Objekt 2126
Fighting the flames
Description
Basel regularly fell victim to fires due to the many open fire places, highly
inflammable building material and narrow alleyways. Before the first city
fire services were established in 1882, firefighting was the guilds’ responsibility.
Guilds were in fact trade associations, but they comprised so many
citizens that they were assigned this task. Leather buckets sealed with tar,
such as this one of the Weavers’ Guild, were among the simplest tools for
dousing fires.
Object description
Weavers’ Guild fire bucket
Basel, 1734
leather, tar
acquisition
Inv. 1908.299.