Basil is Switzerland’s third-largest city, positioned where France, Germany and Switzerland converge at the Rhine River. It is situated at the entrance to the Swiss portion of the Rhineland and is bordered by Switzerland’s Jura Mountains, France’s Vosges and Germany’s Black Forest. Grossbasel (which translates as Greater Basel) is located on the steep left bank of the Rhine and Kleinbasel (or Lesser Basel) sits on the right. The ancient imperial city was founded at Grossbasel. Today, the two sectors are connected by six bridges and several ferries, which run by the power of the river’s currents. The first of the bridges was completed in 1225 and for centuries was the only link between Grossbasel and Kleinbasel.