Geneva

For other uses, see Geneva (disambiguation).

Geneva
Municipality
Top left: Palace of Nations, Middle left: CERN Laboratory, Right: Jet d'Eau, Bottom: View over Geneva and the lake.
Coat of arms
Location of Geneva
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Geneva
District	N/A
Government
• Mayor	Maire (list) Sandrine Salerno Parti socialiste (as of 2010)
Area
• Total	15.92 km2 (6.15 sq mi)
Elevation	375 m (1,230 ft)
Population  (31 December 2018)
• Total	201,741
• Density	13,000/km2 (33,000/sq mi)
Demonym	Genevois
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (Central European Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time)
Postal code(s)	1200
SFOS number	6621
ISO 3166 code	CH-GE
Surrounded by	Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier
Website	ville-ge.ch SFSO statistics

Logo of the city of Geneva

Geneva (Arpitan: Genèva, IPA: [ˈd͡zənɛva]; French: Genève, IPA: [ʒənɛv]; German: Genf, IPA: [ˈɡɛnf] ; Italian: Ginevra; Romansh: Genevra) is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandie (the French-speaking part of Switzerland). Situated where the Rhône River exits Lake Geneva (in French also known as Lac Léman), it is the capital of the Republic and Canton of Geneva. While the municipality itself (ville de Genève) has a population (as of 31 December 2009) of 189,313, the canton of Geneva (which includes the city) has 457,628 residents (as of 31 December 2009). In 2007, the agglomeration had 812,000 inhabitants.[3]

Geneva is a global city, a financial centre, and a worldwide centre for diplomacy and the most important international co-operation centre with New York because of the presence of numerous international organizations, including the headquarters of many of the agencies of the United Nations and the Red Cross. It is also the place where the Geneva Conventions were signed, which chiefly concern the treatment of wartime non-combatants and prisoners of war.

Geneva has been described as the third European financial centre after London and Zurich, and the world's eighth most important financial centre by the Global Financial Centres Index, ahead of Frankfurt and Sydney, and a 2009 survey by Mercer found Geneva to have the third-highest quality of life of any city in the world (narrowly outranked by Zürich). The city has been referred to as the world's most compact metropolis and the "Peace Capital". In 2009, Geneva was ranked as the fourth most expensive city in the world.

Etymology

The name Geneva is probably of Celtic origin. The city was mentioned in Latin texts with the spelling Genava. The name takes various forms in modern languages. Thus, it is Geneva in English and Template:PronEng, French: Genève [ʒənɛv], German: Genf [ˈɡɛnf] , Italian: Ginevra [dʒiˈneːvra], and Romansh: Genevra. Another theory is that Geneva is derived from "Genévrier" which is the French word for "juniper".

There is occasionally confusion between this city and the Italian port of Genoa (in Italian Genova) as they seem to share a Celtic root, genu / genawa, meaning "estuary."

History

For the Catholic ecclesiastical history, see Lausanne and Geneva bishopric(s).

Antiquity

Geneva first appears in history as a border town, fortified against the Celto-Germanic Helvetii, which the Romans took in 121 B.C. It became an episcopal seat in the 4th century. In 443, it was taken by Burgundy, and with the latter fell to the Franks in 534. In 888 the town was part of the new Kingdom of Burgundy, and with it was taken over in 1033 by the German Emperor. According to legendary accounts found in the works of Gregorio Leti ("Historia Genevrena", Amsterdam, 1686) and Besson ("Memoires pour l'histoire ecclésiastique des diocèses de Genève, Tantaise, Aoste et Maurienne", Nancy, 1739; new ed. Moutiers, 1871), Geneva was Christianised by Dionysius Areopagita and Paracodus, two of the 72 disciples, in the time of Domitian; Dionysius went thence to Paris and Paracodus became the first Bishop of Geneva but the legend is fictitious, as is that which makes St. Lazarus the first Bishop of Geneva, an error arising out of the similarity between the Latin names Genara (Geneva) and Genua (Genoa, in northern Italy). The so-called "Catalogue de St. Pierre", which names St. Diogenus (Diogenes) as the first Bishop of Geneva, is unreliable.

