Geneva (French Genève, Italian Ginevra, raw Genevra, English
Geneva) is the capital of the canton of Geneva of the same name.
The city lies directly on Lac Léman (German Lake Geneva) and on
the Rhone. One of the most well-known sights next to the seaport
is the Jet d'eau, a water fountain up to 140 m high, and the
historic old town situated on a hill. Geneva is home to around
200 international institutions, including the United Nations'
second headquarters (next to New York City), and
non-governmental organizations. For this reason, the city
accommodates many foreigners and has an international
atmosphere, which is also reflected, for example, in the
high-quality gastronomy.
Geneva is the capital of the
canton of the same name, which is the westernmost canton of
Switzerland. The city lies at the outflow of the Rhone from Lake
Geneva. The city is the second largest in Switzerland and is
also considered to be the most cosmopolitan in Switzerland. It
is partly due to the fact that John Calvin, a reformer and the
founder of Calvinism, lived and worked here. The city was an
important university city early on. The first general of the
Swiss army, Guillaume-Henri Dufour, also comes from Geneva, as
does the initiator and founder of the International Committee of
the Red Cross, Henry Dunant. Since four of the five founding
members of the Red Cross are from Geneva, it is not surprising
that this organization has its headquarters here.
When
the League of Nations was founded in 1919, Geneva was chosen as
its seat. Although Switzerland did not join the United Nations
(UN) after the Second World War – this only happened in 2002 –
Geneva became the second most important seat for the UN. The
United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) is located here. This
could continue to use the buildings of the former League of
Nations. In neutral Switzerland, it was much easier to bring
conflicting parties to the table for negotiations. Although the
UN's power-political organs are less located in Geneva, the UN
Human Rights Council has its headquarters here. The World Trade
Organization (WTO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) also
have their headquarters in Geneva.
In addition to the
university, the European Center for Nuclear Research (Conseil
Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire CERN) is worth mentioning.
The world's largest research center in the field of particle
physics operates several connected particle accelerators
north-west of the city on both Swiss and French soil. At 27
kilometers long, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the largest
machine in the world.
Northwest of Geneva lies the Jura.
By plane
The city has the medium-sized Geneva International
Airport (IATA: GVA) . It is a few kilometers northwest of the city
center and has numerous inner-European city and holiday connections
as well as a handful of long-haul flights.
As of 2022, there
are direct flights to Geneva from German-speaking countries from
Berlin (easyJet), Düsseldorf (Eurowings), Frankfurt, Munich (each
Lufthansa and SWISS) and Vienna (Austrian).
A flight within
Switzerland to Geneva is only offered from Zurich (with SWISS),
whereby the connection by train only takes about 2:40 hours. Basel
and Bern are also connected by rail at frequent intervals. The SBB
timetable can be accessed online.
In addition to the
terminal, the airport has its own underground SBB long-distance
train station, with all trains starting and ending here running via
Geneva main station - the journey takes about 7 minutes, during the
day there is a train every 15-20 minutes at the latest. There are
both German-language ticket machines and an SBB customer center. In
Switzerland there are no tariff differences between train types, so
you can board any train (IC and IR) towards Geneva with a ticket
bought there.
By train
Geneva's main train station, Gare
Genève Cornavin, is in the immediate vicinity of the (historical)
center of the city and has frequent and very reliable domestic
connections as well as regular international connections to Paris
(with the TGV Lyria) and Milan (EC of the SBB). It is also a hub for
regional trains, trams and buses. In addition to a large SBB
customer center, there are numerous ticket machines, including
German-speaking ones, and some shops that are also open on Sundays,
including two supermarkets.
All connections can be queried in
the SBB electronic timetable and via their app.
In the street
Geneva is on the A1, Switzerland's main motorway. Near Geneva, in
the south-west of the city, there is a motorway junction where
several motorways intersect: the N1 from Lausanne intersects with
the E62 to Lyon (130km) and the E25 to Chamonix in the south-east.
By bicycle
Rhone route
By boat
Geneva is located on
Lac Léman and can be reached by boat.
The city and agglomeration of Geneva has a dense public transport
network. The city is well served by Geneva Public Transport's trams
and buses. The agglomeration and surrounding towns can be reached by
S-Bahn. The connections are listed in the electronic timetable.
The Léman Express network connects the main Geneva train
stations with 18 French cities in the region.
There is a
network of good hiking trails in the nearby Jura. The Jura Höhenweg
leads to the highest mountains in the Jura Mountains, which offer
beautiful vantage points.
Probably the most famous sight in Geneva is the Jet d'eau wikipediacommons right next to the port, a water fountain up to 140m high (open all year round except November, as well as at night and in strong winds). Also known are the research center CERN and the headquarters of the United Nations. But Lake Geneva shouldn't be missed either, as well as the historic old town.
St. Peter's Cathedral
Temple de la Fusteria, Place de la Fusteria
18, 1204 Geneva
American Church
Eglise Note Dame, Place de
Cornavin, 1201 Geneva .
Church of the Madeleine
St Joseph
St.
Clotilde
Temple de Autitoire
Russian Church (Eglise Russe),
Rue Toepffer 9, 1206 Geneva.
Temple de Saint Pierre. The Cathedral of
St. Peter (Temple de Saint-Pierre) is located on the top of the Old Town
hill. From 1160 to 1232 the bishop's church was built in the
Romanesque-Gothic style, after which it was remodeled several times. In
their place were Roman temples and, since the 4th/5th century, Christian
basilicas. The two main towers were not completed in the 13th century.
The metal spire above the crossing dates from 1895 and replaced the
15th-century bell tower that had burned down. The portico from 1756 with
its six Corinthian columns is a real break in style and does not match
the building. A staircase with 157 steps leads to the north tower. The
64 meter long interior impresses with its balanced proportions. It was
cleared out on the occasion of the Reformation and therefore does not
have any large decorations, as is desired in a Calvinist church.
However, there are a number of tombs and tombstones in the church. The
three-aisled nave ends in a narrow transept with a semicircular choir.
The organ from 1965 with 6000 pipes is located in the large gallery
above the portal. The stained glass windows in the choir are copies of
the 15th-century originals housed in the Musée d'Art et d'Historie.
Below the church is one of the largest archaeological excavation sites
in Europe. The archeology site is open Tues – Sun, see International
Museum of the Reformation.
Castles, palaces and castles
Palace
of Nations. The European headquarters of the UN. With an area of
25,000m², it is the second largest complex in Europe after the Palace of
Versailles.
