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Basel Office Space Guide

Basel

[Updated Oct 2020] A guide to flexible serviced offices and office space to rent in Basel as well as general information that may be useful if you are considering renting offices or workspace in the city.

For further Basel offices information or to search office space to rent in Basel just click. Or contact us for any office space search query.

History & Geography

As Switzerland’s third most populous city, Basel is an important regional industrial centre and an influential cultural hub. The city is located on the French, Swiss, and German borders in the north of Switzerland on the river Rhine. Some of Basel’s suburbs are actually in France and Germany. This unique city’s history began during the Roman Empire when legionnaires built a fort in 374 CE overlooking the Rhine in what is now present-day Basel. Soon a sizable town grew up around the fort and Basel was formed. However, the town was ransacked by the Magyars in 917 and most of its buildings destroyed. After this incident, Basel was rebuilt and by 1019 had embarked on the ambitious building of a sizable cathedral. Basel’s importance was then enhanced in 1226 when a bridge was constructed over the Rhine. During the 14th and 15th centuries, Basel was one of the most important cities in Western Europe, hosting the Council of Basel during the 15th century and becoming home to the Schwabe publishing house founded in 1488. It was during this time that Basel began its long role as a neutral meeting place during conflicts when in 1499 the Treaty of Basel formally ended the Swabian War. In 1521 Basel gave its allegiance to the Swiss Confederation and became its 11th canton. Basel became a Protestant city in 1529 under the religious reformer Oecolampadius. During the French Revolutionary Wars Basel was once again the site of a treaty when it hosted the Peace of Basel in 1795. Because Switzerland stayed neutral during both world wars, Basel avoided the destruction wreaked upon many other major European cities during these conflicts. Today Basel is one of the most important cities in Switzerland and the surrounding region, with a thriving economy, beautiful architecture, and a long and rich history.

Economy

Basel has one of the strongest economies of any city in Europe. The city’s unemployment rate is generally below 5 percent and is currently 4.5 percent. One of the bulwarks of the city’s economy is the chemical industry. Switzerland’s sizable chemical industry is based out of Basel, as is its pharmaceutical industry. Among the companies with a presence in Basel are Ciba Specialty Chemicals, Hoffman-La-Roche, Novartis, Clariant, and Actelion. Another important industry for Basel is banking and financial services. The Bank for International Settlements is located in Basel, as are the central offices of UBS AG. The city has also become a favoured destination for international trade shows. The largest of these is the yearly Federal Swiss Trade Fair, dubbed the Mustermesse. Other sizable fairs include the BaselWorld, selling watches and jewellery, Art Basel, and Orbit and Cultura. Approximately 120,130 people in Basel are employed in the tertiary sector, which includes retail, motor vehicle repair, hospitality, education, and healthcare. Basel also has a large education sector and is home to the University of Basel, Switzerland’s oldest university. There are also several international schools in the city, including the Swiss International School, Gymnasium am Munsterplatz, and the Freies Gymnasium Basel.

Tourism & Culture

Basel does not rely heavily on its tourism industry and the city is not among Europe’s primary tourist attractions. However Basel does see a number of visitors every year, some of whom visit for business, others for sightseeing and tourism. The city has a strong cultural identity and a wide array of landmarks and events that make it worthwhile to visit. The most important cultural event of the year is the city’s carnival, Basler Fasnacht. The carnival starts at four in the morning on a Monday in deepest winter, and despite this, attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from across Switzerland and Europe. Life in the city comes to a halt for the 72 hours of the carnival which involves parades by drum clubs as well as other festivities. Basel is also renowned for several culinary dishes which are unique to the city. Among these are Basler Lackerli, a spicy biscuit, and Massmogge, which are candies made from hazelnut praline. Basel also has a number of excellent museums, the most famous of which are the Augusta Raurica, Basel Paper Mill, and the Historical Museum Basel. There is also a thriving music scene in Basel and the city is home to some of the finest orchestras and choirs in Europe.

Transportation

Basel’s airport, the EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, is operated by both France and Switzerland. However, the airport itself is based entirely on French soil. The city is well served by railways and is a rail hub. It is served by the Basel Badischer Bahnhof as well as the Basel Regional S-Bahn. The high-speed train, the TGV, can reach Paris in three hours from Basel. The city itself has an excellent public transportation system consisting of a bus network as well as a commuter rail.

Basel office rental

Office space rental in Basel

Basel generally enjoys a very healthy office market due to its importance internationally. The presence of so many international organisations means that the vacancy rate for Grade A office space in the city is consistently low – currently, Basel’s vacancy rate is 1.9 percent. Prime rent in Basel is currently running at CHF 400 per square metre per annum.

In line with the rest of Europe, there is a growing choice of flexible office space options – for further information on co-working space and managed offices in Basel, click the links.

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