A letter of St. Eucherius to Salvius makes it almost certain that St. Isaac (c. 400) was the first bishop. In 440 Salonius appears as Bishop of Geneva; he was a son of Eucherius, to whom the latter dedicated his Instructiones'; he took part in the Councils of Orange (441), Vaison (442) and Arles (about 455), and is supposed to be the author of two small commentaries, In parabolas Salomonis and on Ecclesisastis (published in P. L., LII, 967 sqq., 993 sqq. as works of an otherwise unknown bishop, Salonius of Vienne). Little is known about the following Bishops Theoplastus (about 475), to whom Sidonius Apollinaris addressed a letter; Dormitianus (before 500), under whom the Burgundian Princess Sedeleuba, a sister of Queen Clotilde, had the remains of the martyr and St. Victor of Soleure transferred to Geneva, where she built a basilica in his honour; St. Maximus (about 512-41), a friend of Avitus, Archbishop of Vienne and Cyprian of Toulon, with whom he was in correspondence (Wawra in "Tübinger Theolog. Quartalschrift", LXXXV, 1905, 576-594). Bishop Pappulus sent the priest Thoribiusas his substitute to the Synod of Orléans (541). Bishop Salonius II is only known from the signatures of the Synods of Lyon (570) and Paris (573) and Bishop Cariatto, installed by King Guntram in 584, was present at the two Synods of Valence and Macon in 585.

Middle Ages

L'Escalade, the defeat of the surprise attack by troops sent by Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy

From the beginning the bishopric of Geneva was a suffragan of the Archbishopric of Vienne. The bishops of Geneva had the status of prince of the Holy Roman Empire since 1154, but had to maintain a long struggle for their independence against the guardians (advocati) of the see, the counts of Geneva and later the counts of the House of Savoy. In 1290 the latter obtained the right of installing the vice-dominus of the diocese, the title of Vidame of Geneva was granted to the counts of the House of Candia under count François de Candie of Chambéry-Le-Vieux a Chatellaine of the Savoy, this official exercised minor jurisdiction in the town in the bishop's. In 1387 Bishop Adhémar Fabry granted the town its great charter, the basis of its communal self-government, which every bishop on his accession was expected to confirm. The line of the counts of Geneva ended in 1394, and the House of Savoy came into possession of their territory, assuming after 1416 the title of Duke. The new dynasty sought to bring the city of Geneva under their power, particularly by elevating members of their own family to the episcopal see. The city protected itself by union with the Swiss Federation (German: Eidgenossenschaft), uniting itself in 1526 with Berne and Fribourg.

Reformation

The International Monument to the Reformation

Plan of Geneva and environs in 1841. The colossal fortifications were demolished ten years later.

Swiss Army in Geneva on June 1, 1814 (painting from 1880)

Geneva, home of Calvinism, was one of the great centers of the Protestant Reformation. While Bern favoured the introduction of the new teaching and demanded liberty of preaching for the Reformers Guillaume Farel and Antoine Froment, Catholic Fribourg renounced in 1511 its allegiance with Geneva. In 1532 the Roman Catholic bishop of the city was obliged to leave his residence, never to return. In 1536, the Genevans declared themselves Protestant and proclaimed their city a republic. The Protestant leader John Calvin was based in Geneva from 1536 to his death in 1564 (save for an exile from 1538 to 1541) and became the spiritual leader of the city. Geneva became a centre of Protestant activity, producing works such as the Genevan Psalter, though there were often tensions between Calvin and the city's civil authorities. Though the city proper remained a Protestant stronghold, a large part of the historic diocese returned to Catholicism in the early seventeenth century under St. Francis de Sales.

18th century

During the French Revolution (1789–1799), aristocratic and democratic factions contended for control of Geneva. In 1798, however, France, then under the Directory, annexed Geneva and its surrounding territory.