Hôtel de Ville (City Hall)
Rue de l’Hôtel-de-Ville 2, Old Town.
Geneva’s civic heart has stood here since the early 1400s. The commune
bought private houses in 1405 and added the rectangular Tour Baudet in
the 1450s as both defense and council chamber. Between 1555 and 1578 a
unique cobbled spiral ramp was built inside a square tower so officials
(and their horses) could reach the upper floors without stairs. Facades
facing the street and the Promenade de la Treille were completed in the
17th and early 18th centuries.
The courtyard and ramp are usually
free to enter. Historic rooms (Alabama Room, Grand Council, painted
salons) open mainly on guided or heritage-day visits. The first Geneva
Convention was signed here on 22 August 1864. In 1872 the Alabama Room
hosted the arbitration that settled the US-British dispute after the
American Civil War.
Ancien Arsenal (Old Arsenal)
Next to the
Hôtel de Ville, often called Place des Canons.
A covered market hall
stood on this site from the late 15th century. Rebuilt 1628-1634 as a
grain granary with open arcades at street level and a single great hall
above, it served as a weapons depot from 1720 until 1877. Since the
1920s it has housed the State Archives of the Canton of Geneva (oldest
document: 912).
Under the arcades stand five period cannons. Three
mosaics by Alexandre Cingria show Caesar’s arrival in 58 BC, medieval
fairs, and the welcome of Huguenot refugees after the Revocation of the
Edict of Nantes. During the Escalade festival, vegetable soup is sold
here in commemorative bowls.
Palais Eynard
Rue de la
Croix-Rouge 4, 1204 Geneva.
Banker and philhellene Jean-Gabriel
Eynard and his wife Anna Lullin built this neo-Palladian palace in
1817-1821 on the old Bourgeois bastion, just outside the medieval walls
and facing Parc des Bastions. Italian, English and French classical
influences mix: Ionic colonnade toward the park, double staircase with
marble lions, cupola-lit hall, trompe-l’œil ceilings.
The City bought
it in 1891. After serving as part of the natural-history collections it
was restored in the 1980s and now holds the municipal executive offices.
Civil weddings take place in the Blue Salon. A bust of Eynard in the
loggia recalls his support for Greek independence.
Palais de
l’Athénée
Rue de l’Athénée 2, 1205 Geneva.
Eynard and his wife
financed this second palace in 1863 (not 1826) as a gift to the Société
des Arts, founded in 1776. Architects Gabriel Diodati and Charles
Schaeck produced a compact neo-classical building next to Palais Eynard.
The Grand Salon is historically important: the International Committee
of the Red Cross was constituted there in October 1863. Other bodies
(historical sciences, child relief, Swiss chronometry) were also founded
in the same rooms. Today the Société des Arts still owns the building.
Salle Crosnier shows contemporary art (check hours during exhibitions);
Salle des Abeilles and restored salons are used for events.
Centre William Rappard - World Trade Organization
Rue de Lausanne /
lakeside, 1202 Geneva.
The user’s “WHO from 1926” refers to this
building, not the World Health Organization. Swiss architect George
Épitaux designed it in a Florentine-villa style for the International
Labour Office; it opened in 1926, the first purpose-built headquarters
of an international organization in Geneva. The ILO left in 1975. GATT
moved in, and since 1995 it has been the WTO seat (99-year Swiss lease,
later conference wing added). Interior courtyards, donated murals and
sculpture from many countries, and a park of old trees facing the lake
and Mont Blanc.
WHO headquarters is a separate 1960s modernist
complex by Jean Tschumi on Avenue Appia.
International Committee
of the Red Cross (ICRC)
19 Avenue de la Paix, 1202 Geneva.
Headquarters occupy the former Hôtel Carlton (1876) and later annexes on
the Pregny hillside above the Palais des Nations. The ICRC was founded
in Geneva in 1863; the first Geneva Convention was signed at the Hôtel
de Ville the following year. The site is a working HQ rather than a
tourist museum; the nearby International Red Cross and Red Crescent
Museum (Avenue de la Paix 17) covers the history and work of the
Movement.
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
7 bis Avenue
de la Paix.
The 1999 headquarters by Geneva architects Rino Brodbeck
and Jacques Roulet is a 120-metre glass oval nicknamed a “glass ship” or
“Chic Planète.” A double-skin façade (fixed north, movable south
louvers) acts as a thermos; structure and ventilation are integrated so
interiors stay light and open. It links the Palais des Nations axis with
the lakeside WTO building and was designed for energy performance as
well as image.
Villa Bartholoni
Parc de la Perle du Lac (near
the Botanical Garden and lake).
Paris-based Genevan bankers
Jean-François and Constant Bartholoni commissioned this Italianate
neo-classical villa in 1828-1830 from Prix-de-Rome architect
Félix-Emmanuel Callet. English-style gardens, lake and Alpine views
earned the estate the name “Pearl of the Lake.” Hans Wilsdorf (Rolex)
later owned it; the League of Nations considered the site. Since 1964 it
has housed the City’s Museum of the History of Science (free entry,
historic instruments, daily 10:00-17:00 except 25 Dec and 1 Jan).
Restored 1985-1992.
Reformation Monument (Mur des Réformateurs / International Monument
to the Reformation)
Parc des Bastions, south-east of Place de Neuve,
built against the old city wall below the Promenade de la Treille.
Inaugurated in 1909 for the 400th anniversary of Calvin’s birth and the
350th of the Academy (now University of Geneva). The wall is about 100
metres long. Four 5-metre statues stand at the centre: William Farel,
John Calvin, Theodore Beza and John Knox. Flanking figures and reliefs
include Luther, Zwingli, Cromwell, Coligny and others; motto “Post
Tenebras Lux”; dates 1536 (Reformation adopted in Geneva) and 1602
(Escalade). Names of precursors (Valdo, Wyclif, Hus) and theologian
Marie Dentière were added later. Open park, no ticket.
Monument
National
Jardin Anglais (English Garden), lakefront opposite the Jet
d’Eau.
Bronze group by Robert Dorer, inaugurated 7 September 1869 for
the 50th anniversary of Geneva’s entry into the Swiss Confederation
(treaty 12 September 1814, effective 1815). Two allegorical women - the
Republic of Geneva (crenellated crown, shield) and Helvetia - stand arm
in arm, sword in hand, looking toward the lake and the rest of
Switzerland. The garden itself was created on land reclaimed from the
lake after the 1850s demolition of the fortifications; it also holds the
Flower Clock (1955) and a large 1860s cast-iron fountain.
