A day discovering Basel
On 5 June 2026, in perfect sunny weather, 17 students from the Eucor universities had the opportunity to explore the city of Basel during a treasure hunt organised by the Eucor Student Council.
The day began with an icebreaker in the garden of the Kollegienhaus, where participants got to know each other better through questions such as “If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would you go?” or “If you could master a language perfectly straight away, which one would it be?”. The diversity of the backgrounds represented was then explored in a second game: on an imaginary map, the participants positioned themselves according to their places of origin or study. From Turkey to Moldova to Italy, numerous different places were represented.
A Playful Exploration of Basel
After a picnic together, the treasure hunt could begin: split into three groups, the students set off to explore the city, the university and the trinational cooperation within Eucor, visiting various stations at different locations across the University of Basel. Whether in the Botanical Garden, where they had to demonstrate their knowledge of plants and biodiversity, in the library, where images of the five Eucor libraries had to be correctly matched and assembled, or at the Biozentrum, where a quiz highlighted Basel’s status as a key hub for biology and the pharmaceutical industry – all tasks were successfully completed. Finally, the groups reached their final stop at the Old University, right on the banks of the Rhine.
Cross-Border Cooperation in Action
There, a final challenge was waiting for them in the form of a suitcase whose lock they had to open. During the treasure hunt, each group had collected a single number. Together, the three numbers formed the code needed to open the lock and gain access to the treasure hunt prizes. A final highlight for those who were interested was the climb up the tower of Basel Cathedral. One should not be scared of heights for this, but were rewarded in the end with a fantastic view over the whole city.
The event facilitated intercultural exchange, strengthened networking among students from the five Eucor universities, and provided a tangible experience of cross-border collaboration through the joint resolution of challenges.
The event was organised by the Eucor Student Council, represented by Sophie Droege and Laura Suter from the University of Basel, Amelie Jenal from the University of Freiburg, Markus Magarin from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Elise Gebes from the University of Haute-Alsace, and Odilia Montag from the University of Strasbourg, who set up the exciting treasure hunt through Basel.
By Lea Engelbrecht