19th century

In 1802 the diocese was united with that of Chambéry. At the Congress of Vienna of 1814-15, the territory of Geneva was extended to cover 15 Savoyard and six French parishes, with more than 16,000 Catholics; at the same time it was admitted to the Swiss Confederation. The Congress expressly provided—and the same proviso was included in the Treaty of Turin (16 March 1816)—that in these territories transferred to Geneva the Catholic religion was to be protected, and that no changes were to be made in existing conditions without the approval of the Holy See. The city's neutrality was guaranteed by the Congress. Pius VII in 1819 united the city of Geneva and 20 parishes with the Diocese of Lausanne, while the rest of the ancient Diocese of Geneva (outside of Switzerland) was reconstituted, in 1822, as the French Diocese of Annecy.

View of Geneva in 1860

The Great Council of Geneva (cantonal council) afterwards ignored the responsibilities thus undertaken; in imitation of Napoleon's "Organic Articles", it insisted upon the Placet, or previous approval of publication, for all papal documents. Catholic indignation ran high at the civil measures taken against Marilley, the parish priest of Geneva and later bishop of the see, and at the Kulturkampf, which obliged them to contribute to the budget of the Protestant Church and to that of the Old Catholic Church, without providing any public aid for Catholicism.

20th century

On 30 June 1907, aided by strong Catholic support, Geneva adopted a separation of Church and State. The Protestant faith received a one-time compensatory sum of 800,000 Swiss francs (then about US$160,000), while other faiths received nothing. Since then the Canton of Geneva has given aid to no creed from either state or municipal revenues.

League of Nations conference in 1926

The international status of the city was highlighted after World War I when Geneva became the seat of the League of Nations in 1919—notably through the work of the Federal Council member Gustav Ador and of Swiss diplomat William Rappard who was one of the founders of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Europe's oldest graduate school of international and development studies.

In the wake of the war, a class struggle in Switzerland grew and culminated in a general strike throughout the country—beginning on Armistice Day, 11 November 1918, and directed from the German-speaking part of the nation. However the prevailing friendliness toward France in Geneva moderated its effect upon that city.

On 9 November 1932, several small Fascist-inspired political parties, such as the National Union, attacked Socialist leaders, which action led to a later demonstration of the Left against the Fascists. On that occasion, young recruits in the Swiss Army fired without warning into a crowd, leaving thirteen dead and 63 wounded. As a result, a new general strike was called several days later in protest.

After World War II, the European headquarters of the United Nations and the seats of dozens of international organizations were installed in Geneva, resulting in the development of tourism and of business.

In the 1960s, Geneva became one of the first parts of Switzerland in which the rights movements achieved a certain measure of success. It was the third canton to grant women's suffrage on the cantonal and communal levels.

Geography and climate

Geneva seen from SPOT Satellite

Geneva is located at 46°12' North, 6°09' East, at the south-western end of Lake Geneva, where the lake flows back into the Rhône River. It is surrounded by two mountain chains, the Alps and the Jura.

The Geneva area seen from the Salève in France. The Jura mountains can be seen on the horizon.

The city of Geneva has an area of 15.86 km² (6.1 sq mi), while the area of the Canton of Geneva is 282 km² (108.9 sq mi), including the two small enclaves of Céligny in Vaud. The part of the lake that is attached to Geneva has an area of 38 km² (14.7 sq mi) and is sometimes referred to as Petit lac (English: small lake). The Canton has only a 4.5 km (2.8 mi) long border with the rest of Switzerland. Out of a total of 107.5 km (66.8 mi) of borders, the remaining 103 are shared with France, with the Départment de l'Ain to the North and the Département de la Haute-Savoie to the South.

The altitude of Geneva is 373.6 meters (1,225.7 ft), and corresponds to the altitude of the largest of the Pierres du Niton, two large rocks emerging from the lake which date from the last ice age. This rock was chosen by General Guillaume Henri Dufour as the reference point for all surveying in Switzerland. The second main river of Geneva is the Arve River which flows into the Rhône River just west of the city centre. Mont Blanc can be seen from Geneva and is only an hour's drive from the city centre.

