Pratteln: castle, salt and rails

The little meadow

The name comes from the Latin “pratellum”, little meadow. The fact that it has survived the centuries almost unchanged is taken as a sign that a Romance-speaking population still lived here long after the Romans. Augusta Raurica is right next door. And in 1974 a hand axe was found in the Hohli Gass which, according to the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland, could be the oldest human tool in Switzerland.

In the charters, “Bratello” appears in 1102 as an estate of the monastery of St. Alban. In the 14th century the lords of Eptingen built up their own lordship here; their eagle is still in the municipal coat of arms today. The earthquake of 1356 destroyed their castle of Madeln on the hill. They rebuilt the moated house in the village. It is today's castle.

The village did not have an easy time. In 1384 the people of Basel burnt it down; in 1468 the Confederates laid it waste. In 1476 it received market rights and a Rhine ferry from the emperor, and between 1521 and 1525 Basel bought the castle and the lordship. After that, Basel families built their country seats here too.

The salt that paid for a canton

In 1836 Carl Christian Friedrich Glenck struck salt at the Rothaus. The canton of Basel-Landschaft was four years old at the time and had no money. The saltworks filled its coffers, and Switzerland no longer had to import its salt. The drilling towers are still standing.

With the railway of 1854 and the Bözberg line of 1875, Pratteln became a junction. Chemicals, Henkel, Firestone and the Schindler wagon factory arrived. The vineyards gave way to the tracks, and in 1877 the communal wine press disappeared. In the 1960s the large housing estates of Längi, Buholz and Gehrenacker were built.

Almost all the factories have closed. Their sites are now being built on: on the Bredella site a new neighbourhood is being created over twenty years, and in the former Coop distribution centre around 470 to 480 non-profit homes.

What it is like to live here

The old village centre spreads out in a star shape at the foot of the Adlerberg, with the castle, the church of St. Leodegar and the Schmittiplatz. Above it are hillside and vineyard locations with views as far as the Black Forest. At the station an urban centre with high-rise buildings is growing. To the north lie the Grüssen shopping area and the industry of Schweizerhalle.

There are primary and secondary schools in the municipality; the nearest Gymnasium is in Muttenz.

What you need to know

Pratteln is divided in two. Anyone who says “Pratteln” means either the village on the slope or the plain with motorway, railway and logistics. There is a big difference between the two. Look at both.

From the village centre the tram takes 26 minutes to the city; only the S-Bahn from the station is fast. The Salina Raurica development area on the Rhine has no tram connection; an extension of line 14 was rejected at the ballot box in 2021.

Sources: Historical Dictionary of Switzerland, Pratteln · Municipality of Pratteln, history · Sights · Site developments · Taxes · Prices: RealAdvisor, October 2026 · Timetable: transport.opendata.ch, queried November 2026