In the year 1873, four years before the Harzgraben-Ferry was planned to be replaced by a ferry whose location was some hundred meters downstream, the “Kommission zur Schwimmschule Gesellschaft für das Gute und Gemeinnützige GGG” (Commission to the Swimming School Society Charity” applied for the concession for the building of a ferry by the Riehentorstrasse leading to the Palatine(either of two territories in SW Germany, once ruled by the counts palatine –Pfalz in German). There were two reasons for this request; firstly Pfalz-Badhäuschen, needed to be reached easily especially for the orphanage pupils, and secondly it could finance the new stairs to the Pfalz could be financed. Because it feared the competition with its ferries, the Basel Künstlergesellschaft resisted this project.
Despite the earlier objections in September 1877 the Künstlergesellschaft was granted the necessary concession, and on 8 December 1877 the operational service began. The expectations for this ferry were not however fulfilled and between November 1880 and May 1881, the operation had to be stopped because of the lack of operational staff. In June 1879 this ferry route was also damaged by the openning of the Wettsteinbrücke (stone bridge) as it was now possible to cross the Rhine here free of charge. On 24 November 1882 the ferry management finally told the Baudepartement that it would have to do without the ferry service. In 1886 the commission of the GGG Badanstalten saw the opportunity to take over another ferry. This was permitted by the authorities and the concession given to the GGG but not until 1926.

On 14 July 1886 the ferry began operation once more. This was during the swimming season and the interest in the ferry was huge. It was so popular that in 1892 it became necessary to display a notice that the boat could be occupied by no more than 24 people… and that during the journey all passengers were to remain seated: After initial success the Münster Ferry also suffered bad times. Especially during World War I when tourist trade stopped. In 1923 the Commission was forced to lease the ferry. The commission of the “Schwimm- und Badanstalt am Rhein” decided in 1942 to waive the lease with the ferryman and gave him the ferry under the condition that he will honourably maintain this enterprise during the time that the Swimming School remained opened. Two years later in 1944, the Münster ferry was christened with with its current name “Leu”.

For 38 years the ferryman Karl Städeli(Fäärimaa in Basel German) – travelled between the banks of the Rhine. The river is 185 meters wide. On average the ferry travels 9.25 kilometres per day. That adds up to a massive, 63,270 kilometres. Or put differently: Karl Städeli drove an equivalent distance of more than once around the world in a Basel ferryboat!

Source: Basel ferries, gs publishing house 1992 (ISBN 3-7185-0124-4)