International Museum of the Reformation, Rue du Cloître 2, 1204
Genève (bus 36 Cathédrale stop/ bus 2, 7, 12, 16, 20, Molard stop).
Tel.: +41 (0)22 310 24 31, fax: +41 22 310 74 45, e-mail:
info@musee-reforme.ch. History of the Reformation initiated by Jean
Calvin. With the help of books, manuscripts, pictures, engravings,
various utensils and the latest audio-visual means, the adventure of
this movement that started in Geneva in the 16th century and became one
of the great families of Christianity is presented. The museum is
located on the Cour Saint-Pierre, in the magnificent Maison Mallet,
built in the 18th century on the site of the former monastery of
Saint-Pierre, where the Reformation was welcomed in 1536. The museum is
connected underground to the archaeological site under the Saint-Pierre
Cathedral. Together with these cities, the cathedral and its towers, it
becomes a new cultural offer in Geneva, the Espace Saint-Pierre. CHF 10
adults ("AHV/ IV/ unemployed/ students aged 16-25/ apprentices CHF 7,
young people aged 7-16/ adults in groups of 15 or more (accompanying
person free) CHF 5, children under 7 years/ members of the IMR
association free "). Guided tours on request. Open: Tue – Sun 10 a.m. –
5 p.m., 24.12., 25.12., 31.12. + 1.1. closed; Easter Monday, Whit Monday
and Federal Day of Thanksgiving, Repentance and Prayer open. Wheelchair
accessible.
Musée d'Art et d'History, Rue Charles-Galland 2, 1206
Geneva. Phone: +41 (0)22 418 26 00 . Museum of Art and History. Feature:
Photographing allowed. Open: 11am-6pm, Monday closed.
Casemates
(Cabinet d'arts graphiques), Promenade du Pin 5. Email: mah@ville-ge.ch.
Open: 11am-6pm, closed Mondays.
Natural History Museum (Muséum
d'histoire naturelle de la Ville de Genève), Route de Malagnou 1 . Open:
10am-5pm, closed Mon.
Ethnographic Museum (Musée d'ethnographie de
Genève), Boulvard Calr-Vagt 65 . Open: 11am-6pm, closed Mondays. Price:
permanent exhibition free of charge.
Patek Philippe Museum, 7 rue des
Vieux-Grenadiers. Clock and Enamel Museum. Open: 2-6 p.m., closed on Sun
and Mon. Price: 10 CHF, children free.
Museum of Modern and
Contemporary Art (Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain, MAMCO), 10 rue
des Vieux-Grenadiers. Open: Tue - Fri 12pm - 6pm, Sat + Sun 10am - 6pm.
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum (Musée international de
la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge), Av. de la Paix 17, 1202 Geneva.
Phone: +41 (0)22 748 95 11 . Open: Tue-Sun: April to October 10 a.m. to
6 p.m., November to March until 5 p.m.
Parks
English Garden, Quai Général Guisan.
Botanical Garden, 1, ch. of
the Empress
What to do
Geneve Plage, Quai de Cologny 5 Port-Noir 1223 Geneva. An inner-city
outdoor pool right on the lake, with many swimming and sports
facilities. Open: daily 9.00 a.m. - 8.30 p.m. Price: Children from 6 to
15 years: 3.50 adults (from 16 years): 7. Adults from 5 p.m.: 4.50.
In June 2008, Geneva was the venue for UEFA EURO 2008.
Like the rest of Switzerland, Geneva is famous for well-prepared food
that is rarely cheap. A single main course in a sit-down restaurant
commonly runs from about 20 to well over 50 Swiss francs, and a
mid-range dinner with a glass of local wine easily reaches 40-70 francs
per person. The city mixes small neighborhood brasseries, historic Old
Town rooms, lakeside terraces, and serious gourmet tables. French
technique sits next to Swiss mountain cooking, while the large
international community keeps Lebanese, Turkish, Italian, Asian, and
African kitchens busy year-round. Geneva and nearby Satigny wines -
Chasselas, Gamay, Pinot Noir, and the local Gamaret-Garanoir blends -
appear on almost every decent list.
The most distinctive Genevan
specialty is the longeole, a raw pork sausage protected by a Swiss IGP
(Indication géographique protégée) since 2009. Production is limited to
the canton of Geneva; the pork itself must come from Switzerland. The
filling is roughly one-third lean pork, one-third neck or jowl fat, and
one-third raw pork rind, seasoned with whole fennel seeds, salt, and
white pepper. Optional additions such as white wine, garlic, shallot,
coriander, or nutmeg are allowed only if fennel remains the dominant
aroma. The mix is stuffed into pork or beef casings of 40-60 mm, tied
with red-and-yellow strings in the colors of the Geneva coat of arms,
then hung at room temperature for at least 12 hours so the surface
reddens. Finished sausages weigh 250-650 g.
Because of the rind,
longeole cannot be fried like an ordinary sausage. It is poached: start
in cold water, bring just to a simmer, and cook gently for 2.5 to 3
hours at around 70°C so the rind turns tender without splitting the
casing. The classic winter plate is sliced longeole with artichoke or
potato gratin, or with Geneva’s other local winter vegetable, cardon
épineux (spiny cardoon) baked with bone marrow and cheese. Potato salad,
carrot salad, or potatoes cooked in white wine are also traditional.
Longeole is most common from autumn through winter and appears on menus
around the Escalade festival in December. Oral tradition credits a monk,
Père Longeot of the Abbey of Pomier in neighboring Haute-Savoie, with
adding fennel and rind to a standard sausage paste; written mentions in
Geneva date from at least 1820.
Other dishes worth seeking include
filets de perche from Lake Geneva, ideally specified as “du Léman” and
pan-fried meunière in brown butter with lemon and thin fries (best in
summer); fondue moitié-moitié of Gruyère and Vacherin Fribourgeois;
raclette scraped over potatoes with pickles and dried meat; and winter
cardons à la genevoise. Prices for these plates in ordinary restaurants
usually sit in the 25-45 franc range.
Truly cheap eating is limited.
