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Article: Basel area: life at its best: situated on the Rhine River and the borders of France and Germany, the tri-national Basel area has a long-standing tradition of cultural diversity, technological innovation, and an appreciation of all things artistic.(CANTON PROFILE)
- Article from:
- Swiss News
- Article date:
- March 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Swiss News. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Basel has become the economic centre for northwestern Switzerland, specialising in research and development, technology, and manufacturing. That's why the growth rate of the economy in the Basel area has ranked number one in Switzerland for the last ten years.
The prosperity of Basel is steeped in a remarkable history, from its founding in prehistoric times by the Celts, to the subsequent Roman settlement at Augusta Raurica in 44 BC. The town still exists today and, being only 20 km east of Basel, makes a good day trip for a dose of history.
At the dawn of the Renaissance, Pope Pius II founded the University of Basel--Switzerland's oldest university--in ...