Basel Historical Museum has a wide range of events for schools, universities and other educational institutions, whether on its exhibitions or its collection presentations.
Please click on the school level to find out more:
We also offer tours and events tailored specifically to teachers, university students and groups with special needs. We look forward to receiving your inquiries by +41 61 205 86 00 or vermittlung.hmb(at)bs.ch.
To ensure that your visit as a school class is a pleasant and positive experience, we ask you to observe the following rules:
The tours last 90 minutes as a rule. Please understand that we have capacity for only one class per time slot and exhibition. Bookings are possible within the regular opening hours.
Please book your visit at least two weeks in advance. Guided tours in the Barfüsserkirche take place from Tuesday to Friday, guided tours in the Haus zum Kirschgarten and the Musikmuseum from Wednesday to Friday.
Workshop: Treasure Troves – A Search for Clues Through the Exhibition
The legend of a somewhat forgetful guardian spirit leads the pupils in a playful way to the various treasures on display. At each station, they learn what makes a real treasure, why treasures are hidden and how archaeological research unearths treasures today. To solve the tasks, the romantic idea of treasure hunting is contrasted with reality. For example, the truthfulness of legends is discussed and the question of whether it is even allowed to search for treasures and then keep them is clarified. At the end, the pupils also find their own treasure.
Duration: 90 minutes
Registration form Barfüsserkirche
Leaps in Time – A Brief History of Basel
Time travel
Fifty fascinating objects from 100,000 years of history and with them an invitation to time travel! Our new exhibition on Basel’s history is a distillation of our past from the Neanderthals to yesterday. After a brief introduction (with a long rope!) participants will select the object or event that interests them most. Supported by various media stations they will then have a chance to learn more about it and its larger historical context. Having become “experts”, they will then take their classmates on a journey through time and try to sell them the period they have just discovered. Will they succeed? Was everything really better back then? Or should we consider ourselves lucky to be living in the present age?
Registration form Barfüsserkirche
Thunderbolts and Shark’s Teeth
Finds from Old Treasure Chests
Collecting helps us make sense of the world. Things that are valuable or important are kept in treasure chests. Things that are curious or weird fire the imagination. How did people used to collect? And why did they collect? And what do their collections tell us about what they knew of the world? On this tour, there will be stories about unicorns and the children will get to see fossils, coins, bone fragments and much else besides. There will also be some very special treasure chests and some truly exceptional collectibles to admire. The children are invited to bring along one or two items from their own collections.
Registration form Barfüsserkirche
Unicorns, Dragons, Gods
Fantasy Worlds of the Past
Medieval tapestries are teeming with “Wild People” and other fantasy creatures. Giants, dwarves and dragons have always captured people’s imagination. Even famous scientists have been known to study them! But such curious and precious things were not only studied, they were also collected and preserved. Live lizards were used as models for casts, statuettes of ancient gods were copied and mythical creatures were depicted in paintings and sculptures. All these things helped people to understand the world. On this tour, the children will explore how the people of the past pictured the world and how their images changed over the centuries.
Clock Time
Measuring Time Yesterday and Today
How did clocks used to look and how did they work? And what other methods of dividing up the day and measuring time did people have? What is a Midday Cannon? How does a sundial work? What were hourglasses used for? In the course of this tour of the watch and clock collection, the children will learn how telling the time has changed over the centuries. They will discover different timepieces, solve riddles, give clocks names, paint their favourite clock and try things out for themselves, using sun, sand, fire, water and oil to understand elementary chronometry.
Instrumentissimo
The History, Function and Playing Methods of Musical Instruments
Using eyes and ears, the children will explore the differences in sound and build between familiar and unfamiliar, old and new instruments. In the process, they learn about different ways of producing sound, which are still valid today when instruments are divided into categories. An essential part of the tour is also the opportunity to try out selected musical instruments, which is not an everyday fun for young and old.
