Switzerland tells

In historic rooms, the museum presents a colorful overview of the Basel carnival, famous all over the world – suits, lanterns, larvae and musical instruments to historical documents and the reconstruction of a “carnival bistro”. A multimedia station also gives a lively overview of carnival activity.

The Basel Carnival is a major event as traditional as it is steeped in history. Year after year, it attracts tens of thousands of Basel residents as well as visitors from all over the world.

The permanent exhibition “Basel Carnival” immediately leads visitors into an apartment where the inimitable carnival atmosphere reigns. Melodiously accompanied by the sound of the piccolo and the drum, we walk in the corridor and the different rooms. These are richly filled with utensils, mostly historical, which give the Basel carnival its distinctive face.

A light resistor

The lanterns are the centerpieces of each clique and at the same time “resistance pieces” bright. Room-high lantern displays in the corridor convey an impressive testimony to this resistance and the sometimes harsh criticism of politics and society. They also show that the Basel Carnival is not just a gigantic festival of sounds and tones, but also a celebration of colors and fantasies.

The art of larvae

A large part of the population, but also many artists, actively engage during “three most beautiful days” of the year, as they say in Basel. This is clearly seen in the lanterns and of course in the larvae, as we call the masks in Basel.

Three rooms are dedicated to the art of larvae. One of them houses a larvae workshop. A second presents original models. And in a third, one can see the finished works of art that were worn.

Cultural heritage

The “Carnival pub” reconstituted testifies to the atmosphere that still reigns today at the Basel carnival. Un “Schnitzel bench” also occurs there. In song and in verse, he makes fun of the events of the past year.

UNESCO considered that the Schnitzelbänke promoted tolerance and cohesion within society through their social criticism. The Basel carnival could be compared to a huge satirical magazine. This is why UNESCO has listed 2017 Basel Carnival on the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

A cooperation between the Museum der Kulturen Basel and the Basler Fasnachts-Welt association