolutionary transformation in terms of architecture and cityscape.
St. Alban-Tor:
The old gateway to the city still has its large wooden door and the heavy paling that was let down in times of danger to bar the entrance to the city. The St. Alban-Tor, known locally as the “Dalbedoor”, is now the gateway to the St. Alban quarter of the city, which, with its narrow, winding streets and historical buildings, is like stepping back in history to the Middle Ages.