Peter and the Wolf
Fairytales in the music museum
In 1936, Sergei Prokofiev created a musical fairy tale, "Peter and the Wolf", which still fascinates children and adults today. On the tour through the museum, children meet the courageous Peter, the little bird, the worried grandfather and the big, grey wolf. Based on the story, they get to know Prokofiev's music. They go in search of the appropriate instruments, which they can not only look at but also try out for themselves.
Parties of schoolchildren are welcome to visit even without a guided tour. To ensure everything goes smoothly, we would be grateful if you would bear in mind that
To ensure that your visit as a school class is a pleasant and positive experience, we ask you to observe the following rules:
You must book your visit at least two weeks in advance.
We look forward to receiving your inquiries by +41 61 205 86 70 or by form:
Workshop: Treasure Troves – A Mysterious Treasure Map
A mysterious treasure map guides the students through the exhibition. At various stations, they work together to determine what constitutes a real treasure, why treasures were hidden, and how treasures are recovered and examined today using archaeological methods. In the process, the pupils are confronted with the contradiction between romanticised treasure hunting and reality. They discuss the truthfulness of legends and the question of whether it is permissible to search for treasures and then keep them.
Duration: 90 minutes
Registration form Barfüsserkirche
Dance into the Beyond
Stories of Disease and Death
For many centuries, diseases and epidemics posed a far greater risk than they do today. This tour centres on the Basel Dance of Death. Taking this famous cycle of paintings as a starting point, the children will examine how people in times past coped with death and the mental images they formed of death. They will look discerningly at the paintings and consider the possible interpretations. Working in small groups, they will identify the many different messages of the Dance of Death.
Registration form Barfüsserkirche
Thunderbolts and Shark’s Teeth
Finds from Old Treasure Chests
Collecting helps us make sense of the world. Things that are valuable or important are kept in treasure chests. Things that are curious or weird fire the imagination. How did people used to collect? And why did they collect? And what do their collections tell us about what they knew of the world? On this tour, there will be stories about unicorns and the children will get to see fossils, coins, bone fragments and much else besides. There will also be some very special treasure chests and some truly exceptional collectibles to admire. The children are invited to bring along one or two items from their own collections.
Registration form Barfüsserkirche
Unicorns, Dragons, Gods
Fantasy Worlds of the Past
Medieval tapestries are teeming with “Wild People” and other fantasy creatures. Giants, dwarves and dragons have always captured people’s imagination. Even famous scientists have been known to study them! But such curious and precious things were not only studied, they were also collected and preserved. Live lizards were used as models for casts, statuettes of ancient gods were copied and mythical creatures were depicted in paintings and sculptures. All these things helped people to understand the world. On this tour, the children will explore how the people of the past pictured the world and how their images changed over the centuries.
Registration form Barfüsserkirche
The Celtic City and Roman Period
Basel’s First Settlers
Buried in the ground beneath our feet are several thousand years of Basel history. The Celts built two important settlements on the bend in the River Rhine now occupied by Basel and then the Romans conquered the hill where the cathedral now stands and made it part of their empire. Jewellery, pots, tools and eating implements tell us about the everyday lives led by those early settlers. The museum’s two models of those first settlements give us a vivid impression of just how developed the cultures were. The children will take a closer look at selected objects and by learning what they are made of and what their purpose was will discover the history of the Celts and Romans in Basel.
Why do We Decorate Christmas Trees?
Stories about Christmas
This event is available only in December.
Christmas is coming and several Christmas trees decorated with historical decorations are on display in the period rooms of the Haus zum Kirschgarten. The trees demonstrate how Christmas tree decorations have changed over the years; because they used not to be festooned with fairy-lights, glass balls and tinsel as they are today. Hanging on the twigs next to the candles were rather nuts, apples and little gifts. This year we are once again offering our popular Christmas event “Why do We Decorate Christmas Trees? Stories about Christmas” in which the children learn all about Christmas customs past and present.
