Basel Historical Museum - Haus zum Kirschgarten
Basel Historical Museum - Haus zum Kirschgarten
Basel Historical Museum - Haus zum Kirschgarten
4.5
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Haus zum Kirschgarten was built for the silk ribbon manufacturer and army colonel Johann Rudolf Burckhardt between 1775 and 1780. The architect Johann Ulrich Buchel designed a mansion worthy of his client's wealth and status which is also a tour de force of early Neoclassical style, influenced in part by Masonic concepts. The mansion has been a museum of domestic culture since 1951. Most of the interior is devoted to eighteenth- and nineteenth-century period rooms formerly inhabited by Basel’s affluent bourgeoisie. But the museum also houses several special collections and hosts mini-exhibitions, such as that on Sheikh Ibrahim.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Address
Neighbourhood: Vorstädte
How to get there
- Basel SBB Station • 8 min walk
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4.5
59 reviews
Excellent
37
Very good
18
Average
3
Poor
0
Terrible
1
Jean-Carl D
32 contributions
Mar 2021
This patrician townhouse was the seat of the Burkhardt family and was built in the 18th century in early neo-classical style. The furniture and decorations date from the 18th and 19th centuries and give a good impression of how a patrician family lived at the time. There is also an interesting collection of watches and clocks manufactured in Basel.
Written 4 March 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
permia
Ireland66,076 contributions
Sept 2022
A fine palatial abode gives an absorbing glimpse onto the lives of a wealthy cohort of the late 18th century. In this case, for the textile magnate Johann Rudolf Burckhardt.
Over a few floors luxurious rooms have fine furnishings. Ornate items abound, including furniture, four poster bed and timepieces.
With the only source of heating such a large house being open fires and stoves, beautiful examples of the latter are spread throughout.
Staff were very attentive and gave some fascinating insights. One such was that despite having an expansive extensive abode, in the cold months residents often lived and slept in the smallest rooms.
A special exhibition of clocks and watches was great to see. Exquisite pieces of the great Swiss craft were delightfully on show.
Over a few floors luxurious rooms have fine furnishings. Ornate items abound, including furniture, four poster bed and timepieces.
With the only source of heating such a large house being open fires and stoves, beautiful examples of the latter are spread throughout.
Staff were very attentive and gave some fascinating insights. One such was that despite having an expansive extensive abode, in the cold months residents often lived and slept in the smallest rooms.
A special exhibition of clocks and watches was great to see. Exquisite pieces of the great Swiss craft were delightfully on show.
Written 1 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
machineryofnight88
Fitzroy, Australia17 contributions
Jul 2017 • Solo
I was in Basel for a fortnight participating in the Tattoo. Admittedly, I'd left the Domestic Culture museum at the bottom of my list as it didn't sound that appealing; a museum of similar title in my home country would likely speak of TV dinners, bill shock, yoyo dieting & the politics of irrigating your gardens during water restrictions!
I was so fortunate to have made it here on my second last day in town. I was greeted by the same lovely lady volunteer from the Museum of History, and only then made the connection that the Museum of Domestic Culture was part of the Historisches Museum Basel (HMB) collection.
The breathtaking Wunderkammer collection on display in the basement of the Museum of History is marvellously contextualised in each opulent room at the Haus zum Kirschgarten, an ambitiously palatial townhouse commissioned in the late 18th century by a young (25!) silk ribbon manufacturer Johann Rudolf Burckhardt, which now accommodates the Domestic Culture museum.
At her behest, I began my tour from the attic space which has been converted into a stunning antique treasure trove of children's toys. There you will find period dolls house furniture finished in the same exquisite marquetry detailing as the original pieces they were styled from!
The vestibule on the next floor down features some grand family portraiture (innocent of the demise that awaited the family only a decade or so later), and a handsome organ which could be mistaken for a grand cabinet. You can then make your way through several state rooms and drawing rooms: some are in their original state, and others have been retrofitted with rooms from other grand residences. I took panoramic pictures of each room & will upload them to this review at a later date.
Within these rooms I recognised the exquisite carved limewood panels, the intricate silverware, and the enamel miniatures from the Wunderkammer collection.
The garden at the rear of the building is a perfectly cool oasis during a warm Basel summer day, and features a handsome conservatory that I learnt had been reconstructed in the 1970s. I sat out there for some time, reading through the catalogue of furniture housed in the museum that the guide had kindly loaned me. The catalogue itself told an intimate story of life in the period, especially when one fell foul of the law and found himself cast out beyond the city limits which were demarcated with boundary stones engraved with crosses, one of which you will find in the gardens!
To the right side of the house, several rooms have been dedicated to an horologists heaven: a sublime collection of antiquarian timepieces that speaks of tremendous power, wealth and privilege, narcissism, christianity, and mortality: you will find pieces decorated in the heraldry of powerful dynasties, pieces constructed in gold and decorated in precious gems, fair ladies immortalised in enamelled portraits on watch casings, pocket watches shaped as crucifixes, and the ubiquitous skull and cross bone - memento mori.
