47.5606° N, 7.5906° E

BASEL

Most Famous People Born in Basel, Switzerland

Notable people
1,646
Peak decade
1950s
Median birth year
1922
Most distinctive
Art Historian 8.0×

A Rhine city whose distinctive professions are art historians, philologists, theologians, historians, and mathematicians — the trades of a humanist university town that published Erasmus, Holbein, and the first printed Greek New Testament. Euler was born here, so were both Bernoulli brothers, and Jacob Burckhardt more or less invented art history at the university. The 15th- and 16th-century bench is one of the heaviest in Switzerland, and Roger Federer is the most recent addition.

Through the Centuries

One face per century — the most globally famous figure born in Basel during each.

What Basel Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Politician is Basel's biggest profession — 10% of all notables (157).

Basel over-indexes on art historian8.0× the global rate.

Basel under-produces football — only 0.4× the global rate.

  1. Politician157
  2. Actor100
  3. Painter83
  4. Football70
  5. Writer70
  6. Historian69
  7. Author46
  8. Academic42
  1. Art Historian258.0×
  2. Philologist167.4×
  3. Theologian274.5×
  4. Historian694.0×
  5. Mathematician293.5×
  6. Author463.2×
  7. Entrepreneur162.9×
  8. Botanist172.6×
  1. Football700.4×
  2. Singer210.6×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of Basel's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

1500155016001650170017501800185019001950
  • Writing
  • Science
  • Politics & Law
  • Art & Design
  • Film & TV
  • Sports
  • Other
All1,646
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1,646 notable people

1501 ACTOR

Christian Dolny

1929 - 1986

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1502 POLITICIAN

Andreas Burckhardt (Politiker)

Born 1951

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1503 FENCER

Hans Bässler

Born 1934

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1504 OFFICER

Dino Bellasi

Born 1960

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1505 RADIO

Helen Issler

Born 1946

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1506 FOOTBALL

Oscar Girardi

Born 1970

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1507 CHESS

Peter Leepin

1920 - 1995

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1508 FOOTBALL

August Ibach

Died 1988

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1509 POLITICIAN

Hermann Fehr (Politiker, 1941)

Born 1941

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1510 FOOTBALL

Diren Akdemir

Born 1985

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1511 POLITICIAN

Adriano Imfeld

Born 1954

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1512 FOOTBALL

Josef Kiefer

Born 1942

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1513 POLITICIAN

Samuel Bachofen

1806 - 1889

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1514 POLITICIAN

Antoinette Eckert

Born 1956

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1515 BANK

Edouard Noetzlin

1848 - 1935

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1516 ACTOR

Denise Meili

Born 1977

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1517 PHOTOGRAPHER

Georges Passavant

1862 - 1952

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1518 SECRETARY

Marie-Rose Zingg

1897 - 1975

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1519 TEACHER

Friedrich von der Mühll

1883 - 1942

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1520 COMPOSER

Oliver Rudin

Born 1981

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1521 PRODUCER

Pierre Piccarde

Born 1979

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1522 BADMINTON

Bettina Gfeller

Born 1969

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1523 ILLUSTRATOR

Fidel Peugeot

Born 1969

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1524 PAINTER

Martha Braun

Born 1935

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1525 HANDBALL

Romy Bachmann

Born 1989

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1526 POLITICIAN

Monika Dusong

Born 1945

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1527 MUSIC

Dominik Schürmann

Born 1971

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1528 POLITICIAN

Jörg Schild

Born 1946

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1529 RABBI

Netanel Wurmser

-

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1530 WRITER

Martin Diller

Born 1962

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1531 PARSON

Michel Müller

Born 1964

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1532 FOOTBALL

Max Woog

Born 1888

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1533 HANDBALL

Catherine Csebits

Born 1999

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1534 POLITICIAN

Adil Koller

Born 1993

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1535 SWIMMER

Rolf Burggraf

Born 1937

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1536 SPORT

Debi Studer

Born 1985

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1537 MISSING

Matthias Müller (Konzertveranstalter)

