150 years of Bell at the Basel Carnival 2019

In 2019, Bell celebrates its 150th birthday at the Basel Carnival. In a striking stall on Barfüsserplatz, modeled on the Basel drum, Bell will be offering Bell sausages with bread on Carnival Monday and Wednesday. Active carnival revellers with a costume and badge will receive Bell sausages at the anniversary price of CHF 1.50. For visitors without a costume, the sales price is a symbolic CHF 3.00. The stand will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. With the sales stand on Barfüsserplatz, Bell is not only celebrating its 150th anniversary, but also honouring the company's long association with the Basel carnival. Throughout Bell's rich history and beyond, there have always been points of contact between the traditional Basel company and Switzerland's biggest carnival.

The Bell sausage and the Morgestraich of 1924

Ahead of the Basel "Morgestraich" on March 10, 1924, a newspaper advertisement appeared with the following content: "At Morgestraich we eat the finest hot Bell sausages (no Wienerli)". This was the first time that this special creation with the secret spice mix and a portion of beef was launched on the market. The date chosen for the launch of today's classic was the start of the Basel carnival on Morgestraich 1924. In the same year, the beechwood-smoked Bell sausage also became a big hit at Bell's premiere at the 1924 Swiss Sample Fair. A pair of Bell sausages could be purchased for 80 cents and the public queued up. The sausage creation quickly became a hit throughout Switzerland.

The "Bell'sche Morgestraich" from 1833

One of the most important points of contact between Bell and the Basel carnival took place before the company was actually founded. At the beginning of the separation confusion between the city and the countryside of the then Canton of Basel in 1833, there were many restrictions and bans surrounding the carnival. Among other things, the authorities forbade the holding of a Morgestraich. However, this was of little interest to the butcher and innkeeper Samuel Bell-Löhler. The grandfather of the future Bell founder Samuel Bell-Roth and his followers planned a Morgestraich for February 27, 1833, despite the official ban. At three o'clock in the morning, the drummers marched through the streets and alleyways individually or in groups. Despite the ban, the police and the regular troops let the carnival revellers go ahead. In the afternoon at 4 p.m., they organized another parade through the city with around 100 to 150 participants.

After the city's military defeat against the countryside in August 1833, all public carnival events were banned in Basel the following year. Nevertheless, a tradition was established with Samuel Bell-Löhler's Morgestraich. His followers, known as the "Bell'sche Spiessgesellen" or "Bellians", ensured that a much more generous carnival ordinance was issued from 1835. The Morgestraich at four o'clock in the morning was now officially permitted - and has remained so to this day. On February 4, 2005, the "Märtplatz-Clique" will once again hold a "Bell'scher Morgestraich" from three o'clock in the morning in memory of Samuel Bell's wild Morgestraich 172 years earlier.

About Bell
Bell has remained true to its Basel roots to this day. The company's headquarters are still located on Elsässerstrasse. Bell is the largest supplier of meat, charcuterie and seafood in Switzerland and a major supplier of regional charcuterie specialties in Europe. With around 8000 employees in 9 countries, Bell generates sales of over CHF 3 billion. The company is part of the internationally oriented Bell Food Group, also headquartered in Basel.