Few museums have been able to transport me back into time quite as vividly!
I was so fortunate to have made it here on my second last day in town. I was greeted by the same lovely lady volunteer from the Museum of History, and only then made the connection that the Museum of Domestic Culture was part of the Historisches Museum Basel (HMB) collection.
The breathtaking Wunderkammer collection on display in the basement of the Museum of History is marvellously contextualised in each opulent room at the Haus zum Kirschgarten, an ambitiously palatial townhouse commissioned in the late 18th century by a young (25!) silk ribbon manufacturer Johann Rudolf Burckhardt, which now accommodates the Domestic Culture museum.
At her behest, I began my tour from the attic space which has been converted into a stunning antique treasure trove of children's toys. There you will find period dolls house furniture finished in the same exquisite marquetry detailing as the original pieces they were styled from!
The vestibule on the next floor down features some grand family portraiture (innocent of the demise that awaited the family only a decade or so later), and a handsome organ which could be mistaken for a grand cabinet. You can then make your way through several state rooms and drawing rooms: some are in their original state, and others have been retrofitted with rooms from other grand residences. I took panoramic pictures of each room & will upload them to this review at a later date.
Within these rooms I recognised the exquisite carved limewood panels, the intricate silverware, and the enamel miniatures from the Wunderkammer collection.
The garden at the rear of the building is a perfectly cool oasis during a warm Basel summer day, and features a handsome conservatory that I learnt had been reconstructed in the 1970s. I sat out there for some time, reading through the catalogue of furniture housed in the museum that the guide had kindly loaned me. The catalogue itself told an intimate story of life in the period, especially when one fell foul of the law and found himself cast out beyond the city limits which were demarcated with boundary stones engraved with crosses, one of which you will find in the gardens!
To the right side of the house, several rooms have been dedicated to an horologists heaven: a sublime collection of antiquarian timepieces that speaks of tremendous power, wealth and privilege, narcissism, christianity, and mortality: you will find pieces decorated in the heraldry of powerful dynasties, pieces constructed in gold and decorated in precious gems, fair ladies immortalised in enamelled portraits on watch casings, pocket watches shaped as crucifixes, and the ubiquitous skull and cross bone - memento mori.
Few museums have been able to transport me back into time quite as vividly!
Written 3 August 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
gscaw
Bangkok, Thailand33 contributions
Dec 2018
The Haus zum Kirschgarden was high on our list of museums to visit so that is where we headed on Boxing Day, alas due to the discriminatory practices adopted by this museum we could only just get through the front door. My step-father has a guide dog who is simply wonderful and impeccably behaved but the moment we walked through the door the staff took issue with her.
Cultural diversity training appears to have been missed and despite explanation that EU Law prevents those with guide dogs being discriminated words fell on deaf ears.
I asked to speak with the manager and was told that was not possible. It was also said that the staff are all too poorly paid to have any perspective of if it was correct to discriminate.
We were very surprised that such behaviour could be tolerated in Switzerland and I visited the tourist office to raise the issue, they too did not understand.
Cultural diversity training appears to have been missed and despite explanation that EU Law prevents those with guide dogs being discriminated words fell on deaf ears.
I asked to speak with the manager and was told that was not possible. It was also said that the staff are all too poorly paid to have any perspective of if it was correct to discriminate.
We were very surprised that such behaviour could be tolerated in Switzerland and I visited the tourist office to raise the issue, they too did not understand.
Written 30 December 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi gscaw
We are pleased that the Haus zum Kirschgarten was high on your list of museums to visit. Unfortunately your visit on Boxing Day did not meet your expectations on a visit in a museum in Switzerland and especially in Basel. Even if Switzerland is not part of the EU and not under the EU Law we allow guide dogs and other aided animals in our museums.
As you can imagine during the winter holiday season only the hospitality staff is on site. Meaning there was no manager for you to contact on your Boxing Day.
The information regarding the guide dogs was mistakenly given. Our staff is trained and instructed to allow these animals in our museum. We will take this up on our next training session. Furthermore, the staff isn't poorly paid. All our employees are paid by the government of the Canton Basel-Stadt and salaries are fair.
We can only apologize for your and your step-father's discriminating stay in our Haus zum Kirschgarten. As member of the board of directors I will personaly stand up for this case and will assure you that it will never happen again.
N. Manuel Eichenberger
Managing Director
Written 3 January 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
NatalieR4
Bucharest, Romania83 contributions
Jan 2012 • Friends
This museum has the most beautiful collections I have ever seen...and I have seen tens of them..It has a clock and watch collection, toy collection, porcelain collection, furniture and iron forge from the 18th and 19th century.Amazing! You cannot miss this museum. It is only 7 CHF!!! Such a small price for such an experience...It is quite easy to reach it...from railway station, just walk straight, and cross the street. Then you should be able to find a sign with the direction in the park.It is like 10 min walking from railway station.