1964 - 2016

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1538 SECRETARY

Samuel Lanz

Born 1983

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1539 VIOLIN

Barbara Streil

Born 1977

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1540 JUNGE

Marie Frieda Albiez

1876 - 1922

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1541 POLITICIAN

Ruedi Bantle

1926 - 2017

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1542 ENTREPRENEUR

Werner Edelmann

Born 1941

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1543 SCULPTOR

Stefan Saxen

Born 1963

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1544 HANDBALL

Martin Engeler

Born 1982

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1545 PAINTER

Marianne Hollenstein

Born 1964

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1546 SCHREIBER

Leonhard Demmely

1739 - 1819

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1547 FOOTBALL

Ernst Widmer (calciatore)

Born 1887

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1548 MISSING

Christoph Engel (Model)

Born 1974

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1549 KUNST

Mathis Giger

1568 - 1640

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1550 DRUMMER

Michi Stulz

Born 1977

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1551 SPORT

Hans Baumann (handball)

1906 - 1971

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1552 PRODUCER

Markus Hofmann (Schauspieler)

Born 1975

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1553 ATHLETE

Franz Eha

1907 - 1974

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1554 SWIMMER

Werner Risi

Born 1940

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1555 FOOTBALL

Kurt Thalmann

1931 - 2018

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1556 ACTOR

Fred Büchel

Born 1962

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1557 LAWYER

Stephan Reinhardt (Rechtsanwalt)

Born 1966

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1558 INVENTOR

Max Hetzel

Born 1921

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1559 BUSINESS

Hans Häusermann

Born 1926

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1560 ENTREPRENEUR

Heinrich Halbisen

1390 - 1451

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1561 RABBI

Binyamin Shlomo Hamburger

-

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1562 POLITICIAN

Sebastian Doppenstein

1497 - 1570

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1563 MATHEMATICIAN

Robert Hans

1932 - 1989

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1564 POLITICIAN

Barbara Schneider

Born 1953

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1565 SCULPTOR

Balthasar Michel

1576 - 1604

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1566 SAXOPHONIST

Mario Schneeberger

Born 1935

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1567 SPRINT

Willy Tschopp

1905 - 1987

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1568 FARMER

Harro von Zeppelin

1904 - 1989

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1569 POLITICIAN

Eduard Belser

Born 1942

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1570 POLITICIAN

Rudolf Weber (Politiker, 1931)

Born 1931

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1571 RESTAURATEUR

Dietrich Holzach

1836 - 1905

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1572 POLITICIAN

Christine Koch (Politikerin)