Climate

The climate of Geneva is temperate. Winters are moderately mild, usually with light frosts at night and thawing conditions during the day. Summers are pleasantly warm. Precipitation is adequate and is relatively well-distributed throughout the year, although autumn is slightly wetter than the other seasons. Ice storms near Lac Léman are quite normal in the winter. In the summer many people enjoy swimming in the lake, and frequently patronize public beaches such as Genève Plage and the Bains des Pâquis. Geneva often receives snow in the colder months of the year. The nearby mountains are subject to substantial snowfall and are usually suitable for skiing. Many world-renowned ski resorts such as Verbier are just over an hour away by car. Mont Salève (1400 m), just across the border in France, dominates the southerly view from the city centre and is the closest skiing destination to Geneva. During the years 2000–2009, mean yearly temperature was 11°C and mean yearly sunshine lasted 2003 hours.

Climate data for Geneva
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	3.7 (38.7)	5.9 (42.6)	9.8 (49.6)	13.9 (57.0)	18.4 (65.1)	22.2 (72.0)	25.3 (77.5)	24.4 (75.9)	20.8 (69.4)	14.0 (57.2)	8.4 (47.1)	4.5 (40.1)	14.4 (57.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−1.9 (28.6)	−0.9 (30.4)	0.8 (33.4)	4.1 (39.4)	8.0 (46.4)	11.3 (52.3)	13.3 (55.9)	13.0 (55.4)	10.3 (50.5)	6.6 (43.9)	2.1 (35.8)	−0.5 (31.1)	5.5 (41.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	80 (3.1)	81 (3.2)	79 (3.1)	65 (2.6)	77 (3.0)	89 (3.5)	67 (2.6)	79 (3.1)	81 (3.2)	77 (3.0)	92 (3.6)	87 (3.4)	954 (37.6)
Average rainy days	10.5	9.3	10.3	9.3	11.2	9.8	7.8	8.9	7.6	8.4	9.8	10.1	113
Mean monthly sunshine hours	50	76	131	161	181	212	372	225	185	114	61	42	1,694
Source: http://www.meteosuisse.admin.ch/web/fr/climat/climat_en_suisse/tableaux_des_normes.html

Cityscape

View of Geneva to the south. Mont Salève (in France) dominates the foreground, with the white summit of Mont Blanc just visible behind it and 70 km away to the southeast. To the left of Mont Blanc is the point of Le Môle.

Society and culture

Media

The city's main newspaper is the Tribune de Genève, with a readership of about 187,000, a daily newspaper founded on 1 February 1879 by James T. Bates. Le Courrier, founded in 1868, was originally supported by the Roman Catholic Church, but has been completely independent since 1996. Mainly focused on Geneva, Le Courrier is trying to expand into other cantons in Romandy. Both Le Temps (headquartered in Geneva) and Le Matin are widely read in Geneva, but both journals actually cover the whole of Romandy.

Geneva is covered by the various French language radio networks of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, in particular the Radio Suisse Romande. While these networks cover the whole of Romandy, special programs related to Geneva are sometimes broadcast on some of the local frequencies in the case of special events such as elections. Other local station broadcast from the city, including RadioLac (FM 91.8 MHz), Radio Cité (Non-commercial radio, FM 92.2 MHz), OneFM (FM 107.0 MHz, also broadcast in Vaud), and World Radio Switzerland (FM 88.4 MHz), Switzerland's only English language radio station.

The main television channel covering Geneva is the Télévision Suisse Romande. While its headquarters are located in Geneva, the programs cover the whole of Romandy and are not specific to Geneva. Léman Bleu is a local TV channel, founded in 1996 and distributed by cable. Due to the proximity to France, French television channels are also available.

