Tourism Basel Minster closes at the weekend due to aggressive tourists
In future, Basel Minster will close at weekends during the Christmas market. The reason is the many tourists "who do not follow the rules", the church announced on Thursday. There have already been physical assaults.
05.12.2024, 12:34
SDA
During the Advent season, the number of visitors increased significantly and with it the number of people who aggressively disobeyed the instructions of the staff, Minster pastor Caroline Schröder-Field was quoted as saying in the press release. Staff and numerous volunteers are increasingly involved in "verbal and physical altercations".
"We can no longer guarantee the safety of our employees and therefore have to pull the emergency brake," writes Schröder-Field. The church will therefore close on Saturdays and Sundays during Advent.
The cathedral will remain open for services, vespers and cultural events, according to the communiqué from the Protestant Reformed Church.
Rules of conduct in a church not observed
The rules of conduct in the church correspond to those of a museum, i.e. dogs, food, drinks, loud phone calls and listening to music are not permitted. There is also no sightseeing during services or prayers.
"But what is respected for museums is obviously not a matter of course for an open church," regrets the cathedral priest. The mood often changes. The tourists see themselves as being in the right and want to enforce their visit because they are here right now, she continues.