Born 1963

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1573 DRIVER

Edouard Probst

1898 - 1974

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1574 OFFICER

Walter Knutti

Born 1948

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1575 HISTORIAN

Henri Vuilleumier

1846 - 1925

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1576 POLITICIAN

Peter Zwick

1950 - 2013

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1577 FOOTBALL

Hans Liniger

Born 1892

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1578 POLITICIAN

Anita Heer

Born 1972

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1579 SINGER

Miriam Wettstein

-

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1580 POLITICIAN

Balz Herter

Born 1984

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1581 POLITICIAN

Wilhelm Bachofen

1841 - 1922

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1582 THEATRE

Sandrine Kuster

Born 1966

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1583 PLAYER

Nicola Mohler

Born 1987

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1584 POLITICIAN

Urs Müller-Walz

Born 1950

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1585 NOVELIST

Sergi Álvarez Calzada

Born 1975

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1586 DIPLOMAT

Carl Bitz

1887 - 1966

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1587 COMPOSER

PJ Wassermann

Born 1951

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1588 INTENDANT

Thomas Pfiffner

Born 1965

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1589 POLITICIAN

Sabrina Corvini-Mohn

Born 1984

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1590 JONGLEUR

Urs Rohrer

Born 1977

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1591 JOURNALIST

Manuel Isler

1932 - 2011

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1592 FOOTBALL

Carlo Hopf

Born 1887

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1593 AUTHOR

Patrick Tschan

Born 1962

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1594 POLITICIAN

Fritz Lotz

1842 - 1894

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1595 POLITICIAN

Miriam Locher

Born 1982

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1596 MILITAR

Ulisses Maximilian Brown

1705 - 1757

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1597 POLITICIAN

Christophe Haller

Born 1957

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1598 ART HISTORIAN

Hans Helmut Hofstätter

Born 1928

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1599 ART HISTORIAN

Rose Marie Schulz-Rehberg

Born 1945

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1600 ARTIST

Maria Magdalena Z’Graggen

Born 1958

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1601 CHOREOGRAPHER

Parwin Hadinia

Born 1965

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1602 PROFESSOR

Rudolf Handmann

1862 - 1940

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1603 POLITICIAN

Michael Raith

1944 - 2005

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1604 BUSINESS

Hans Franz Passavant (Unternehmer)

1845 - 1909

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1605 POLITICIAN

Emanuel Wackernagel

1846 - 1902

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1606 OPERA

Carola Glaser

-

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1607 POLITICIAN

Carlo Binetti

1931 - 2014

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1608 MANUFACTURER

Friedrich Meyer (Aluminiumfabrikant)

1893 - 1974

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1609 MUSIC

Katrin Mettler

Born 1969

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1610 MUSIC

Linus Bernoulli

Born 1983

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1611 SCIENTIST

Sabine Ziegler

Born 1965

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1612 POLITICIAN

Heiner Vischer

Born 1956

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1613 PHOTOGRAPHER

Peter Moeschlin

1924 - 2003

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1614 OPERA

Jardena Flückiger

-

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1615 POLITICIAN

Siro Imber

Born 1982

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1616 PIANIST

Walter Zoller (Pianist)

Born 1972

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1617 ARCHITECT

Willi Kehlstadt

1888 - 1951

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1618 ATHLETIC

Melanie Santos

Born 1995

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1619 POLITICIAN

Peter Bonsack

Born 1948

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1620 KICKBOXER

Dave Turkalj

Born 1966

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1621 POLITICIAN

Loretta Müller

Born 1982

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1622 POLITICIAN

Jan Kirchmayr

Born 1993

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1623 COMPOSER

Stephan Sieber (Musiker)

Born 1962

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1624 DIPLOMAT

Hans Miesch

1918 - 1993

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1625 ARCHITECT

Johann Jakob à Wengen

1814 - 1875

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1626 FOOTBALL

Heinric Heim

Born 1893

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1627 POLITICIAN

Hansruedi Schmid

1928 - 2012

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1628 POLITICIAN

Kathrin Schweizer

Born 1969

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1629 ACTOR

Albert Brüngger

1850 - 1902

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1630 JOINER

Matthäus Müller

1679 - 1756

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1631 MERCHANT

Johannes Faesch

1779 - 1856

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1632 POLITICIAN

Sabine Suter

Born 1966

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1633 POLITICIAN

Stephan Nigg

Born 1982

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1634 JOINER

Conrad Giger

1559 - 1635

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1635 SKELETON

Jürg Geiser

Born 1967

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1636 ARCHITECT

Eduard Pfrunder

1877 - 1925

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1637 ENGENHEIR

Guilherme Aas

1741 - 1800

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1638 POLITICIAN

Emil Müry (Unternehmer)

1900 - 1984

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1639 POLITICIAN

Eugen Gottstein

1897 - 1978

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1640 MISSING

Hieronymus Holzach (Schultheiss)

Born 1540

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1641 PAINTER

Eucharius Holzach (Maler)

1705 - 1752

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1642 JOINER

Jacob Israel Neubeck

1565 - 1594

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1643 KUNST

Emanuel Jäcklin-Holzach

1730 - 1804

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1644 ENGINEER

Ferdinand Holzach (Ingenieur)

1882 - 1942

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1645 POLITICIAN

Thomas Strahm

Born 1957

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1646 PHYSICIAN

Eucharius Holzach (Mediziner)

1486 - 1558

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