DISCOVER GENEVA
Geneva is the second most populous city in Switzerland (after Zurich), and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French-speaking part of Switzerland). It is situated where Lake Geneva (French Lac Leman) flows into the Rhône River, and is the capital of the Canton of Geneva.
The population within the city limits is 185,526 (2004) and that of the metropolitan area - which extends into France and Vaud - is about 700,000. Geneva is widely regarded as a global city, mainly due to the presence of numerous international organisations, including the European headquarters of the United Nations.
 LANDMARKS AND SIGHTS OF GENEVA
Notable sights in Geneva include the International Museum of the Reformation, the Reformation Wall, the Flower Clock, the Art and History Museum, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum and the Palais des Nations, which serves as the European headquarters of the United Nations.
The city's most visited monument is the Saint-Pierre Cathedral, located at Cour Saint-Pierre, a noteworthy space of unique spiritual and cultural importance. The Cathedral and towers, which both embody the high point of the Reformed tradition and explores the origins of Christianity in its archaeological site, is now complemented by the International Museum of the Reformation, on the ground floor of the Maison Mallet. An underground passage, reopened when the Museum was created, connects the two buildings and a pass is now available for visitors to enjoy all three areas.
The city's most noted landmark is a fountain: the Jet d'Eau (water-jet), situated in Lake Geneva. Its 140-metre-high water column is visible from many parts of the city.
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS IN GENEVA
Geneva is the seat of many international organisations, including the European headquarters of the United Nations and several other international bodies, such as the World Health Organization, the International Labour Organization, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Intellectual Property Organization, the International Telecommunication Union, the World Meteorological Organization, the World Trade Organization and the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Geneva also hosts the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, the International Organization for Standardization, the International Baccalaureate program, the Airports Council International, the World Council of Churches, the World Wide Web Virtual Library, the World Economic Forum, World Organization of the Scout Movement , International Committee of the Red Cross and the International AIDS Society.
Geneva was the seat of the League of Nations between 1919 and the league's dissolution in 1946. It was first housed in the Palais Wilson, and then in the Palais des Nations, which now hosts the United Nations.
HISTORY OF GENEVA
Geneva was the name of a settlement of the Celtic people of the Allobroges. The name of Genava (or Genua) in Latin appeared for the first time in the writings of Julius Caesar in De Bello Gallico, his comments on the Gallic Wars. Its name may be identical in origin to the name of the Ligurian city of Genua (modern Genoa), meaning "knee", that is, "angle", referring to its geographical position; though more likely is based on the root gen- 'birth' (Genawa is at the birth of the river from the womb of the lake; perhaps the name in full means 'birth-water').
After the Roman conquest it became part of the Provincia Romana (Gallia Narbonensis). In 58 BC, at Geneva, Caesar hemmed in the Helvetii on their westward march. In the 9th century it became the capital of Burgundy. Though Geneva was contested among Burgundians and Franks and the Holy Roman Emperors, in practice it was ruled by its Prince-bishops, until the Reformation, when Geneva became a republic.
Due to the work of reformers such as John Calvin, Geneva was sometimes dubbed the Protestant Rome. In the 16th century Geneva was the center of Calvinism; the St. Pierre Cathedral in what is now called the Old Town was John Calvin's own church. During the time when England was ruled by the Catholic Queen Mary I Tudor, who persecuted Protestants, a number of Protestant scholars fled to Geneva. Among these scholars was William Whittingham who supervised the translation of the Geneva Bible in collaboration with Miles Coverdale, Christopher Goodman, Anthony Gilby, Thomas Sampson and William Cole.
One of the most important events in Geneva's history is l'Escalade (literally: "the scaling of the wall"). For the people of Geneva, l'Escalade is the symbol of their independence. It marked the final attempt in a series of assaults mounted throughout the 16th century by Savoy, which wanted to annex Geneva as its capital north of the Alps. This last assault happened on the night of 11-12 December 1602 and is celebrated yearly in the Old Town with numerous demonstrations and a parade of horses, cannons and armed men in period costumes.
Geneva, or officially the Canton & Republic of Geneva, became a canton of Switzerland in 1815. The first of the Geneva Conventions was signed in 1864, to protect the sick and wounded in war time.
EDUCATION IN GENEVA
Geneva is home to one of the oldest universities in the world, the University of Geneva, founded by John Calvin in 1559. 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.
The city is also home to one of the most prestigious graduate schools of international relations, the Graduate Institute of International Studies. Other International schools include Geneva English School and Institut International de Lancy (founded in 1903).
The Canton of Geneva's public school system has "Ecoles Primaires" (4-12), "Cycles D'Oreintation" (12-15), and the post-obligatory "Collèges" (15-19), the oldest of which is the Collège Calvin. It is housed in the ancient buildings of the University of Geneva, and could be considered one of the oldest public schools in the world.
SPORT IN GENEVA
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 River. Servette was the only club to have remained in the top league in Switzerland since its creation in the 1930s; however, in 2005, management problems caused the bankruptcy of the club's parent company, causing the club to be demoted two divisions (in fact the team was disbanded and attention focused on the under-21 side which was battling two divisions below). In 2006, following its good results, the new Servette FC was promoted into Challenge League (National Division 2).
Geneva also has an ice hockey club, Genève-Servette HC, which operates in the Swiss Nationalliga A.
The Geneva Marathon is held every year in the city, usually in May.
TRANSPORTATION IN GENEVA
The city is served by the Geneva Cointrin International Airport.
It is connected to 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, who link the two banks of the Lake within the city, and by the Compagnie generale de navigation (CGN) who serve more distant destinations such as Nyon, Yvoire, Thonon, Evian and Lausanne.
Trains operated by SBB-CFF-FFS connect the airport to the main station of Cornavin in a mere 6 minutes, and carry on to towns such as Nyon, Lausanne, Montreux, Neuchâtel, Berne, Sion, Sierre, etc. Regional train services are being increasingly developped, towards Coppet and Bellegarde. At the city limits, two new stations have been created since 2002: Genève-Secheron (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.
Retrieved from Wikipedia.org, the Free Encyclopedia
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