Living in Münchenstein — municipality near Basel

Münchenstein, first mentioned in 1196 as "Kekingen", owes its present name to the Münch family, who built a castle here on the rock — "Münchs Stein". The town gained sad notoriety on 14 June 1891: when a railway bridge over the Birs, built by Gustave Eiffel's company, collapsed, killing 73 people — the worst rail disaster in Swiss history, which led to systematic inspection of all the country's railway bridges. Far less known: at the Haas type foundry, founded in Münchenstein in 1921, the Helvetica typeface was developed, one of the most widely used typefaces in the world. In 1912/13, the Gartenstadt Münchenstein became Switzerland's first cooperative garden-city development — its 36 houses with generous gardens remain protected to this day. On the cross-border Dreispitz site, several museums have settled, including the Schaulager, built by Herzog & de Meuron, and the Kunsthaus Baselland. Football star Roger Federer grew up in Münchenstein. Quiet and green, with a direct tram connection (lines 10 and 11) to Basel railway station. The municipality's area encompasses more affordable residential blocks as well as villa districts by the Birspark, which offers plenty of recreational space.