Registration form Haus zum Kirschgarten
Fifty Rooms for One Family
Life in the Haus zum Kirschgarten
This tour is a chance to explore the huge house that 240 years ago was home to the silk-ribbon manufacturer, Johann Rudolf Burckhardt, and his family. The children will first be sent on a quest to help them gain an impression of the place. Next they will work in groups to find out more about the rooms and objects they have seen. They will learn how the wealthy owners used to live, what their children played with and what the servants had to do.
Instrumentissimo
The History, Function and Playing Methods of Musical Instruments
Using eyes and ears, the children will explore the differences in sound and build between familiar and unfamiliar, old and new instruments. In the process, they learn about different ways of producing sound, which are still valid today when instruments are divided into categories. An essential part of the tour is also the opportunity to try out selected musical instruments, which is not an everyday fun for young and old.
Plucking Whistling Hammering
Playing black and white keys from harpsichord to Hammond organ
They all have black and white keys. But that's where the similarities end. The family of keyboard instruments offers a variety of different instruments: from very old harpsichords to large church organs and imposing concert grand pianos to bar pianos and Hammond organs. On a journey through the world of keyboard instruments, pupils learn more about their history and how they work and experiment with different types of plucked, whistled and hammered sound production.
Of violas, frogs and dancing violins
the family of string instruments
From Renaissance instruments to Baroque and modern construction methods, the development of the string family through the centuries is explored. The Music Museum's collection also includes specialities such as a pochette (dancing master violin) and the nyckelharpa.
Audio examples illustrate the different roles of the instruments in a string orchestra or string quartet. Finally, the pupils can try their hand at playing the violin themselves.
Craft and art - musical instrument making through the ages
An interactive workshop about the development and manufacturing process of musical instruments.
Whether saxophone, piano or electric guitar, all musical instruments have to be made before they can be played. Solid craftsmanship, dexterity and ingenuity coupled with a clear concept of sound are still a prerequisite for the construction of musical instruments today. Selected exhibits from five centuries are used as examples to show how musical instruments have developed. Experiments with materials and sound deepen the knowledge through sensory experience.
Parties of schoolchildren are welcome to visit even without a guided tour. To ensure everything goes smoothly, we would be grateful if you would bear in mind that
To ensure that your visit as a school class is a pleasant and positive experience, we ask you to observe the following rules:
You must book your visit at least two weeks in advance.
We look forward to receiving your inquiries by +41 61 205 86 70 or by form:
Workshop: Treasure Troves – A Mysterious Treasure Map
A mysterious treasure map guides the students through the exhibition. At various stations, they work together to determine what constitutes a real treasure, why treasures were hidden, and how treasures are recovered and examined today using archaeological methods. In the process, the pupils are confronted with the contradiction between romanticised treasure hunting and reality. They discuss the truthfulness of legends and the question of whether it is permissible to search for treasures and then keep them.
Duration: 90 minutes
Registration form Barfüsserkirche
Leaps in Time – A Brief History of Basel
Who makes history?
History goes back a long way; yet it starts yesterday and will continue today. This exhibition shows six interpretations of some of the burning issues of the recent past, which still have the power to arouse passions even today:
Separated but connected – The relationship between Basel-Stadt and Basel-Land
Space and scope – The Alte Stadtgärtnerei
Prosperity and dependency – Basel and the life sciences
Arriving and staying – Migration and integration
Disaster and turning point – The Schweizerhalle chemical spill
A passion for red-blue – FC Basel
Participants will form groups and engage with the different interpretations presented. They will then discuss their impressions and what they have learned. What is history? Who makes history? Who writes history? And which events in our own lifetime will Basel Historical Museum want to exhibit 50 or 100 years from now?
Registration form Barfüsserkirche
Dance into the Beyond
Stories of Disease and Death
For many centuries, diseases and epidemics posed a far greater risk than they do today. This tour centres on the Basel Dance of Death. Taking this famous cycle of paintings as a starting point, the children will examine how people in times past coped with death and the mental images they formed of death. They will look discerningly at the paintings and consider the possible interpretations. Working in small groups, they will identify the many different messages of the Dance of Death.
