Basel, Switzerland - Fischmarkt / Fish Market Fountain

The walk continued along Blumenrain, then right on Marktgasse.

 This is the Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois (Grand Hotel The Three Kings). This is a five star hotel with plush rooms, acclaimed dining and a cigar lounge.

 This section is the Fischmarkt (Fish Market).  Long story short, the live fish would be brought to the market and kept alive in a well until they were sold.  Dead fish were also sold here, but regulations soon limited the time to three hours. Then they were removed (the dead ones).  From my research, it appears that the well was built in the late 1300s and fed from a stream.  Different people were responsible for building the fountain, renovating it, and adding the center column.  The original Gothic column was taken to the museum and replaced with a copy. The last restoration took place in 2004 and it is now the most beautiful gothic fountain in Switzerland.  It is the landmark of the fish market.  It is very detailed and worth taking a moment to look at it closely.

 A building on the Fish Market that (from what I can tell) used to be the Fish Guild.

 Snacks in the windows along the way.

 Ahh, good.  This is what I was looking for. The tall red spire of the Rathaus!

 There is a Christmas Market here and also a large department store.

The next post will give more detail of the Marktplatz in front of these buildings.