Street food and supermarket counters already cost more than comparable
food in Germany or Austria. The densest inexpensive options are in the
Pâquis district around Rue de Berne: Lebanese and Turkish falafel,
shawarma, and mixed-grill plates or sandwiches, often 9-18 francs. Roast
chicken is widespread; a half bird with Provençal potatoes and salad at
places such as Chez ma Cousine is typically around 16 francs. Markets at
Plainpalais and seasonal food trucks add bao, pasta, crêpes, and curries
in the 8-15 franc range.
The two big supermarket chains, Migros and
Coop, are the everyday fallback. Their takeaway counters and in-store
restaurants sell sandwiches, salads, pasta, and hot daily plates from
about 5-14 francs. A filled sandwich or salad from the chiller is
usually 5-8 francs; a hot lunch plate at a large Migros counter is often
10-14 francs. Larger Coop stores add a simple self-service restaurant.
Combined with a bakery croissant and coffee (around 6 francs), a full
day of eating without sitting in a restaurant can stay near 30-40
francs. For a sit-down meal that still feels local rather than
tourist-priced, look at the Buvette des Bains at the Bains des Pâquis on
the lake: daily plats du jour around 12-15 francs and fondue that is
among the cheapest authentic versions in the city.
As expected in a city that hosts so many international visitors,
Geneva’s already high cost of living shows up immediately in hotel
rates. Even a simple, no-frills room in the city is rarely available for
less than about 100 Swiss francs per night, and mid-range doubles more
often land in the 180-280 CHF range. Luxury rooms along the lake
frequently start around 600 CHF and can climb well above 1,000 CHF
during busy weeks.
A handful of downtown hostels still offer a
realistic way to keep costs down. The most practical options sit in the
Pâquis district, a short walk from Gare Cornavin and the lake:
City Hostel Geneva (Rue Ferrier) - dorm beds typically around 45-55 CHF,
private rooms higher; kitchen access, 24-hour reception, and the free
Geneva Transport Card included with the stay.
Geneva Hostel / HI
youth hostel (Rue Rothschild) - similar prices, a slightly more
institutional feel, family rooms available, close to the Bains des
Pâquis.
MEININGER Genève Centre Charmilles - modern hostel-hotel
hybrid a bit farther west, often competitive on dorm and private-room
rates.
Airport-area hotels are often the best value if you have
an early flight or a Palexpo event. Reliable choices include Ibis Budget
Genève Palexpo Aéroport, B&B Hotel Genève Aéroport, Ibis Budget Genève
Aéroport, and NH Geneva Airport. Nightly rates here commonly fall in the
95-160 CHF band outside peak events, with a short train or tram ride
into the center.
Along the right bank of Lake Geneva the picture
changes completely. One palace hotel after another lines Quai du
Mont-Blanc and Quai Wilson: Beau-Rivage, Four Seasons Hôtel des Bergues,
Hôtel d’Angleterre, Hôtel Président Wilson, Mandarin Oriental, and The
Woodward. These properties sell the view of the Jet d’Eau, the Mont
Blanc on a clear day, and the prestige of a lakefront address.
Always
check the calendar before you book. Major UN sessions, large gatherings
at Palais des Nations, Watches and Wonders (usually early April at
Palexpo), and other Palexpo trade fairs push occupancy up months in
advance. Rates can jump 30-50 percent and entire categories of rooms
disappear. Shoulder months (April-May and September-October, outside the
watch fair) and winter outside the Christmas-New Year window are usually
the most reasonable times to stay.
Upscale
Hôtel Beau-Rivage
Quai du Mont-Blanc 13, CH-1201 Geneva
Phone: +41 (0)22 716 66 66
Email: reservation@beau-rivage.ch
Website: beau-rivage.ch
Opened in 1865 and still one of Geneva’s defining grand hotels,
Beau-Rivage sits directly on the Quai du Mont-Blanc with views across
the lake to the Jet d’Eau and, on clear days, the Alps. The building
went up in stages between 1862 and 1872; later renovations kept the
19th-century character while updating rooms. The hotel has about 90-95
rooms and suites, many individually decorated (Pierre-Yves Rochon
interiors on the upper floors), some with balconies and lake views.
Named suites recall famous guests, among them Charles de Gaulle and
Elizabeth Taylor. Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi) stayed here and
was assassinated on the quay in front of the hotel in 1898; a small
commemorative display remains on site.
Public spaces include a
marble-columned atrium, Rivage Café (the current main restaurant while
the Michelin-starred Le Chat-Botté is closed for renovation until 2027),
a bar, 24-hour room service, a fitness room, Clefs d’Or concierge, valet
parking, and pet-friendly policy. Breakfast is typically charged
separately (around 60 CHF per person when not included). The hotel is an
8-minute walk from Gare Cornavin and a short ride from Geneva Airport
(GVA).
Rack and published rates for a deluxe city-view room often
start in the mid-500s CHF on negotiated lists and commonly run
800-1,200+ USD / roughly 700-1,100+ CHF on open dates, with lake-view
suites much higher. Book well ahead of UN sessions and Palexpo events.
City tax is extra (a few francs per person per night).
Public telephones
Classic payphone booths have almost disappeared
in Geneva and across French-speaking Switzerland. The old system of
buying phone tickets or prepaid cards at a kiosk is largely obsolete. A
handful of remaining street booths still exist in parts of Switzerland
(often used as advertising columns). Calls from those booths to Swiss
landlines and mobiles are usually free.
At Geneva Airport you will
still find a few green public phones that allow free calls on the Swiss
fixed and mobile networks. For international calls, prepaid cards can be
bought at k kiosk and exchange desks. In the city itself, most visitors
now rely on a local prepaid SIM, an eSIM, hotel Wi-Fi, or messaging
apps. Newsstands and k kiosk outlets remain useful for newspapers,
snacks, tobacco, and last-minute travel cards, but they are no longer
the main place to buy telephone tickets.
Drinking water
Geneva
has an unusually dense network of public fountains and drinking points.
The city lists more than 420 water points on municipal territory. Most
of them supply potable tap water that is regularly tested. The water
comes mainly from Lake Geneva (about 90 percent) and local aquifers.
Look for the classic cast-iron lion-head fountains, historic monumental
fountains, and newer accessible drinking points. Unless a sign says the
water is not drinkable, it is safe to fill a bottle. Water typically
runs from about 7:00 to 22:00. Many fountains are shut off from November
to March to prevent freezing.
A reusable bottle quickly pays for
itself: you avoid buying bottled drinks while walking between the Old
Town, the lake promenade, parks such as Bastions or La Grange, and the
main squares. The city map of fountains and the GE-Soif locator help you
find the nearest working tap.
