Basel and then the 34 to the Friedhof am Hörnli, I knew which division, section, and grave number he was residing at, but it didn’t help as there very few numbers on the first few divisions….I had a map but it didn’t really help either, I found the right division but the section wasn’t listed, having checked several grave 14’s, I Googled the exact location co-ordinated and found it. Interestingly his assistant Charlotte von Kirschbaum Is buried in the same plot, alongside his wife Nelly. I was nearly run over by deer running through the cemetery. I then caught the tram back to the old town and had a wander around.
I visited the university rooms he used to lecture from and then stopped for coffee. It is snowing today but I had another look round the market. I wandered back to the hotel and then did some work and read.
Tuesday
Charlotte from 1955 to his death in 1968. I saw the room (now a study) where he took his last breath! More interesting was his study, where he has bookcase full of books, mainly German and French, although I did spot a couple of English ones. The famous Isenheim painting was there , mentioned in CD1.1 It was quite a simple study, which reflected the era he lived in. The Archive Manager Dr. Peter Zocher showed me around, he lives there and is editorial works etc. he was very helpful and formative, and offered me ‘proper’ coffee! Barth used the same Bible since 1912, which was on the bookshelf.
Whilst in the area, I saw the Stucki restaurant (or Bruderholz Restaurant) as it was in Barth’s time), a few hundred yards down the road, where he used to have dialogue with his students, and then the Titus Church, he helped to design, in my view he was better suited to theology than church design! They were going to call the church Bartholomew but he was concerned it would be shortened to Barthli church and so wanted a different name.
international politically and denominationally unbound association, their basic attitude is based on the Enlightenment, with progressive thinking and acting.’ I had a wander around the town again and then it started to rain so returned to the hotel, where there is free coffee. Then to pack my bag for the flight home tomorrow.