Traditions and customs

Geneva observes Jeûne genevois on the first Thursday following the first Sunday in September. By local tradition, this commemorates the date the news of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of Huguenots reached Geneva. The Genevois joke that the federal equivalent holiday, Jeûne fédéral, is observed two weeks later on account of the rest of the country being a bit slow on the uptake.

Since 1818, a particular chestnut tree has been used as the official "herald of the spring" in Geneva. The sautier (secretary of the Parliament of the Canton of Geneva) observes the tree and notes the day of arrival of the first bud. While this event has no practical effect, the sautier issues a formal press release and the local newspaper will usually mention the news.

As this is one of the world's oldest records of a plant's reaction to climatic conditions, researchers have been interested to note that the first bud appears earlier and earlier in the year. During the first century, many dates were in March or April. In recent years, it has usually been in mid-February and sometimes even earlier. In 2002, the first bud appeared unusually early, on 7 February, and then again on 29 December of the same year. The following year, which was one of the hottest years recorded in Europe, became a year with no bud. In 2008, the first bud also appeared very early, on 19 February.

Museums

Museums and art galleries are everywhere in the city. Some are related to the many international organizations as the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum or the Microcosm in the CERN area. The Palace of Nations, home of the United Nations headquarters can also be visited.

Sports

The main sport team in Geneva is Servette FC, a football club founded in 1890 and named after a borough on the right bank of the Rhône. Servette was the only club to have remained in the top league in Switzerland since its creation in the 1930s. In 2005, however, management problems resulted in the bankruptcy of the club's parent company, causing the club to be demoted two divisions. It is now playing in second division.

Geneva is also home of the Genève-Servette Hockey Club, who play in the Swiss National League A. In 2008 and 2010 the team made it to the league finals but lost to the ZSC Lions and SC Bern respectively.

Administrative divisions

The city is divided into eight quartiers, or districts, sometimes composed of several neighborhoods. On the Left Bank are (1) Jonction, (2) Centre. Plainpalais, and Acacias, (3) Eaux-Vives, and (4) Champel, while the Right Bank includes (1) Saint-Jean and Charmilles, (2) Servette and Petit-Saconnex, (3) Grottes and Saint-Gervais, and (4) Paquis and Nations.

Demographics

As of June 2008, the population of the Commune (city) of Geneva was 186,825. The city of Geneva is at the centre of the Geneva metropolitan area, known as the agglomération franco-valdo-genevoise in French. The agglomération franco-valdo-genevoise includes the Canton of Geneva in its entirety as well as the District of Nyon in the Canton of Vaud and several areas in the neighboring French departments of Haute-Savoie and Ain. In 2007 the agglomération franco-valdo-genevoise had 812,000 inhabitants, two-thirds of whom lived on Swiss soil and one-third on French soil. The Geneva metropolitan area is experiencing steady demographic growth of 1.2% a year and the agglomération franco-valdo-genevoise is expected to reach one million people in 2030.

The official language of Geneva is French, the official language of the canton as well as the main Swiss language used in the Romandie. Despite the presence of French everywhere, English is also a common language due to the high number of expatriates and foreigners, as well as the presence of international institutions.

The population of the Canton contains 148,500 people originally from Geneva (33.7%), 122,400 Swiss from other cantons (27.6%) and 170,500 foreigners (38.7%), from 180 different countries. Including people holding multiple citizenship, 54.4% of people living in Geneva hold a foreign passport.

While Geneva was historically considered a Protestant city, there are over twice as many Roman Catholics (39.5%) as Protestants (17.4%) living in the Canton. 22% of the inhabitants claim no religion. Some did not respond, and the remaining practice Islam (4.4%), Judaism (1.1%), or other religions.

Economy

Geneva Motor Show, 2008

Geneva's economy is mainly services oriented. The city has an important and old finance sector, which is specialized in private banking (managing assets of about 1 trillion USD) and financing of international trade. It is also an important centre of commodity trade.