Foreign representations
Germany
is represented in Geneva by its Permanent Mission to the United Nations
and other international organizations. The contact details commonly
listed for the German representation are:
Permanent Mission of the
Federal Republic of Germany
Chemin du Petit-Saconnex 28C, 1209
Geneva
Postal address: Case postale 101 (older listings sometimes
give Case postale 171), 1211 Genève 19
Tel.: +41 22 730 11 11
There is also a German Honorary Consulate at Rue de Moillebeau 49, 1209
Geneva (Tel. +41 22 734 66 06), which handles limited consular matters
on restricted opening days. For passports, visas, and most official
consular business, German citizens should confirm current procedures
with the mission or the German Embassy in Bern before visiting, as
services are often by appointment only.
Location, size, and political outline
Coordinates
for the city centre are about 46°12′ N, 6°09′ E. Official city elevation
is 373.6 m, taken from the larger of the two glacial erratic rocks in
the harbour known as the Pierres du Niton. The Pont du Mont-Blanc is
often given as 375 m.
Two scales matter:
City of Geneva: about
15.9 km².
Canton of Geneva (République et canton de Genève): about
282 km², including two small exclaves of the municipality of Céligny
inside the Canton of Vaud.
The canton is one of Switzerland’s
smallest and flattest. Its lowest point is the Rhône at Chancy (332 m).
Its highest point is Les Arales near Monniaz in the municipality of
Jussy (516 m). The total relief inside the canton is only about 184 m.
Almost everything Genevans see as “their mountains” lies across the
border.
The canton is nearly an enclave in France. Of roughly 107.5
km of land border, about 103 km are with France (Ain to the west and
north, Haute-Savoie to the south and east). Only about 4.5 km touch the
rest of Switzerland, along Vaud, plus the Céligny exclaves. A narrow
corridor of Swiss land along the west shore of the lake is all that
links Geneva to the rest of the Confederation.
The Geneva Basin
The city and most of the canton occupy the western end of the Swiss
Plateau, in a topographic depression called the Geneva Basin (cuvette
genevoise). The basin is the western termination of the Molasse Basin
that lies between the Alps and the Jura. Lake level is about 372 m. The
basin floor and lower slopes rise only to around 400-500 m before the
French mountain walls begin.
Limits of the basin (all on French
territory except the lake itself):
Northwest: Jura massif. Crêt
de la Neige (about 1,720 m) and Le Reculet are the high points of the
range as seen from Geneva.
West: Vuache (up to 1,105 m), separated
from the Jura by the Rhône gorge and guarded historically by Fort
l’Écluse.
South: Mont de Sion and related low ridges.
Southeast:
Salève (1,379 m), the limestone ridge Genevans treat as their local
mountain even though it is in Haute-Savoie.
East: Voirons and,
farther off, the Chablais and Mont Blanc massifs.
The basin
belongs to the Rhône drainage. Late Alpine folding and thrusting
(roughly 5-10 million years ago) raised the Jura, Vuache, and Salève.
Modest seismic activity continues. Quaternary glaciers then scoured the
lake basin and left the erratics in the harbour.
Lake Geneva and
the Petit Lac
Lake Geneva is a crescent-shaped glacial lake shared by
Switzerland and France. Surface area is about 580-582 km², length about
72-73 km, maximum width about 13-14 km, maximum depth about 310 m,
volume about 89 km³. Elevation of the water surface is about 372 m.
About 60% of the lake is Swiss (Vaud, Valais, Geneva); about 40% is
French (Haute-Savoie).
The lake has two main parts:
Grand Lac: the
large, deep eastern basin.
Petit Lac: the narrower, shallower
southwest arm from roughly Yvoire/Nyon to Geneva. Depths here are
usually under 50-70 m.
The Genevan share of the lake is about 38
km² and is often called Lac de Genève in the strict topographic sense:
the Petit Lac waters inside the canton’s borders, from Versoix-Hermance
to the Rhône outlet. The rade (harbour) of Geneva is this outlet zone,
with the Jet d’Eau, Île Rousseau, and the two Niton rocks.
The Rhône
enters the lake at the east end (Villeneuve / Le Bouveret) after flowing
through Valais from the Rhône Glacier. It leaves at Geneva. Other
notable inflows include the Dranse (south, France) and smaller Jura-side
streams such as the Venoge. The lake acts as a giant reservoir: floods
on the upper Rhône are buffered before the river exits the city.
Rivers: Rhône and Arve
Two rivers define the city’s hydrology.
Rhône. After leaving the lake, the river is regulated at the Seujet dam.
Average discharge at Geneva is on the order of 250 m³/s and can rise
toward 700 m³/s in high water, though the lake damps peaks. From Geneva
the Rhône flows west into France through the Jura foothills. The
canton’s lowest land follows this valley toward Chancy.
Arve. This is
a left-bank tributary that rises in the Mont Blanc massif and drains
parts of the Platé, Aravis, and Bornes ranges. It is undammed from
source to Geneva, colder (often well under 14 °C even in summer), and
heavily loaded with glacial silt, gravel, and mud. It joins the Rhône at
La Jonction. The contrast is visual as well as physical: clear,
blue-green lake water on one side, milky grey-brown Arve water on the
other, mixing only gradually downstream. Floods on the Arve can reshape
bars at the confluence.
The old town grew on a hill on the left
(south) bank of the lake and around the island in the Rhône, a naturally
defended site between lake, river, Arve, and former marshes.
Surrounding mountains and views
Geneva itself has no high peaks.
Signal de Bernex (510 m) is among the highest points inside the canton;
the city proper tops out around 457 m. The skyline is therefore
borrowed.
Salève (France, 1,379 m) dominates the southern view. It is
a limestone cuesta, easily reached by cable car from the French side,
and is the standard viewpoint over the city, the Petit Lac, the Jet
d’Eau, and, on clear days, the Jura and Mont Blanc. Locals call it the
mountain of the Genevans.
Jura (France and a little of Vaud) forms
the northwest wall. Reculet and Crêt de la Neige give the classic
panorama back toward the lake and Alps.
Vuache closes the west. The
Rhône cuts between Vuache and Jura.
