Museum.BL

About the museum

Museum.BL was founded shortly after the cantonal separation of 1836 as the "Naturaliencabinett" (natural history cabinet) of the new canton of Basel-Landschaft. At first mainly natural history objects were collected; items of cultural history were added occasionally and have been gathered more systematically since the 1930s. Today, together with the Roman town of Augusta Raurica, the museum is the largest and most important museum of the canton.

It is located in the historic old town of Liestal, in the rooms of the former arsenal. Together with Archäologie Baselland it looks after more than two million originals from the fields of archaeology, natural history, everyday culture, textiles, art and photography. This also includes the Hanro Collection on the Liestal textile company, which is housed at a separate site on Benzburweg and is accessible for guided tours.

The permanent exhibitions are devoted to the nature of the region ("Wildes Baselbiet") and the industrial history of silk ribbon weaving. The museum sees itself as a lively thematic museum for families and links present and past, the local and the global; school classes will find a wide range of educational activities.

Highlights

• Changeable permanent exhibition "Wildes Baselbiet" with species cabinet and genetics workshop
• Permanent exhibition "Seidenband. Kapital, Kunst & Krise" (Silk Ribbon: Capital, Art & Crisis) on the Basel ribbon industry
• More than two million originals in the collections (together with Archäologie Baselland)
• Museum shop and café freely accessible during opening hours
• Fully wheelchair accessible, free admission on the first Sunday of every month

Permanent exhibitions

• Wildes Baselbiet. Tieren und Pflanzen auf der Spur – Changeable permanent exhibition on the biodiversity of the Baselbiet: in the species cabinet visitors search with a torch for lynx and wild boar, and in the genetics workshop they glimpse the world of cells and genes.
• Seidenband. Kapital, Kunst & Krise – The rise and decline of the Basel silk ribbon industry up to the early 20th century, from the lives of home-weaving families and female factory workers to the production of ribbon from silk thread to finished product.

Founded

1836

Operated by

Kanton Basel-Landschaft

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission on the first Sunday of every month

Prices for special and permanent exhibitions. Also free: school classes with up to 5 accompanying persons, teachers preparing lessons, media representatives and visitors with status F, N, S and B. Free admission with Freundeskreis Museum.BL, Museums-PASS-Musées, Swiss Museum Pass, colourkey, Tatort Vergangenheit, Raiffeisen Card and ICOM/VMS. 50% discount with Familienpass, KulturLegi of both Basels and Gästekarte BL.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum is fully wheelchair accessible, with a lift connecting all floors; the accessible toilet is on the lower floor. Folding stools are available at the ticket desk, and lockers can be reached at a low height. An induction loop is available on the ground floor for events (not during tours). Tablets for written and audio translation of the exhibition texts are available at reception. Assistance dogs are allowed throughout the museum. There is a wheelchair parking space in front of the building. Special offers: Time Slips (creative storytelling for people with dementia) and tours for people with visual impairments; the website provides directions from the station for people with visual impairments.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly: not available

The museum sees itself as a thematic museum for the whole family. On the subject of silk ribbon there is a children's loom, children can dress up as ribbon manufacturers or go in search of clues in the role of home weavers; in the species cabinet visitors search for animals with a torch. For safety reasons, prams are not allowed in the exhibitions and must be left in the marked area in the foyer.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Lockers

Museum shop and café are accessible without admission during opening hours.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit