Geneva has long been Switzerland’s most cosmopolitan city. It sits at the southwestern end of
Lac Léman (the country’s largest lake), astride the River
Rhône, with foreground hills rising against a magnificent backdrop of mountains.
The river bisects the city, with the north side as the right bank (Rive Droite) and the south as the left bank (Rive Gauche). The main railway station and the suburbs are to the north of the river and the
Old Town to the south of the river.
Geneva was settled since Neolithic times and became an imperial
city in 1032, before achieving independence in 1530 and joining the
Swiss Confederation in 1814. Its reputation for
religious tolerance during the
Reformation proved to be a major influence on its subsequent development.
For centuries, exiles from religious or political persecution chose the city as their refuge, from 17th-century English regicides to Lenin in the early 20th century. John Calvin, the Protestant theologian, made his home here in the 1530s from where he led the Reformation in Switzerland.
Switzerland’s famed
neutrality has long enticed international organizations
to locate their headquarters in Geneva. There are currently around 200, raising the foreign community to 45% of the population.
The
League of Nations, predecessor of the
United Nations, was established here in 1919. Although the UN moved to New York in 1945, Geneva has kept its European office here.
Other important organizations include the International Committee of the
Red Cross (founded by the Swiss Henri Dunant in 1863) and the
World Health Organization.
The city is also a
major banking center (described by British actor Robert Morley as a ‘city of wealth by stealth’) and plays a significant role in the manufacture of
watches,
scientific instruments,
jewelry and
foodstuffs.
Geneva is an expensive city, but clean,
efficient and a pleasure to visit with its beautiful
Old Town,
fine museums and an
excellent public transport system. The city enjoys a
mild climate with relatively
low rainfall. The super-rich community of international civil servants and tax exiles demand
good food,
top hotels and
entertainment and Geneva provides it all. Beneath the stereotypical veneer of diamonds and watches, however, one finds a
tolerant and
safe society with the
Genevois strangely similar to the British - reserved but courteous.
The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Related Geneva Content
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
Related Switzerland Content
The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
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