Alps. Mont Blanc (4,808 m) is
often visible from the city and the lake promenades, even though
Chamonix is a separate valley system. Other high summits (Grand Combin
and the western Bernese and Valaisan Alps) appear from higher or more
open spots. Ski areas in both France (Chamonix, Grand Massif, Morzine)
and Switzerland (Verbier, Crans-Montana) lie within a few hours by road.
Climate
Geneva has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb),
moderated by the lake and partly sheltered by the Jura. Winters are cool
rather than severe; summers are warm but not usually extreme. The lake
reduces both heat and frost. Annual precipitation is on the order of
900-1,000 mm, spread through the year, with a slight autumn-winter
emphasis. Snow falls in winter but does not last long in the city.
Typical pattern (order of magnitude):
January mean around 1-2 °C,
with daytime highs a few degrees above freezing.
July mean around 20
°C, with daytime highs in the mid-20s °C.
Rare extremes have reached
about -20 °C and nearly 40 °C.
Two local winds matter:
Bise: a
cold, dry northeasterly that is funnelled and accelerated in the
“bottleneck” between Jura and Alps. It roughens the lake, can glaze the
quays with spray ice, and makes winter feel much colder than the
thermometer.
Joran: a gusty downslope wind off the Jura after cold
air piles up on the far side of the range.
The Jura also cuts
some rainfall compared with more exposed Alpine valleys. Fog and low
stratus are common in the basin in the cooler months.
Prehistory and Roman Geneva
Human presence around the lake dates
back to the Paleolithic, with substantial Neolithic lake-dwelling
communities on piles. By the late Iron Age the site was an Allobroges
Celtic fortified settlement (oppidum) controlling the river crossing and
lake traffic. The name Genava (or Genaua) is pre-Celtic in origin and
refers to the “mouth” of the river.
Rome conquered the Allobroges in
121 BC and incorporated the area into Gallia Narbonensis. In 58 BC
Julius Caesar arrived in person. The Helvetii were attempting to migrate
westward; Caesar destroyed the Rhône bridge at Geneva and built a
19-mile earthwork to block them. He then used the site as a base,
expanding the settlement from a modest vicus into a more substantial
Roman town with a port. Archaeology under St. Pierre Cathedral has
uncovered an Allobroge aristocratic tomb from around 100 BC as well as
later Roman layers.
By the late 4th century Geneva was an episcopal
see. The first historically attested bishop is Isaac, around 400. A
Christian complex with church and baptistery already existed by that
time.
Burgundians, Franks, and the Rise of the Prince-Bishopric
In 443 the Burgundians made Geneva the first capital of their kingdom.
That status lasted until the Franks absorbed the Burgundians in 534. A
catastrophic event in 563, the Tauredunum landslide at the upper end of
the lake, generated a tsunami-like wave that devastated lakeside
settlements including Geneva.
The city passed through the usual
early-medieval kingdoms (Francia, Middle Francia, Upper Burgundy,
Kingdom of Arles) and entered the Holy Roman Empire in 1032–1033. From
1124 it became a Prince-Bishopric. The bishop was both spiritual and
temporal lord, a Prince of the Empire from 1154. The Counts of Geneva
(later the House of Savoy after 1401) served as advocates and steadily
tried to absorb the city. In 1387 Bishop Adhémar Fabri issued a charter
that became the basis of communal liberties. The Grand Council (later
200 members) emerged as the main civic body.
Savoy pressure
intensified in the 15th and early 16th centuries. The dukes placed
relatives on the episcopal throne and repeatedly tried to reduce Geneva
to a Savoyard town. The citizens responded by seeking Swiss allies.
Independence and the Reformation
In 1526 Geneva signed a
combourgeoisie (mutual citizenship and defense) treaty with Bern and
Fribourg. This gave the city military backing against Savoy. Protestant
ideas arrived with German merchants and French refugees. Guillaume Farel
began preaching in 1532. The bishop fled, the Mass was abolished in
1535, and on 21 May 1536 the General Council formally adopted the
Reformation and declared Geneva a republic. Fribourg, remaining
Catholic, left the alliance.
John Calvin, then 27, arrived in July
1536. Farel persuaded him to stay. After a brief exile (1538–1541)
caused by resistance to his strict discipline, Calvin returned and
implemented the Ecclesiastical Ordinances (1541) and Civil Edicts. These
created the Consistory, a body that regulated both doctrine and morals.
Geneva became known as the “Protestant Rome.” Persecuted Protestants
from France, Italy, England, and Scotland poured in, swelling the
population and bringing skills in printing, watchmaking, and finance.
The Academy of Geneva, founded in 1559, trained Reformed pastors who
then spread Calvinism across Europe. The Geneva Bible (1560) was
produced here.
The most dramatic Savoy attempt to recapture the city
came on the night of 11–12 December 1602 (the Escalade). Savoyard troops
tried to scale the walls with ladders. They were discovered and driven
off. The event is still commemorated every December with processions,
chocolate cauldrons (marmites), and the slogan “Post tenebras lux.” The
Treaty of Saint-Julien (1603) finally recognized Geneva’s independence.
The Aristocratic Republic and Enlightenment
In the 17th and 18th
centuries power concentrated in a narrow patriciate of old bourgeois
families. Citizenship became almost hereditary. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
was born in Geneva in 1712; Voltaire lived nearby at Ferney. Political
agitation grew. A 1792 revolution proclaimed equality of all Genevans
and produced a new constitution in 1794.
French troops annexed the
republic in April 1798. Geneva became the chef-lieu of the Département
du Léman until 1813. After Napoleon’s fall the Republic was restored on
31 December 1813.
Joining Switzerland, 1815
Geneva’s territory
was an enclave surrounded by France and Savoy. To join the Swiss
Confederation it needed territorial contiguity. Diplomat Charles Pictet
de Rochemont negotiated at the Congress of Vienna and subsequent
treaties. In 1815–1816 Geneva received six communes from the French Pays
de Gex and twenty-four from Savoy. On 19 May 1815 it entered the
Confederation as the 22nd canton, officially the “Republic and Canton of
Geneva.” A conservative constitution was adopted to reassure the
Catholic cantons.
19th Century Transformation
James Fazy led
the radical revolution of 1846. The new 1848 constitution modernized the
state. The medieval walls were demolished, allowing the city to expand.
Railways arrived, the Bank of Geneva was founded, and industry
(especially watchmaking and precision instruments) grew. Geneva
recovered its role as a regional economic hub.
