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Sightseeing
Guide to Sightseeing in Geneva
Geneva is a beautiful city, ripe for exploration. It's unlikely that
you'll wander too far without something catching your eye, but, if
you want to aim for the main sights first, try these must-see
attractions during your stay.
Jet d'Eau
The Jet d'Eau is the symbol of the city. From March until October
this huge fountain shoots up 150 metres above Lake Geneva. The plume
casts false rainbows in the fine mist in the day, and in the evening
the fountain is lit up spectacularly.
The Jet d'Eau was originally designed in 1886 as a pressure valve
for Geneva's water supply, and was located further down the lake. At
that time it was a mere trickle - powered by the pressure build-up
at the end of the day when the city's workshops shut their water off
before leaving for home and only reaching 30 metres.
Eventually a reservoir was built to cope with the pressure, but the
daily water spume had become such a favourite with the citizens that
it was moved into its current location and given more power. The
water is now estimated to leave the nozzle at a spectacular 200km
per hour. Venture out on to the pier if you dare - there are seven
tonnes of water in the air at any one time and the surroundings are
almost always completely soaked.
St Peter's
Cathedral
St Peter's Cathedral is one of the more interesting religious
buildings in Europe, mixing, as it does, Romanesque and Gothic,
Catholic and Calvinist. Calvin himself preached his fire and
brimstone brand of religion here in the mid-16th century and, in the
north aisle, visitors can still see the chair that the impassioned
orator used during the three decades he dominated St Peter's pulpit.
The cathedral itself is suitably austere. Construction of the
original took 70 years, ending in 1232, which makes the cathedral
Geneva's oldest extant building. The whole thing was "Calvinised" in
the 1500s however, which dictated the cathedral's current
appearance. The interior is slightly less foreboding - the side
chapel is noticeably more ornate, while frescoes (although mainly
reproductions of removed originals) illuminate many of the walls.
Noteworthy points of interest around the building include Joseph
Rambal's sophisticated sundial erected in 1760 and the crypt's
excavated mosaics, which date from the 4th century. It is possible
to ascend the cathedral's north tower, which affords great views of
the city, although the 150-odd steps mean a reasonable amount of
fitness is required. Cour St Pierre. Allow at least one hour for
your visit.
Open: Mon-Sat 09h30-18h30 & 00h00-18h30 Sun (Jun-Sep); Mon-Sat
10h00-17h30 & 00h00-17h30 Sun (Oct-May).
Admission: CHF3, adults; CHF1.50, children.
United Nations
After its New York headquarters the United Nations has its second
most important base in Geneva housed in the impressive Palais des
Nations. This massive collonaded edifice was built in the 1930s and
despite its grandiose neo-classical appearance was designed to house
the world's most progressive insitution, and be the site of global
politics and power. With the development of the United Nations
following World War Two, Geneva became the European seat of the UN.
The hour-long guided tours through these corridors of power
naturally miss out much of the interior: there are still thousands
of civil servants working here daily and any political debating that
goes on does so behind firmly closed ornate doors. However, if you
do take the tour (available in any of the 15 languages of the UN)
you will usually be able to see the Assembly Hall and the grand
Council Chamber where international negotiations are brokered. You
will also be treated to an abbreviated but informative history of
the UN.
Note that you will need your passport to enter - the entrance is
effectively an international boundary. Don't forget to admire (and
photograph) the golden armillary sphere sculpture in the front.
Public entrance: Ave de la Paix.
Admission: CHF10. Tel: +41 (0)22-917-4896.
Jardin Anglais
Many great thinkers and writers, not to mention innumerable
tourists, have gathered their thoughts on the benches here. This
peaceful haven by the lake is one of Europe's finest formal city
gardens. It is centred on a magnificent 19th-century fountain, the
main focus for visitors who come here to be photographed in front of
the smiling cherubs and water nymphs that adorn the grey stone.
The backdrop is spectacular with Lake Geneva and the city's best
belle epoche architecture in the foreground, and sweeping vistas of
the Alps in the background. Elsewhere in the garden look out for the
timeless flower clock. This famous city landmark has been a feature
of the garden since 1955 when it was established to honour the Swiss
tradition of watchmaking. Thousands of blooms make up the dial,
which changes appearance with the seasons. What's more it keeps
perfect time, as you'd expect from any Swiss timepiece.
Museum of the
Red Cross and Red Crescent
This absorbing museum doesn't just triumph the achievements of the
Swiss-based International Red Cross and its Islamic equivalent, the
Red Crescent, instead it offers a hi-tech look at the history of
world conflict and the charity's continuing work to care for those
affected by it.