Written 30 March 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nhdrjon
Dublin, Ireland128 contributions
Dec 2011 • Couples
I am an avid watch entusiasts and my search for watch sites in Basel led me to this museum.
My wife has pretty well had it with my watch and clock interests so I needed place with other thigns too and this Museum delivers.
The watches are superb if 15th thru 19 century watcehs are your thing. Even if not many of these are exquisite examples of enamel work. Many are on rotating displayes allowing a great chance to really see some items.
For the seriously technical the collection inclludes an experimental piece made by Mudge at Huber's (HUber was from Basel) which is credibkly teh first constant force escapement. It is the subject of several articles in collector journals.
They have a lot of stackfreed watches. You have to be pretty seriously into this stuff but if you are, no further explanation is needed. Suffice it that these are rare and these examples are superb.
The collection includes some great porcelain and signage as well as a wonderful toy collection.
It also has several period rooms reconstructed to approxate the decor of the builders.
They allow photography even with flash and I took a lot of pictures.
We were there on a Sunday morning and had he place to ourselves with several docents who were very helpful. Thay all spoke excellent English.
The Museum store features collections of catalogs many of which are a steal, which in Basel is very rare.
I give it 5 stars for the variety and quality of the collections asnd the clarity of the displays.
My one quibble is that the Mudge-Huber time piece wile very accesssible dispalyed has almost no labeling in it.
My wife has pretty well had it with my watch and clock interests so I needed place with other thigns too and this Museum delivers.
The watches are superb if 15th thru 19 century watcehs are your thing. Even if not many of these are exquisite examples of enamel work. Many are on rotating displayes allowing a great chance to really see some items.
For the seriously technical the collection inclludes an experimental piece made by Mudge at Huber's (HUber was from Basel) which is credibkly teh first constant force escapement. It is the subject of several articles in collector journals.
They have a lot of stackfreed watches. You have to be pretty seriously into this stuff but if you are, no further explanation is needed. Suffice it that these are rare and these examples are superb.
The collection includes some great porcelain and signage as well as a wonderful toy collection.
It also has several period rooms reconstructed to approxate the decor of the builders.
They allow photography even with flash and I took a lot of pictures.
We were there on a Sunday morning and had he place to ourselves with several docents who were very helpful. Thay all spoke excellent English.
The Museum store features collections of catalogs many of which are a steal, which in Basel is very rare.
I give it 5 stars for the variety and quality of the collections asnd the clarity of the displays.
My one quibble is that the Mudge-Huber time piece wile very accesssible dispalyed has almost no labeling in it.
Written 5 January 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
odysseusChicago
Chicago146 contributions
Jun 2017 • Couples
This patrician house is furnished with exquisite furniture that displays Swiss cabinet making and beuatiful marquetry. It gives a good glimpse into the 17th and 18th century life in Basel.
Written 18 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bradyboy2
Boynton Beach, FL886 contributions
Aug 2016 • Couples
This is a wonderful small museum with lots of beautiful things to see
The people who work are very helpful.
There are some areas where English descriptions are available
The watch collection is especially good
The people who work are very helpful.
There are some areas where English descriptions are available
The watch collection is especially good
Written 21 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
N K
Rishon Lezion, Israel2,321 contributions
May 2016 • Solo
Museum of Domestic Culture of Basel hosts a variety of exhibitions: antique clocks, pottery, clothing, art, room decor, and even a toy collection in the attic. You can easily spend 2-3 hours enjoying rich history of Basel and its beautiful art in various representations - highly recommended!
Written 3 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David Mapletoft
Greater Sydney, Australia360 contributions
Aug 2015 • Family
This museum gives a great insight into the opulence of one of the worlds richest cities.
At the time of our visit the temporary exhibition was from "The mUseum of Broken Relationships' - not particularly interesting for young children. Having said that, if you are limited for time, the top floor is a small snapshot of the local toy museum with enough displays for young people to have something to see. Displays of miniature house interiors - 'dolls house' setting, toys soldiers, chess sets, rocking horses etc.
The interiors of the rooms are well presented, but like many things in this city that has so many English speaking residents, very limited information in english.
Ideally spend 3-4 hours in this place to get the full picture. But if you are a rush and want to simply walk the house 1-2 hours would be sufficient.
At the time of our visit the temporary exhibition was from "The mUseum of Broken Relationships' - not particularly interesting for young children. Having said that, if you are limited for time, the top floor is a small snapshot of the local toy museum with enough displays for young people to have something to see. Displays of miniature house interiors - 'dolls house' setting, toys soldiers, chess sets, rocking horses etc.
The interiors of the rooms are well presented, but like many things in this city that has so many English speaking residents, very limited information in english.
Ideally spend 3-4 hours in this place to get the full picture. But if you are a rush and want to simply walk the house 1-2 hours would be sufficient.
Written 16 August 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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