Geneva hosts the international headquarters of companies like JT International (JTI), Mediterranean Shipping Company, Serono, SITA, Société Générale de Surveillance, STMicroelectronics, and Weatherford International. Many other multinational companies like Caterpillar, DuPont, Take Two Interactive, Electronic Arts, INVISTA, Procter & Gamble and Sun Microsystems have their European headquarters in the city. Hewlett Packard has its Europe, Africa, and Middle East headquarters in Meyrin, near Geneva. PrivatAir has its headquarters in Meyrin, near Geneva.

There is a long tradition of watchmaking (Baume et Mercier, Charriol, Chopard, Franck Muller, Patek Philippe, Gallet, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Rolex, Raymond Weil, Omega, Vacheron Constantin, etc.). Two major international producers of flavours and fragrances, Firmenich and Givaudan, have their headquarters and main production facilities in Geneva.

Many people also work in the numerous offices of international organisations located in Geneva (about 24,000 in 2001).

The Geneva Motor Show is one of the most important international auto-shows. The show is held at Palexpo, a giant convention centre located next to the International Airport.

In 2009, Geneva was ranked as the fourth most expensive city in the world. Geneva moved up four places from eighth place in last year's survey. Geneva is ranked behind Tokyo, Osaka, and Moscow at first, second, and third respectively. Geneva also beat Hong Kong, which came in at fifth place.

Infrastructure

Transport

Main article: Transports Publics Genevois

A Geneva tram

The city is served by the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. It is connected by Geneva Airport railway station (French: Gare de Genève-Aéroport) with both the Swiss railway network SBB-CFF-FFS, and the French SNCF network, including direct connections to Paris, Marseille and Montpellier by TGV. Geneva is also connected to the motorway systems of both Switzerland (A1 motorway) and France.

Public transport by bus, trolleybus or tram is provided by Transports Publics Genevois (TPG). In addition to an extensive coverage of the city centre, the network covers most of the municipalities of the Canton, with a few lines extending into France. Public transport by boat is provided by the Mouettes Genevoises, which link the two banks of the lake within the city, and by the Compagnie Générale de Navigation sur le lac Léman (CGN) which serves more distant destinations such as Nyon, Yvoire, Thonon, Evian, Lausanne and Montreux using both modern diesel vessels and vintage paddle steamers.

Geneva Sécheron Train station

Trains operated by SBB-CFF-FFS connect the airport to the main station of Cornavin in a mere six minutes, and carry on to towns such as Nyon, Lausanne, Fribourg, Montreux, Neuchâtel, Berne, Sion, Sierre, etc. Regional train services are being increasingly developed, towards Coppet and Bellegarde. At the city limits, two new stations have been created since 2002: Genève-Sécheron (close to the UN and the Botanical Gardens) and Lancy-Pont-Rouge.

In 2005, work started on the CEVA (Cornavin - Eaux-Vives - Annemasse) project, first planned in 1884, which will connect Cornavin with the Cantonal hospital, the Eaux-Vives station and Annemasse, in France. The link between the main station and the classification yard of La Praille already exists; from there, the line will go mostly underground to the Hospital and the Eaux-Vives, where it will link up to the existing line to France. Support for this project was obtained from all parties in the local parliament.

Taxis in Geneva can be difficult to find, and may need to be booked in advance especially in the early morning or at peak hours. In addition, taxis can refuse to take babies and children because of seating legislation.

An ambitious project to close 200 streets in the centre of Geneva to cars has been approved in principle by the Geneva cantonal authorities, and is projected to be implemented over four years (2010–2014).