Registration form Barfüsserkirche
Discovering and Exploring the World
The History of Science
How did the people of the past imagine the world to look? Since when have we known that the earth revolves around the sun? How did the stargazers of times past use an astrolabe or an armillary sphere? The sciences also have a history. The continents had to be discovered, the size of the universe calculated, the laws of physics understood and the human body explored. The objects preserved in historical cabinets of curiosity attest to our forebears’ thirst for knowledge. On this tour, the children will examine globes, measuring instruments and other curiosities and so embark on a journey of discovery to the discoverers of the past.
Registration form Barfüsserkirche
Celts, Romans, Alemanni
An Archaeological Mystery Tour in Basel
The more thoroughly the archaeological remains still buried in the ground are studied, the more complex the past becomes. The Celts had built two major settlements before the Romans conquered the hill where the cathedral now stands. Their arrival led to the development of a hybrid Celtic-Roman culture. In later centuries, the Alemanni and Franks brought some important innovations of their own. What do archaeological finds tell us about these highly developed cultures? On this tour, the children will learn all about the early history of Basel and how it was settled. Taking selected objects as examples, they will be able to reconstruct the changes introduced by each new culture, specifically the Celts, Romans, Alemanni and Franks.
Bourgeois Living Spaces of the 18th Century
A Hunt for Clues in the Haus zum Kirschgarten
This visit to the Haus zum Kirschgarten built by the manufacturer Johann Rudolf Burckhardt around 1780 will include a hunt for clues in an interior once inhabited by the haute bourgeoisie of the Ancien Régime. The tour will focus on various themes which, working in groups, the children will examine from the point of view of the master’s family and that of the servants. The results of this group work will then be presented in the course of a tour through the house. By engaging with the house and its contents from radically different angles, the children will be able to piece together a mosaic of bourgeois life in the late 18th century.
Instrumentissimo
The History, Function and Playing Methods of Musical Instruments
Using eyes and ears, the children will explore the differences in sound and build between familiar and unfamiliar, old and new instruments. In the process, they learn about different ways of producing sound, which are still valid today when instruments are divided into categories. An essential part of the tour is also the opportunity to try out selected musical instruments, which is not an everyday fun for young and old.
Plucking Whistling Hammering
Playing black and white keys from harpsichord to Hammond organ
They all have black and white keys. But that's where the similarities end. The family of keyboard instruments offers a variety of different instruments: from very old harpsichords to large church organs and imposing concert grand pianos to bar pianos and Hammond organs. On a journey through the world of keyboard instruments, pupils learn more about their history and how they work and experiment with different types of plucked, whistled and hammered sound production.
Of violas, frogs and dancing violins
the family of string instruments
From Renaissance instruments to Baroque and modern construction methods, the development of the string family through the centuries is explored. The Music Museum's collection also includes specialities such as a pochette (dancing master violin) and the nyckelharpa.
Audio examples illustrate the different roles of the instruments in a string orchestra or string quartet. Finally, the pupils can try their hand at playing the violin themselves.
Craft and art - musical instrument making through the ages
An interactive workshop about the development and manufacturing process of musical instruments.
Whether saxophone, piano or electric guitar, all musical instruments have to be made before they can be played. Solid craftsmanship, dexterity and ingenuity coupled with a clear concept of sound are still a prerequisite for the construction of musical instruments today. Selected exhibits from five centuries are used as examples to show how musical instruments have developed. Experiments with materials and sound deepen the knowledge through sensory experience.
Parties of schoolchildren are welcome to visit even without a guided tour. To ensure everything goes smoothly, we would be grateful if you would bear in mind that
To ensure that your visit as a school class is a pleasant and positive experience, we ask you to observe the following rules:
You must book your visit at least two weeks in advance.
We look forward to receiving your inquiries by +41 61 205 86 70 or by form:
Interactive guided tour – Treasure Troves
An interactive guided tour of the exhibition introduces participants to the world of archaeological discoveries and methods. They learn what constitutes treasure, why it was hidden, who is allowed to keep it after discovery, and who it belongs to. The tour presents various treasure finds from the Dreiländereck region and the stories behind their discovery. The modern approach to recovering and examining treasures is explained. The discrepancy between romanticised ideas about treasures and reality is addressed, and the truthfulness of legends is discussed.