In 1863 a small
Genevan committee including Henri Dunant founded the International
Committee of the Red Cross. The first Geneva Convention was signed in
the city in 1864, establishing the principle of protection for wounded
soldiers and medical personnel. This launched Geneva’s modern identity
as a center of humanitarian law.
20th Century: International
Capital
After World War I the victorious powers chose Geneva for the
League of Nations and the International Labour Organization (1919). The
Palais des Nations was built between 1929 and 1938. After 1945 the
United Nations established its European headquarters there; numerous
specialized agencies (WHO, UNHCR, ILO, WMO, ITU and others) followed.
CERN opened on the Franco-Swiss border in 1954. The city became a
preferred venue for diplomacy precisely because of Swiss neutrality and
its earlier Protestant and humanitarian traditions.
Historical foundations
Geneva’s modern character was forged in the
16th century. After adopting the Reformation in 1536, the city became
the laboratory of Jean Calvin. His vision of a disciplined, literate,
morally rigorous republic turned Geneva into the “Protestant Rome.” The
city’s motto, Post Tenebras Lux (“After darkness, light”), still appears
on buildings and the Reformation Wall in Parc des Bastions. That wall,
completed in the early 20th century, commemorates Calvin, Farel, Beza,
and Knox and stands as a public statement of Geneva’s self-image as a
place of conscience and civic order.
The same period produced two
lasting cultural traits: a high value placed on education, work, and
public virtue, and a tradition of offering refuge. Huguenot goldsmiths
and watchmakers fleeing persecution helped create Geneva’s luxury
crafts. The city’s later role as birthplace of the Red Cross (1863) and
host of the League of Nations and United Nations continued that
humanitarian self-understanding. Today locals still speak of the Esprit
de Genève: a blend of independence, social justice, and international
responsibility.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, born here in 1712, added
another layer. His writings on nature, education, and the social
contract sit alongside Calvin’s austerity in the city’s intellectual
DNA. The Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, the Maison de Rousseau, and
a long tradition of publishing and debate keep that Enlightenment
inheritance alive.
Language, identity, and daily manners
French is the official and everyday language. Many residents also speak
English, and the international organizations make the city genuinely
multilingual. About 40 percent of the population is foreign-born,
representing nearly 200 nationalities. Native Genevans, other Swiss,
Portuguese, French, Italian, and Spanish communities form the largest
groups. The city is no longer majority Protestant; Catholics now form a
large share of the population, and the canton maintains a strict
separation of church and state.
Social life is polite and structured.
A greeting of “Bonjour” before any request in a shop is expected.
Handshakes are the standard first meeting; three cheek kisses (starting
on the right) are common among friends in the French-speaking region.
Punctuality is treated as respect. Quiet hours in residential buildings
are taken seriously, typically from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., and Sunday
remains a day of rest. Privacy is valued; conversations about money,
politics, or religion stay reserved until people know each other well.
Shops generally close on Sundays except in stations and airports. Lunch
is a real pause, often between noon and 2 p.m. The overall rhythm is
orderly rather than hurried, even in a city that hosts thousands of
international meetings each year.
Food and drink
Geneva’s
table mixes Swiss-French winter cooking with lake produce and a dense
international restaurant scene (often cited as among the most diverse in
the world).
Local specialties include:
Longeole: a coarse pork
sausage studded with fennel seeds, protected by IGP status and typically
slow-cooked with lentils or potatoes. It is the dish most closely
identified with the canton.
Cardon épineux de Genève (AOP): a
thistle-like vegetable introduced by Huguenot refugees. In winter it is
blanched and baked as a rich gratin, often with bone marrow and cheese,
especially around Christmas.
Filets de perche: perch from Lake
Geneva, pan-fried in butter and served with tartare or meunière sauce
and fries. Freshness matters; much “lake perch” elsewhere is imported.
Fondue and raclette appear on every tourist menu, but Genevans treat
them as seasonal winter food rather than year-round staples.
Malakoffs (fried cheese fritters) and croûte au fromage are popular
snacks or starters.
Chocolate is a point of civic pride. Favarger’s
Avelines (hazelnut pralines) and the seasonal chocolate marmite of
L’Escalade are local signatures.
The canton is Switzerland’s
third-largest wine region. Chasselas (often labeled Fendant in
neighboring Valais) is the everyday white; Gamay, Pinot Noir, and newer
plantings of Chardonnay and Merlot appear on local lists. Vineyards in
Satigny, Russin, and Dardagny are easily visited. Genevan chocolate,
watchmaking, and wine together form a triangle of precision craft that
locals still take seriously.
Festivals and living traditions
Fête de l’Escalade (mid-December) is the city’s defining popular
festival. It commemorates the failed surprise attack by Savoyard troops
on the night of 11–12 December 1602. Legend credits Catherine Cheynel,
known as Mère Royaume, with tipping a pot of boiling soup over a climber
and raising the alarm. Families smash a chocolate cauldron filled with
marzipan vegetables while reciting “Thus perish the enemies of the
Republic.” Children in costume go door to door singing the old Genevan
patois hymn Cé qu’è lainô. Historical reenactments by the Compagnie
1602, muskets, lanterns, and vegetable soup complete the weekend. The
festival mixes patriotism, humor, and chocolate in a way that feels
uniquely Genevan.
Other living traditions include:
Les
Promotions (end-of-school-year parades dating to the 16th century).
La Revue genevoise, a century-old satirical revue that mocks local
politics.
Printemps Carougeois, a multidisciplinary spring festival
in the neighboring town of Carouge.
Geneva Lux (winter light
festival) and numerous music, dance, and film events.
Carouge
itself is culturally distinct. Built in the late 18th century by the
King of Sardinia as a rival to Geneva, it has a Mediterranean, slightly
bohemian character: low houses, inner courtyards, artisan workshops,
ceramic biennales, and a strong theater scene (Théâtre de Carouge). Many
Genevans treat it as their more relaxed, creative neighborhood.
Arts, museums, and intellectual life
Geneva maintains an unusually
dense cultural infrastructure for its size: more than 40 museums, a
respected conservatory, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Grand
Théâtre (opera), the Comédie de Genève, and a contemporary-art district
around Les Bains. Four museums are frequently described as unique: the
Patek Philippe Museum (watchmaking), the International Red Cross and Red
Crescent Museum, the International Museum of the Reformation, and the
Martin Bodmer Foundation (rare books and manuscripts).