Utilities

Water, natural gas and electricity are provided to the municipalities of the Canton of Geneva by the state-owned Services Industriels de Genève (shortly SIG). Most of the drinkable water (80%) is extracted from the lake; the remaining 20% is provided by groundwater originally formed by infiltration from the Arve River. 30% of the Canton's electricity needs is locally produced, mainly by three hydroelectric dams on the Rhone River (Seujet, Verbois and Chancy-Pougny). In addition, 13% of the electricity produced in the Canton is made from the heat induced by the burning of waste at the waste incineration facility of Les Cheneviers. The remaining needs (57%) are covered by imports from other cantons in Switzerland or other European countries; SIG buys only electricity produced by renewable methods, and in particular does not use electricity produced using nuclear reactors or fossil fuels. Natural gas is available in the City of Geneva, as well as in about two-thirds of the municipalities of the canton, and is imported from Western Europe by the Swiss company Gaznat. SIG also provides telecommunication facilities to carriers, service providers and large enterprises. From 2003 to 2005 "Voisin, voisine" a Fibre to the Home pilot project with a Triple play offering was launched to test the end-user market in the Charmilles district.

Education

University of Geneva

Geneva is home to the University of Geneva, founded by John Calvin in 1559. Despite its medium size (about 13000 students), the University of Geneva is regularly ranked among the best world universities. In 2006, the Newsweek magazine ranked it 32nd global university.

Located in the heart of International Geneva, The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies was among the first academic institutions to teach international relations in the world and it proposes today MA and PhD programmes in Law, Political Science, History, Economics, International Affairs, and Development Studies.

Also, the oldest international school in the world is located in Geneva, the International School of Geneva, founded in 1924 along with the League of Nations. Webster University, an accredited American university, also has a campus in Geneva. Moreover, the city is home to the Institut International de Lancy (founded in 1903) and to the International University in Geneva, an accredited International University.

The Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations is a private university on the grounds of the Château de Penthes, an old manor with a park and view of Lake Geneva.

The Canton of Geneva's public school system has écoles primaires (ages 4–12) and cycles d'orientation (ages 12–15). The obligation to attend school ends at age 16, but secondary education is provided by collèges (ages 15–19), the oldest of which is the Collège Calvin, which could be considered one of the oldest public schools in the world.

Geneva also has a choice of private schools. However, out of all the educational and research facilities in Geneva, CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) is probably the best known on a world basis. Founded in 1954, CERN was one of Europe's first joint ventures and has developed as the world's largest particle physics laboratory. Physicists from around the world travel to CERN to research matter and explore the fundamental forces and materials that form the universe.

International organizations

See also: List of international organizations based in Geneva

The World Intellectual Property Organization

Geneva is the seat of the European headquarters of the United Nations. It is located in the Palace of Nations building (French: Palais des Nations) which was also the headquarters of the former League of Nations. Several agencies are headquartered at Geneva, among which the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labour Organization (ILO) or the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The Palace of Nations

Apart from the United Nation agencies, Geneva hosts many inter-governmental organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Economic Forum (WEF), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Organizations on the European level, include the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) which is the world's largest particle physics laboratory.

The Geneva Environment Network (GEN) publishes the Geneva Green Guide, and extensive listing of Geneva-based global organisations working on environment protection and sustainable development. A website (by the Swiss Government, WBCSD, UNEP and IUCN) includes stories about how NGOs, business, government and the UN cooperate. By doing so, it attempts to explain why Geneva has been picked by so many NGOs and UN as their headquarters location.

Geneva in popular culture

Literature

• Belle du Seigneur by Albert Cohen, ISBN 2-07-040402-1
• Nuages dans la main, Comme le sable, Le Creux de la vague, Jette ton pain by Alice Rivaz
• Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• Politics and the Arts by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
• Angels & Demons by Dan Brown
• Daisy Miller by Henry James
• This Perfect Day by Ira Levin
• Bon Voyage, Mr. President in Strange Pilgrims by Gabriel García Márquez, 1992
• Grand Days by Frank Moorhouse
• "His Dark Materials" by Philip Pullman
• The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
• "Generation A" by Douglas Coupland, 2009
• Flash Forward by Robert J. Sawyer
• Doctor of Geneva by Wallace Stevens

Comic books

• Asterix in Switzerland by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
• The Calculus Affair by Hergé