Duration: 60 minutes
Registration form Barfüsserkirche
Dance into the Beyond
Stories of illness and death
For centuries, people were more threatened by disease and epidemics than we are here and now. The focus of the event is the Basel Dance of Death. Using this famous series of paintings, students will address the question of how people in the past dealt with dying and death and what images they had of death. They question the painting about its content and its various meanings. On the basis of the group work, the diverse messages of the Danse Macabre are worked out together.
Bourgeois living spaces in the 18th century
A search for clues in Haus zum Kirschgarten
In Haus zum Kirschgarten, which the merchant Johann Rudolf Burckhardt had built around 1780, students embark on a search for clues in the bourgeois living spaces of the late Ancien Régime. The event focuses on various topics, which are explored in groups from the perspective of the house's residents and employees. The results of the group work are presented in the form of a tour. In the examination of the house and its objects, a mosaic of the bourgeois world at the end of the 18th century emerges.
Of minstrels and noblewomen
Music history: Renaissance and Baroque
Basel was a melting pot during the Renaissance: the council, the founding of the university and the emergence of paper mills and printing presses attracted numerous intellectuals to the city on the Rhine and made it a humanist stronghold. Basel also had a lot to offer in the way of music, as evidenced by the large number of instruments and sheet music that have survived from that time. But Basel was also musically active in the Baroque period. For example, the ‘Collegium musicum’ was founded in 1692; in addition, well-known instrument makers lived here.
Enlightened minds and hopeless romantics
Music history: Classicism and Romanticism
The term ‘Viennese Classicism’ is often used in musical circles. However, other metropolises were also home to some musical activity at the time. Basel also had ‘something to listen to’ during the Classical period: the Collegium musicum played public concerts, instrument makers invented new instruments, and Lukas Sarasin put together his extensive collection of music. But what is the difference between the classical period and the romantic period that followed? Does the latter have anything to do with kitsch and Hollywood love stories?
Music from the first half of the 20th century
Frank Martin's ‘Totentanz’ and Béla Bartók's ‘Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta’
The works of Frank Martin and Béla Bartók are two compositions from the first half of the 20th century that are closely linked to Basel: Frank Martin created his setting of the Basel Totentanz in 1943 for a large-scale staged performance on Basel's Münsterplatz. Fragments of this work are now exhibited in the Barfüsserkirche. Béla Bartók's ‘Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta’ was commissioned by Paul Sacher and premiered by the Basel Chamber Orchestra under Sacher's direction at the Stadtcasino. The students learn about the social and historical context of both works, discover interesting details about Basel's musical life at the time and develop an understanding of the collection and archival work of museums and archives.
Parties of schoolchildren are welcome to visit even without a guided tour. To ensure everything goes smoothly, we would be grateful if you would bear in mind that
To ensure that your visit as a school class is a pleasant and positive experience, we ask you to observe the following rules:
You must book your visit at least two weeks in advance.
We look forward to receiving your inquiries by +41 61 205 86 70 or by form:
After a brief introduction to the exhibition, the educational programme will be presented, including its teaching and learning objectives, the skills addressed, the approach using examples, and the interactive modules. If you would like to book your own information event with your team/institution, this is of course possible. The training courses take place in the Barfüsserkirche.
If you are interested, please contact us on +41 61 205 86 70 or vermittlung.hmb(at)bs.ch.
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Do you have any questions for us? Would you like to give us feedback on a school programme? We will be happy to take your questions or feedback on +41 61 205 86 70 or vermittlung.hmb(at)bs.ch.
Management & administration
PO box | Steinenberg 4
CH-4001 Basel
Office opening hours
8:30 – 12 AM | 13:30 – 17 PM
Reception: +41 61 205 86 00
historisches.museum(at)bs.ch
