Hotel Baseltor

From 1813 until the chapterhouse of the cathedral priests was dissolved in 1874, it served as a home for the canons. Then it fell into the hands of wine merchant Johann Zeltner, who opened the Baseltor tavern there. Although it has had a number of different owners and names, it still exists. In the 1970s, in its incarnation as the restaurant Chez Derron, it was famous for having the best bouillabaisse near and far. Since 1991, the building has been owned by “Liegenschaft Hauptgasse 79” Inc., which gave the restaurant back its original name Baseltor. Six guest rooms were created in the former innkeeper’s apartment, and a glassed-in kitchen open to the guests’ view was constructed in the courtyard between the front and back buildings. The renovations in the early 1990s were shaped by respect for preserving the old building and by great attention to detail in the newly designed parts of the building. Eventually, the hotel was expanded by renting the building opposite, the former house of the city supervisor of wells and fountains. Three more guest rooms were added in this residence, which is built directly onto the city gate. During the most recent, post-2000 renovations, the historic guest rooms were discreetly freshened up, and the function room on the first floor was furnished with valuable furnishings from a grand hotel in French-speaking Switzerland. Stylish retro-design from the post-war years in the guest rooms offsets the numerous historic furniture pieces in the restaurant. The film and art exhibition posters throughout the hotel along with the now legendary Dîners littéraires highlight the bonds between the new owners and Solothurn’s cultural life. The Baseltor has been a member of Swiss Historic Hotels since 2012.