Film and television

• In the final part of the film Blood Diamond, Maddy Bowen is in a cafe, Geneva, when Danny Archer is calling her.
• The sequence The Ozerov Inheritance (1972) of the television series The Persuaders! is set in Geneva.
• The protagonists of the television series The Champions are agents for a United Nations law enforcement organisation called "Nemesis", which is based in Geneva.
• In the 2005 film Syriana, Matt Damon plays an energy analyst based in Geneva.
• In the television series Babylon 5, Earthdome, the capital of the Earth Alliance is located in Geneva.
• The final scene of the film F/X takes place in Geneva as the characters played by Bryan Brown and Brian Dennehy go there to recover a fortune from a bank.
• In the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the original Red, Yellow, and Black Rangers (Jason, Trini, and Zack) were sent to a peace conference in Geneva when their actors left the show mid-season.
• Scenes from the James Bond film Goldfinger are set in Geneva, though these were actually filmed in German-speaking part of Switzerland.
• In the film Starship Troopers, Geneva is the capital of the United Citizens' Federation.
• The film The Cassandra Crossing is partially set in Geneva.
• Peter Greenaway's "8½ Women" is set just outside Geneva.
• "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" (dir. Philip Kaufman) is partly set in Geneva.
• In the television series Doctor Who UNIT's headquarters are based in Geneva.
• In the television series Macgyver, the episode "Cease Fire" takes place in Geneva.
• In the television series Warehouse 13, for part of the season 2 première, which has to do with CERN.
• In the television series Flight of the Conchords their song "Fashion is Danger" lists Geneva among other notable fashion capitals.

Music

• The song "My Manic And I" by Laura Marling describes a lover who wishes to die in Geneva.
• The New Jersey band Trophy Scars has a song entitled "Geneva" on their 2009 album "Bad Luck".
• The Chicago band Russian Circles 2009 album is entitled "Geneva" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_(Russian_Circles_album)
• The song "Goin' Down Geneva" by Van Morrison opens his 1999 record "Back on Top".
• The song "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple describes an incident the band had, playing at lake Geneva.

Notable people

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau
• Henriette d'Angeville, mountaineer
• Philippe Senderos, footballer
• Marc Rosset, tennis player
• Stanislav Smirnov, mathematician
• Swiss aviation pioneers:
  • Emile Taddéoli
  • Armand Dufaux
  • Henri Dufaux

See also

• Calvin Auditory, a chapel in Geneva that played a significant role in the Reformation
• Circuit des Nations, the historic race track of Geneva
• Franco-Provençal language
• French language
• Geneva Motor Show
• Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
• Lausanne and Geneva bishopric(s)
• List of mayors of Geneva
• Bibliotheque Publique et Universitaire (Geneva)

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Lausanne and Geneva". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

Further reading

• Geneva (municipality) in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
• Jean de Senarclens, "Geneva: Historic Guide", Editions du Tricorne, 1995. ISBN 2-8293-0144-7

External links

Official

• Geneva - Welcome to Networld
• Official website of the City of Geneva
• Official website of the Canton of Geneva Template:Fr icon
• The official Chestnut Tree, on the website of the Canton of Geneva Template:Fr icon
• Geneva Palexpo, exhibitions and congresses centre, owned by the State of Geneva.
• Geneva Motor Show.

Tourism

• Geneva Tourism
• Geneva Directory Template:Fr icon
• Geneva public transport
• International Geneva Welcome Centre
• Brief history of Geneva
• Template:Wikitravel
• Geneva information
• Geneva Tourism Safety Tips With Maps
• Discover Geneva in video Streetview
• Photography, Videos, Life Stories from Geneva by the Senior Citizen of the Canton
• Panoramic views of Geneva

Study

• Student Blog Geneva
• University of Geneva
• Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies

Other

• RadioLac website
• Radio Cité website
• OneFM website
• Léman Bleu local Tv station
• World Radio Switzerland
• Geneva Pictures
• Geneva Genealogy Society - more than 600,000 people linked to Geneva
• Bushido Club Versoix Genève