Discover Liestal
The city where modernity and tradition go hand in hand
A real art of living in the countryside a few kilometers from Basel
Liestal is the capital of the German-speaking half-canton of Basel-Land. The city is part of the Basel metropolitan area (17 km away), located in the semi-canton of Basel-City. City and countryside, two words which sum up the difference in appearance of these two cantons. On one side, Basel with its 177,000 inhabitants, on the other Liestal, 14,500 inhabitants, a small charming town in a rural canton surrounded by greenery and forests. Recently high-tech companies like Nanosurf AG have set up shop here. Liestal is an ancient fortified town and the medieval center is accessible through the beautiful Oberes Tor gate. The municipality has direct rail links to Basel, Zurich, Olten, Bern and Lucerne and is directly connected to the A2. Basel airport is approximately 40 minutes away. What to see: the medieval center and, 6 km south in the village of Augst, the ancient Roman town of Augusta Raurica, still being excavated, one of the major sites in Switzerland. Among the ancestral activities which, from the XVIth century marked the city and the canton, that of the ribbon industry (industry and trade of the ribbon), to be discovered in the local museum.
Real estate: living in Liestal
The forest covers more than half of the Liestal area. On the heights of Schleifenberg, a large recreational area and a beautiful panorama await walkers. The city gives pride of place to cycling and everything has been designed to make cyclists feel safe. Liestal is a quiet town but not a sleepy one. Shops have multiplied in the historic center and in other areas. With the weekly fresh produce market, there's no need to go to Basel to shop for everyday needs. Another sign of dynamism is the modernization of old neighborhoods and the development of ambitious real estate programs which allow the installation of a population who works here but does not live there. For lack of housing, around 16,000 people commute from the surrounding municipalities. Modernity does not exclude tradition and the city is attached to the custom of Chienbäse, the carnival of fire, which has existed since 1902. To make you drool over, know that here you will taste the Lummelbraten (roast beef from Basel), Cola Fröschli (cola-flavored candies), Bürgermeisterli (herbal brandy), Zimtstängel (cinnamon stick) and Bazelaibli (roll) to which is added Schauenburger, a cherry emblematic table of the Basel Country canton. Real estate prices are high compared to the Swiss average, although slightly less than those in Basel.
