Four new benches for a lively Rheingasse
The Rheingasse in Kleinbasel now has four new benches that invite people to sit down and relax. At the same time, they are also information stands that draw attention to the night-time peace with a charming poster. «Please help to keep the Rheingasse a lively and pleasant starting point and respect neighbours and hotel guests who live and sleep here.»
The idea of an awareness campaign for the guests was expressed at a discussion event last autumn. Its aim is to ask pub guests for more consideration in order to preserve the popular Rheingasse with its existing mix of living and leisure. The company «RaumGewürz» has created the four raised flower beds, which also serve as a seating opportunity and each have an information board. For almost two years, there has been a friendly dialogue between the residents and the restaurant proprietors in Rheingasse. With the help of the Kleinbasel district secretariat, an agreement was reached that allows the restaurants to stay open outside for an hour longer. In return, the restaurants are keen on actively help draw the attention of the numerous guests of Rheingasse to the fact that neighbours and hotel guests live and sleep here.
This dialogue process in Rheingasse is supported by the Christoph Merian Foundation and Pro Innerstadt Basel.
First Lindt Chocolate Shop opens in Basel this August
The citizens of Basel can look forward to a new store on Freie Strasse.
On Thursday, 2ndAugust, the first Lindt Chocolate Shop will open in Basel. Chocolate in all shapes and sizes will be sold between the Koch Optik store, which will close at the end of July, and the oil and vinegar shop on the façade of Spalenberg in Basel's number one shopping street in September. It is the tenth shop in Switzerland where all Lindt products as well as some exclusive products, which can only be found in the Lindt shop and not in the retail trade, are going to be sold. What delicacies this will include remains a surprise, the company announced.
Two new play areas in Kannenfeldpark offer more games for children
Basel’s City Gardeners have expanded the range of games in Kannenfeldpark. In addition to the existing three play areas, there is now a sand-mud island and a climbing island. The play park is thereby complete.
Kannenfeldpark has become a playground paradise for all children in the neighbourhood. Along the playing axis, five areas are now set off from the path in the green. They address different age groups and are dedicated to various activities. The last two areas were now built according to the original plans of «Fontana Landschaftsarchitektur». They were officially opened yesterday. Climbing, swinging, sliding, sand and mud playing as well as splashing – the game areas in Kannenfeldpark each have a theme. With the two new islands, the little ones in particular will have a lot of fun. On the Sand-Mud-Island, a lot of sand and water provide various opportunities for creative play. The climbing island offers different levels of complexity, so that even small climbers can find their way up to lofty heights. Like the three neighbouring areas, the two new play islands consist of circular artificial rock rings fastened in the ground, on which robinia wood play equipment specifically created for this location has been installed. In autumn, the City Gardeners will plant additional trees that will provide shade in the future.
The thereby completed playground concept of Kannenfeldpark is based on a design plan for the entire park which was launched in 2005 – five islands were already planned from the beginning. The City Gardeners have deliberately waited for the construction of the two islands that have now been completed. When the first three areas were built in 2010, the existing climbing forest and sandboxes were still in good condition. Now, after 16 years of intensive use, they had to be replaced. With an area covering 8.5 hectares, Kannenfeldpark is not only the largest park in this district of Basel, alongside St. Johann-Park and Voltamatte – it is also an important part of Basel's open space system. The park offers a large area for a wide range of leisure activities. Playground equipment for children and toddlers is an attractive part of the park. The basic idea of the linear arrangement of the play areas along the transversal axis of the park dates back to the 1950s, when Kannenfeldpark was transformed from a cemetery into a public green area.
The overall costs for the two additional play islands, including the new trees planned for autumn, amount to 900,000 Swiss francs and are based entirely on the canton’s value-added tax fund.