The University of Basel The University of Basel is the oldest university in Switzerland and one of the 20 oldest universities of the world. It was founded on 4 April 1460, with a foundation ceremony held at the Basel Münster. During the 16th century, the Faculty of Medicine was renowned throughout Europe and could easily compete with the best faculties in Italy, France, the Netherlands and England. Early influential medical teachers include Paracelsus, Andreas Vesal, Felix Platter, Caspar Bauhin, Theodor Zwinger and Johann Niklaus Stupanus. Other illustrious figures that have been lecturers at the University of Basel include Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Barth, Daniel and Jakob Bernoulli, Jacob Burckhardt, Karl Jaspers, August Socin, among others. The variety of people involved in academia turned Basel into an early centre of printing and humanism. The University library was founded shortly after 1460. Today, with more than 3 million books and manuscripts, it is one of the biggest libraries in Switzerland. The University is supported by the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft. The University has been self-administered since 1996, with the “Universitätsrat” as the highest decision-making and supervisory body. Members of this body are elected by the two cantons of Basel. Dr. Beat Oberlin chairs the Universitätsrat. The current rector is Professor Andrea Schenker-Wicki (since 1 August 2015). The University counts approximately 12,000 students and 320 professors. The University of Basel has produced five Nobel Prize winners in Physiology or Medicine: Paul H. Müller (1948) for work on DDT; Tadeus Reichstein (1950) for work on hormones; Werner Arber (1978) for work on restriction enzymes; and Niels K. Jerne and Georges J.F. Köhler (1984) for work on the basic immunological theories and mono-clonal antibodies. Students at the University of Basel can take advantage of a variety of activities on offer, including sports, language courses, music, etc. An online marketplace is available at www.markt.unibas.ch, where students can buy and sell all kinds of goods for reasonable prices.
26 – General information