Metadata: Collections – Municipal Documents
Collection
- Country:
- Switzerland
- Holding institution:
- State Archive of Basel City
- Holding institution (official language):
- Staatsarchiv Basel Stadt
- Postal address:
- Martinsgasse 2, CH-4051 Basel
- Phone number:
- +41 61 267 86 01
- Web address:
- https://www.staatsarchiv.bs.ch/
- Email:
- stabs@bs.ch
- Reference number:
- St. Urk.; Kürschnerz. Urk.; grWB; Steuerakten B; Hatstat UB; Urkundenbuch; Missiven
- Title:
- Collections – Municipal Documents
- Title (official language):
- Sammlungen – Städtische Urkunden
- Date(s):
- 1223/1736
- Language:
- German
- Extent:
- 17,034 documents
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The municipal records collection dates from the 13th to the 18th century. This collection was again divided into various sub-divisions. This collection contains a large number of documents that are relevant for Jewish history:
There is a document dating from 1223, which states that the church handed over the treasure of Basel Cathedral to the Jews of Basel. A document from 1365 proves that Emperor Charles IV had placed the Basel Jews under the protection of the Mayor and Council of Basel. In 1374, Emperor Charles IV ordered, as can be seen from another document, that the Jews of Basel settled a debt for him with Duke Leopold of Austria. Some other documents deal with the negotiations between the city and Leopold of Austria. These negotiations must be seen against the background that the Habsburgs were trying to bring Basel under their influence during this period.
However, the documents included in this collection also document rather trivial things, such as the settlement of outstanding debts of Basel Christians to the Jewish money lender Vivelin. A year later, as can be seen from a document dating from 1382, Vivelin, his family and servants were also granted protection by the city of Basel. Another document proves a similar legal dispute between two Christians and the Jew Sauwele von Sennheim of Mulhouse. Another document shows that in 1385 the three Margraves Otto, Johann and Hasso of Baden-Hachberg held some Basel Jews prisoner and had them released from Basel.
A document from 1386 reports a legal dispute between the Jews Symon and Isack and the Basel bailiff regarding the estate of the deceased Moyses of Colmar. There are several other documents in this collection concerning the dispute over the inheritance of Moyses of Colmar. Moyses of Colmar seems to have been a particularly wealthy man. Even the city of Basel apparently had debts with him.
There are also a few documents in this sub-division concerning a dispute between King Wenceslaus and the citizens of Basel, and some documents documenting the purchase and sale of land by Jews to Christians and other Jews. For example, Salman Unkel bought a house for 60 florins in 1284, while Minne, the widow of Meiger Hündelis, sold her house in 1324 in equal parts to Salman Unkel and his son Moyses of Cologne. Salman Unkel, Moyses of Cologne and a third Jew named Judeli von Henowe were extremely active buying houses in this period.
There are also other documents in this collection that describe the coexistence between Jews and Christians. For example, the city of Basel allowed Jews to build a churchyard (probably a synagogue) in 1394. From the 15th century there are mainly documents concerning converts. For example, Nikolaus von Batzen taught the Basel town clerk Hebrew letters in 1449. Another document states that in 1398 a Jewish surgeon by the name of Gutleben entered the services of the City of Basel for ten years.
There are also several documents from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries that document legal disputes between Christians and Jews. For example, in 1720 the mayor and council testified that the merchant Hans Franz Sarasin had not paid a bill of exchange amounting to 525 florin to the Jew Marz Schwalm of Frankfurt. In 1724 the mayor and council testified that they had taken the necessary steps to satisfy the citizens who had been robbed by Nathan and Lazarus Braunschweig. Further documents on similar legal disputes can be found in this collection.
[St. Urk. 6; St. Urk. 348; St. Urk. 432; St. Urk. 436; St. Urk. 437; St. Urk. 538; St. Urk. 560; St. Urk. 570; St. Urk. 603; St. Urk. 604; St. Urk. no. 632; St. Urk. no. 633; St. Urk. 648; St. Urk. no. 663; St. Urk. 674; St. Urk. 678; St. Urk. 739; St. Urk. 750; St. Urk. 989; Kürschnerz. Urk. 2; Kürschnerz. Urk. 3; Kürschnerz. Urk. 4; Kürschnerz. Urk. 7; grWB. fol. 24 b; grWB. fol. 26. b; grWB. fol. 84; grWB. fol. 92; Steuerakten B 1; Hatstat UB. 416; Urkundenbuch III, 11_1; Urkundenbuch III, 82_1; Urkundenbuch IV; Urkundenbuch VII. fol. 72; Urkundenbuch XI. fol. 122; Urkundenbuch XI. fol. 140; Urkundenbuch XV. fol. 310; Urkundenbuch XV. fol. 338; Urkundenbuch XVI. fol. 105; Urkundenbuch XVI. fol. 430; Missiven A 31. p. 1272 f; Missiven 1, pag. 110; Missiven 9, pag. 121]
- Archival history:
- The collections of this fonds came into the possession of the State Archive at different times.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The oldest document in the State Archive, a monastery charter, dates back to 1098. The city archive was destroyed in the Basel earthquake of 1356. Since then, administrative activities have been closely preserved in most areas. The online archive catalogue offers numerous research options. Selected photographic and film documents as well as some 420,000 pages of written documents can be viewed online via the archive catalogue.
- Access points: locations:
- Basel
- Subject terms:
- Financial matters
- Financial matters--Moneylending
- Legal matters
- Real estate
- Finding aids:
- An online finding aid is available, although the information is often rudimentary.
- Links to finding aids:
- https://query.staatsarchiv.bs.ch/query/suchinfo.aspx
- Yerusha Network member:
- Jewish Museum Hohenems
- Author of the description:
- Severin Holzknecht; Jewish Museum of Hohenems; 2020
