Annual Reports
What has shaped the HMB in recent years? Our annual reports bring together the key events, figures and stories from across the museum – from exhibitions and educational programmes to research projects and new additions to the collection.
Annual Report 2025
Foreword
Dear Friends of the Historical Museum Basel
We look back with great pleasure on an exceptional year: in 2025, the Historical Museum Basel (HMB) recorded nearly 100,000 admissions. Since the beginning of the year, visitors have also been able to explore all three exhibition venues – the Barfüsserkirche, the Haus zum Kirschgarten and the Music Museum – over a period of seven days with a single ticket.
With the participatory collecting project «ESC Memory Box», the HMB broke new ground by working together with the Eurovision community to collect objects and the stories behind them. As a result, 16 new objects have entered the museum's collection.
Following a five-year project phase, we successfully completed the museum-wide inventory. Today, around 435,000 objects, complete with photographs, are recorded in our collections database. As part of the HMB’s digital transformation, we will use this foundation over the coming years to make the collection accessible to the public online.
We received a great deal of positive feedback on our exhibitions and events in 2025. It is encouraging to see that our programmes contribute meaningfully to current social debates while sharing the history of our city and region in engaging and accessible ways.
None of this would have been possible without the dedication of the HMB team and the support of many others. Their commitment – both practical and financial – forms the foundation of all our exhibitions and projects. For this, we extend our heartfelt thanks.
Patricia von Falkenstein
President of the Commission of the Historical Museum Basel
Marc Zehntner
Director of the Historical Museum Basel
The Year at a Glance
January
A Hands-On Exhibition Full of Sound
From January onwards, South Tyrolean musician Max Castlunger delighted visitors at the Musikmuseum with self-made instruments crafted from recycled materials. In the exhibition «Upcycling Music», visitors were actively encouraged to try things out for themselves.
May
Basel Collects Memories of the ESC
During the Eurovision Song Contest, the HMB was present on Theaterplatz with the «ESC Memory Box». Together with fans from around the world, we collected personal objects and stories connected to the world’s largest music competition.
June
Basel’s Psychiatric History in Focus
At the end of June, the exhibition «verrückt normal» came to a successful close. By linking historical developments with contemporary questions, it attracted an exceptionally high number of admissions, reaching 35,123 entries.
July
Football Trophies Up Close
To coincide with the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025, the HMB presented the exhibition «Dream of Trophies». Nine trophies from international women’s and men’s football were displayed in the Barfüsserkirche, attracting 10,658 football fans.
October
Treasures from the Basel Region
In October, the exhibition «Treasure Hoards – Hidden, Lost, Found» opened at the Barfüsserkirche. Running until the end of June 2026, it presents the 25 most spectacular treasure finds from the Basel region and tells the stories behind these extraordinary objects.
December
Completion of the General Inventory
After five years of intensive work, the HMB successfully completed the general inventory of its collection at the end of 2025. In total, around 435,000 objects were reviewed and recorded.
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Annual Reports Archive
Here you can download all HMB annual reports from 2004 onwards.