AI Summary
5 min readWhen Catherine Sheppy began giving walking tours of Basel to students at the International School of Analytical Psychology, her notes kept growing. Over ten years, what started as a casual guide became a detailed historical reconstruction of Carl Jung’s early life — a book that traces his path from a small parsonage in Klein-Hüningen to the university lecture halls and cathedral squares where his most formative ideas first stirred. The book is called C. G. Jung: The Basel Years — A Walking Guide, and it is far more than a set of directions.
The parsonage and the lost Rhine
The tour begins in Klein-Hüningen, a fishing and farming village that was being swallowed by industrial Basel during Jung’s childhood. The parsonage where Jung lived from age four to twenty-one still stands, with a plaque dedicated by the Psychological Club Basel. Sheppy points out the attic beam where the young Jung hid a tiny mannequin he carved — a story familiar from Memories, Dreams, Reflections. A local woman later cleaned the attic and confirmed the mannequin is gone, though visitors still hope it might reappear.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:34) **Klein Hüningen: Jung’s Childhood Home** - Catherine Sheppy begins the tour at the parsonage where Jung lived from ages 4 to 21.
- 2 (05:43) **Paul Jung’s Church and Gravestone** - The tour moves to the church where Jung’s father worked and where Jung had his first communion.
- 3 (09:22) **Jung’s School and the Clavel Estate** - The tour visits the site of Jung’s primary and secondary school, now a modern building, and the nearby Clavel estate.
- 4 (14:28) **Jung’s Walk to Basel and the Rhine** - Lisa reflects on a story from *Memories, Dreams, Reflections* about Jung’s freedom after a schoolmate pushed him.
- 5 (17:49) **Crossing the Rhine: Medieval Basel** - The tour crosses the Middle Bridge, noting the transition from stone to wood construction due to the strong current.
- 6 (22:52) **The Old University and the State Archive** - The tour arrives at the old university, where Jung’s grandfather was the animator of medicine.
- 7 (29:59) **The Blue House and Basel’s Layers** - The tour encounters the Blue House, a wealthy silk maker’s home, and discusses Basel’s historical layers.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Happy Birthday to Carl Gustav Jung! To celebrate, we're sharing Lisa's walking tour of Basel with Jungian Analyst and author Kathrin Shaeppi. Last year, she visited Jung's hometown in Basel, Switzerland, visiting his childhood home, school, and more. Peer into the beginnings of Jung's life and join us as we retrace his steps through the city and learn about some of his most formative years.
Find Kathrin's newly published book, "C.G. Jung – The Basel Years: A Walking Guide," here: https://www.amazon.com/C-G-Jung-Basel-Years-Walking/dp/385630391X
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