Visitors are treated to sensitive displays portraying scenes such as
Red Cross precursor Florence Nightingale caring for the Crimean
wounded and the Battle of Solferino as witnessed by Genevan Henry
Dunant, which inspired the creation of the Red Cross and the
drafting of the Geneva convention. The charity's role in both World
Wars is explored, with the seven million prisoner-of-war record
cards from WWI an example of the enormity of the conflict and the
role the Geneva convention played in helping people in the
aftermath.
The timeline continues through the international conflicts of the
20th century where the Red Cross and the Red Crescent have continued
to distinguish themselves providing charity and healthcare to the
needy, impoverished or injured by war. The final display, naturally,
concerns itself with the conflicts still ongoing in the world. The
overall affect is inspiring and thought-provoking.
17 Ave de la Paix. Open: daily 10h00-17h00 (closed Tuesdays).
Admission: CHF10, adults; CHF5, children. Tel: + 41 (0)22-748-9525.
Town Hall
The ornate Hotel de Ville (town hall) is one of the most impressive
buildings in the city. The central courtyard is fully encompassed by
the wings of the building, which date from various times over 300
years - the earliest parts being established in the 16th century.
This is where the city first took on the mantle of a venue for
resolving international disputes. The "Alabama Room" here is where
the first draft of the Geneva Convention was signed by 16 countries
in 1864, the first time the rules of wartime conduct had been
formally agreed upon. It was also here in 1872 that the US and
England signed a formal peace treaty following the latter's
interference on the side of the confederacy in the American Civil
War - hence the name that the room now carries.
Of further interest to the visitor here is the stairless staircase,
basically a ramp leading up through the three floors of the Baudet
Tower (apparently so that lazy councillors didn't have to dismount),
and the promenade at the rear, the Promenade de Treille. The row of
trees here contains the official "Tree of Geneva". According to
tradition the day the first bud appears is the first day of spring
in the city. Amazingly a record of when this occurs has been kept
faithfully for nearly two centuries, and is still added to each
year. Each summer (schedule not dependent on foliage) a programme of
classical concerts is held in the square.
Hotel de Ville, La Place du Bourg du Four.
Ile Rousseau
At the mouth of the Rhone where it spills into Lake Geneva the Ile
Rousseau is dedicated to Genevan citizen and founder of the Romantic
movement, Jacques Rousseau. It sits in the middle of the river,
joined to the banks by the pedestrian Pont des Bergues, and
naturally bears a statue of the man himself, sculpted in 1834.
Rousseau was born in Geneva in 1712, and it is still possible to see
the house of his birth at Grand Rue 40, in the centre of the old
town. Although the Genevan authorities courted his fame in later
life, his liberal writings were seen as potentially inflammatory and
the city eventually exiled him in his absence in 1762, burning
Rousseau texts in the courtyard of the town hall. Of course this
event is nowadays conveniently glossed over and Rousseau celebrated
as one of the city's favourite sons.
Whatever your philosophy this sleepy islet is the ideal place to
relax and take in the views both down the river and up Lake Geneva
past the Jet d'eau. It's quintessentially Genevan, with casual
tourists on their way to the old town, visiting students trying to
look erudite with a copy of Rousseau's "Confessions" and promenading
locals all seen here.
Carouge
The suburb of Carouge was designed in the 18th century and intended
to rival Geneva as a trading centre. It was designed in an Italian
style, full of balconied buildings and ornamental gardens. Although
it never achieved its aim as a major commercial competitor with its
larger neighbour, the town grew in stature as a liberal refuge from
the city's conservatism.
The Carouge thus became home to a mixture of races and creeds and
evolved a bohemian way of life. It still holds true today and the
suburb, just a couple of kilometres from the city, is inhabited by
artists, musicians and students. This is also where Geneva's
nightlife, such as it is, is mainly located - although the slightly
inevitable tag of it being Geneva's "Greenwich Village" stretches
credibility a bit if you're expecting a real party town.
Maison Tavel
This is reputed to be the oldest private house in Geneva and it
certainly looks the part. A towered building in severe black stone
it was erected in the 14th century, and was obviously built to last.
Acquired by the city in the early 1960s an extensive restoration
project means that the house today looks much as when the original
Monsieur Tavel, a member of Geneva's upper crust, had the building
erected as a kind of fortified town house.
Now part of the Geneva's Musuem of Art and History the interior is a
museum describing the city's development from the 14th to the 19th
centuries. The highlight is a detailed relief model of what Geneva
looked like back in 1850, when its fortifications were still in
place. Known as the "Magnin Maquette" the model itself dates back to
the late 19th century. Other objects on display relate to Geneva's
wealth and role as an influential capital including jewellery and
valuable artefacts from the richer families of the city.
6 Rue de Puits St Pierre.
Admission: free for permanent collections or CHF3 for temporary
exhibitions.
Tel: +41 (0)22-418-3700.
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