Basel

Markuskirche

Building data

Reuse

Year of reuse | 2014/2025
Ownership | Unchanged
Building interventions | Demolition | New construction
Form of use | Third-party use
Type of use | Residential
Brief information | Demolition has been planned since 2014; in 2020, the bells and the rooster were moved from the tower to the new church in Bettingen; since July 2022, the premises have been used by the Ukrainian Association.
Further information | see below

Status of information

Entry created | 2015/08
Entry last updated | 2024/02

⠀

Further information

Built in 1932 in the Hirzbrunnen district of Basel, the St Mark’s Church is a simple Bauhaus-style building with clean lines. In the 1950s, the church was fitted with a new bell tower adorned with a cockerel designed by Celestino Piatti. A separate vicarage was built next to the church. In the 1980s, the vestibule was extended and access to the converted basement was created. These extensions caused the building to lose its original sense of light and space. The Evangelical Reformed Church of Basel-Stadt has decided to demolish the church in 2016 and to build two residential blocks comprising twenty rental flats on the site. An annual return of 300,000 francs is expected. The Evangelical Reformed Church of Basel-Stadt submitted a general application for planning permission, against which an appeal has been lodged. To replace the demolished St Mark’s Church, plans had been made, in collaboration with the Roman Catholic parish, to build an ecumenical parish centre. However, as St Michael’s Church cannot be demolished, other solutions must be sought. One option is to incorporate a parish centre into the planned residential buildings, but no decision has yet been taken on this matter. Another option is to work with the Catholics to find a solution for the joint use of St Michael’s Church.

In early December 2020, the bells and the cockerel from the belfry were first removed. Following their restoration in Aarau, three bells were installed on 1 June 2021 in the new church in Bettingen, along with the cockerel from the belfry. The fourth bell, the smallest one, is to remain in the Hirzbrunnen neighbourhood. Whilst the Allmendhaus (St Michael’s) was being converted into winter 2021/22 to convert it into the Hirzbrunnen Ecumenical Meeting Centre, St Mark’s Church temporarily served as an alternative venue.

After several years of inactivity, the development project for the St Mark’s Church site has been relaunched, considering the modifications required by the planning committee and church authorities with a view to maximum sustainability. Responsibility for the project has been entrusted to the architectural firm Burckhardt und Partner. The two new buildings planned will now be constructed not from concrete but from timber with a gabled roof and will provide space for 24 flats. The number of parking spaces in the underground car park has also been reduced. Since July 2022, the community centre has been used as a new by the UKR association (Ukrainian Club of Riehen). From mid-December 2022 to 13 January 2023, the application for planning permission for the development of the site was made available to the public for consultation. Construction costs amount to a total of 10.75 million francs, according to documents from the Department of Public Works and Transport. Studies have revealed that several building elements containing asbestos still need to be removed.

Swiss Religious Heritage Day