Objekt 2115
Banished from Basel
Description
Basel had its own jurisdiction in the Middle Ages. Its scope of application
(Bannmeile) also covered a certain radius outside the city walls that was
marked by stones carved with a cross. If someone in town broke the law, he
or she could be banished, depending on the severity of the crime, ‘outside
the cross’. The convicted criminal then had to take an oath at the cross
stone never again to set foot in the Bannmeile. So these blocks of sandstone
were emblems of juridical sovereignty, reinforced with religious symbols.
Object description
Border stone
Basel, 14th/15th century
red sand stone
given by Baudepartement Basel-Stadt
Inv. 1900.49.