Watchmaking is
both industry and culture. After Calvin banned jewelry, goldsmiths
turned to timepieces. The Geneva Seal (Poinçon de Genève) remains a mark
of the highest finishing standards. The city’s identity as a place of
precision, measurement, and discreet luxury still colors daily life.
Literature and ideas have a long local pedigree: Rousseau, Voltaire’s
years nearby, Rodolphe Töpffer (often credited as a pioneer of the comic
strip), and a continuing tradition of small publishing houses and
French-language media. Street art, independent cinemas such as the Bio
in Carouge, and festivals of contemporary dance and music keep the scene
from feeling museum-bound.
International Geneva and everyday
coexistence
The Palais des Nations, the Broken Chair sculpture, and
the cluster of UN agencies, WTO, WHO, ICRC, and hundreds of NGOs give
the city a second, overlapping culture of diplomacy, multilingual
meetings, and humanitarian professional life. This “International
Geneva” employs a large share of the population and shapes restaurants,
schools, and neighborhoods. It also explains why the city can feel both
very Swiss (order, punctuality, recycling, quiet Sundays) and unusually
open. Tolerance is not merely advertised; it is a practical necessity in
a place where 196 nationalities live side by side.
Parks occupy a
large part of the city’s surface. Lake Geneva, the Jet d’Eau, sailing
(including the Bol d’Or), and nearby vineyards and Jura hills supply the
outdoor half of Genevan life. Winter ice rinks and summer lake swimming
are part of the calendar rather than tourist add-ons.
L’Escalade and Mère Royaume
The city’s defining civic legend is
also its best-documented historical night. On 11–12 December 1602,
troops of Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy tried to scale Geneva’s walls in a
surprise attack meant to return the Protestant republic to Catholic
control. They were driven back.
Popular memory condensed the defense
into one image: Catherine Cheynel, known as Mère Royaume (or Dame
Royaume). A Lyon-born refugee who had settled in Geneva with her
pewterer husband Pierre, she lived above the Porte de la Monnaie.
Tradition says she was cooking vegetable soup when she heard the
climbers. She heaved the heavy cauldron (or, in earlier versions, a
pewter pot) out of the window. It struck a Savoyard, killed him, and the
noise helped raise the alarm.
Historians note that the
soup-and-marmite version crystallized later. A 1606 account already
mentions a woman throwing stones and the bottom of a barrel; the named
“Mère Royaume” and her cauldron become prominent in the 18th century.
The patriotic song Cé qu’è lainô (printed days after the attack) already
alludes to a woman and a “great blow of a marmite.” Today the story is
enacted every December: a chocolate cauldron filled with marzipan
vegetables is smashed with the cry “Qu’ainsi périssent les ennemis de la
République!”
The legend works because it turns an ordinary housewife
and a kitchen utensil into the symbol of a small republic that refused
to be swallowed.
How the lake and the Salève were made
Several
origin stories explain Lac Léman and the mountain that dominates
Geneva’s southern skyline.
The most popular is Gargantua. The giant,
traveling toward Italy, found the Rhône too narrow to drink from (or too
small for a bath). He dug a vast basin with his hands. The earth he
piled on the left bank became the Salève; villagers watching the mound
rise shouted “Ça lève!” - “It’s rising!” - and the name stuck. In a fit
of temper he hurled two stones toward the harbor; they became the
Pierres du Niton, the erratic boulders still visible in the rade.
A
gentler version says three angels, finishing their work, each shed a
tear. The tears became Lake Geneva, Lake Bourget, and Lake Annecy. A
third tale has a heartbroken cherub weeping until the water filled the
basin from Bouveret to Geneva.
These stories sit beside older
observations: Gregory of Tours already mentioned enormous fish in the
lake in the 6th century (today identified as giant catfish). The lake
itself was long imagined as bottomless and connected underground to
other waters - a classic Alpine motif.
The vouivre and other
dragons
The vouivre (a winged, luminous serpent or dragon that
carries a precious carbuncle or garnet) is more at home in Valais and
Jura folklore, but it appears around Geneva as well.
Near Cruseilles
on the Salève, two servant women were woken on a winter night by a
piercing hiss. They drove the creature off; the next day they found
broad burn marks interpreted as its tracks as it fled toward the Val des
Usses. Another tale, set in 1321 at the château de Corbière in the Pays
de Gex, describes a vouivre whose jewel was worth a fortune; everyone
who tried to steal it was torn apart except Count Amadeus V. A
children’s story collected in Si Genève m’était contée places a vouivre
among the reeds at La Jonction, where the Rhône and Arve meet.
Lake-monster reports are thinner than Loch Ness but persistent: a
12-meter aquatic serpent near Thonon in 1883, earlier sightings in 1215
and 1458, tracks on the shore, and occasional “frog-men” emerging at
Rivaz or Hermance. Hunts were organized; nothing was caught.
Mountains of the Genevois: boar, leap, and curse
Just across the
border, the Voirons carry a cluster of Christianized legends that
Genevans treat as local.
A Roman temple to Venus once stood on the
summit. After a Geneva bishop destroyed it, Satan took the form of a
gigantic wild boar and terrorized the slopes. Knight Amédée de Langin
was wounded fighting it and vowed a chapel if he survived. He built
Notre-Dame-des-Voirons in 1451. The boar later wandered into the chapel;
the sacristan slammed the door and hunters killed it with spikes.
The
“Saut de la Pucelle” (Maid’s Leap) follows. Shepherdess Brigitte,
fleeing the lord’s falconer Monraz, chose the cliff rather than
dishonor. She was found alive at the foot of a 100-meter drop, smiling,
her feet wounded. The site later attracted climbers, including a young
Milanese priest who became Pope Pius XI.
A third story explains a
family curse. During the Reformation, a traitor named Brugnar dragged
the chapel’s Black Virgin down the mountain on a rope. When the statue
caught on a root he turned to look and his neck stayed twisted. All his
descendants inherited the same deformity.
The spinner of the
Madeleine
In the old town, the Temple de la Madeleine carries a
quieter founding legend. A pious spinner named Marie-Madeleine lived at
the foot of the cathedral hill, working her distaff from dawn to dusk
and spending almost nothing. At her death a large fortune was found
together with a will directing that a church be built and named for her.
Donations followed and the church rose. Carved spinning wheels still
decorate the choir vaults (though they actually belong to a donor’s coat
of arms). The historical church is first mentioned in 1110 and dedicated
to Sainte Marie-Madeleine by 1420; the spinner tale is later folklore
that attached itself to the name.