The Museum der Kulturen Basel | Herzog & de Meuron

The Museum der Kulturen Basel – in the heart of the medieval city of Basel – impresses with an extravagant roof and modern, stylish exhibition rooms flooded with light.

The striking roof of the Basel Minster with the colourful tiles has serious competition: The colourful shimmering roof of the Museum der Kulturen Basel fits seamlessly into the roofscape on the Minster hill. Under the direction of architects Herzog & de Meuron, a striking building has been completed – another jewel in the crown of Basel architecture.

The Neoclassical structure built by Melchior Berri in 1849 was the first building in German-speaking Switzerland to be purpose-built as a museum, and was a bold intervention in the largely medieval architecture then prevalent on the Minster hill. The museum was conceived as a ‘universal museum’ to house both science and art exhibits. As its stock of objects grew, and to create space for future collections, the courtyard annex, designed by architects Vischer & Söhne, was opened in 1917.

In 2011 a bold new extension has been added to the Vischer building by Herzog & de Meuron, with the added storey under the impressively designed folded roof.