Basel – Dreiländereck
I’m not sure that many people would be excited to see the three country point where Germany, Switzerland and France meet. But, as my friend Liam often tells me, I’m not most people.
It’s a bit of a trek there from Basel, about a 40 minute walk, but it’s pleasant enough walking along the Rhine.
Standing look out, that’s France on the left, Germany on the right and I’m standing in Switzerland. Actually, that is a slight limitation with the monument, it’s actually entirely in Switzerland as the meeting point of the three countries is in the middle of the river.
The monument which was erected here in 1957, with the three wings of the rocket looking thing representing each country. When it was constructed, Europe was very different and I’m not sure many would have imagined that the borders would have come down between these three countries. Incidentally, it looks relatively lightweight but it weighs 8 tonnes and had to be hoisted into place by crane. Apparently, a Hungarian mathematician, Istvan Csontos, who had fled to Switzerland, was involved in painstakingly calculating the complex curves of the monument.
From another angle.
The monument from another perspective, it’s visible in the centre-left of the photo with Germany on the left, the monument in Switzerland and France on the right. I’m overly excited by stuff like this…..