Riehen

Riehen is a municipality in the canton of Basel-Stadt in Switzerland. Along with the city of Basel and Bettingen, it is one of three municipalities in the canton.

Riehen is known for hosting the Fondation Beyeler, a privately owned art gallery. It also has a toy museum and several beautiful parks.

In 1958, Riehen made history by becoming the first municipality in Switzerland to elect a woman, Trudy Späth-Schweizer, to political office. The famous mathematician Leonhard Euler and the well-known tennis player Roger Federer both lived in Riehen during their childhood years.

History

Riehen was first mentioned in the year 1157. At that time, it was called Rieheim.

Neighbourhood

Riehen is a small area. It shares its borders with two different places in Switzerland and Germany.

Geography

Riehen covers an area of 10.86 square kilometers. A quarter of the land is used for farming, and another quarter is covered with forests. Most of the rest is used for buildings and roads. There are also small areas of water, like lakes and rivers.

The municipality sits on the right side of the Rhine river, near the border with Germany. A small stretch of land extends out from the northeast, passing through the Herrenwald forest.

Coat of arms

The design of Riehen's official symbol, called a coat of arms, is simple. It has a blue background with six white bricks. The bricks are arranged in rows: one on top, then two, and three at the bottom.

Demographics

Riehen is a place in Switzerland with 21,788 people as of July 2021. Most people there speak German, and some speak French, Italian, and Romansh.

Most people in Riehen were born in Riehen, nearby areas of Switzerland, or other parts of Switzerland. Some people were born in other countries. The area has many homes and apartments, and many families live there.

Heritage sites of national significance

The Beyeler Foundation, the Cemetery am Hörnli with crematorium, the New and Old Wenkenhof with Park, the Reformed Village Church of St Martin with Meierhof and ring wall, the Wettsteinhäuser (Toy Museum and Village Museum), the Colnaghi House, Huber House and Schaeffer-von Déchend House are special places in Switzerland. The whole town of Riehen is on the list of important Swiss heritage places.

Politics

In the 2007 federal election, the most popular party in Riehen was the SP. The next popular parties were the SVP, the LPS Party, and the FDP. Many people voted, and most eligible voters took part in the election.

Economy

Riehen had a low unemployment rate in 2010. People in Riehen worked in many different jobs. Some worked in farming, forestry, manufacturing, construction, education, or healthcare.

Many workers from Riehen traveled to other places for their jobs. Some people from outside also came to Riehen to work. They used public transportation or private cars to get to work.

Religion

In the year 2000, many people in Riehen followed different religions. About 23% were Roman Catholic, and about 37% were part of the Swiss Reformed Church. Some belonged to other Christian groups. There were small numbers of people who were Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, or Hindu. About 28% did not follow any specific religion.

Climate

Riehen gets rain or snow 123 days a year. It gets about 763 mm (30 inches) of precipitation. June is the wettest month, with about 88 mm (3.5 inches) over 11.6 days. May has the most rainy days, about 12.7, but only 86 mm (3.4 inches) of precipitation. March is the driest month, with about 49 mm (1.9 inches) over 10.7 days.

Education

In Riehen, many people finish school after high school. Some go to college or a special university called a Fachhochschule. Most students are from Switzerland, but some are from other countries.

Students from other places come to Riehen to go to school, and some people from Riehen go to school in other places. Riehen has a library called the Gemeindebibliothek Riehen. It has many books and other things to read and is open many days a year.

Transport

Riehen has two railway stations, Riehen and Riehen Niederholz. Trains go there regularly from Basel. The Basel tram network also runs through Riehen, all the way to the border with Germany.

Notable people

Riehen has been home to many interesting people.

• Leonhard Euler (1707–1783), a famous mathematician, grew up here.
• Pauline Fatme (c1831–1855), a missionary who worked in East Africa, is buried in Riehen.
• Leopold Courvoisier (1873–1955) was an astronomer and worked at the Babelsberg observatory.
• Trudy Späth-Schweizer (1908–1990) became the first woman to hold a political office in Switzerland in 1958.
• Albert Scherrer (1908–1986) was a well-known racing driver.
• Ernst Ehrlich (1921–2007) was a religious thinker who lived in Switzerland.
• Josef Hügi (1930–1995) played football for clubs and had 34 appearances for Switzerland.
• Marcel Kunz (1943–2017) was a professional football goalkeeper.
• Rolf M. Zinkernagel (born 1944), a professor at the University of Zurich, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1996.
• Bettina Skrzypczak (born 1962), a composer, won a cultural prize from Riehen in 2004.
• Gianna Hablützel-Bürki (born 1969) is a fencer.
• Roger Federer (born 1981), the famous tennis player, lived in Riehen until he was 10.
• Beat Jans (born 1964) has been a member of the federal council since 2023 and grew up in Riehen.