Historisches Museum Basel

Globes, filigree ivories, crystals, clocks, dried plants, stuffed animals, paintings, miniature sculptures, scientific instruments, antiquities, exotica and all manner of curiosities – scientists and collectors began amassing spectacular Kunstkammer and Wunderkammer in the 16th century. They were motivated by a thirst for knowledge and an interest in history, nature and art. Even today, the collections reflect the inquiring minds and the worldview of an entire era. The exhibition also takes us back to the origins of private collecting in Basel. It focuses on personalities of renown – from Erasmus of Rotterdam to Basilius Amerbach, Remigius Faesch and later Jacob Burckhardt – and presents their collections in a new thematic context.

> Barfüsser Church
Basement