Geneva

I

Introduction

Geneva (French, Genève; German, Genf), city in western Switzerland, the capital of Geneva Canton. The city is located at the western extremity of Lake Geneva, where the River Rhône issues from the lake. French is the city's dominant language. Though Geneva was once known as the “Protestant Rome” over half its citizens are now Catholic. Population 178,722 (2005 estimate).

II

Economy

Geneva is world-famous for its banking and financial sectors; the large-scale production of precision instruments, watches, clocks, and jewellery for export have also made it a major manufacturing centre. Other industries include diamond cutting, enamelling, and the production of music boxes. Guest workers from all over the world are an important part of the labour force. They make up as much as 30 per cent of the city's population and give Geneva a strongly cosmopolitan atmosphere.

III

Places of Interest

The Rhône divides Geneva into two almost equal parts. On the south, or left, bank stands the older part of the city, containing the financial and business districts, and two old residential districts, Eaux Vives and Carouge, the latter a working-class neighbourhood. The old quarter is characterized by narrow, crooked streets, except along the river bank, where there are broad avenues and modern quays. The Rhône is spanned by several bridges, one of which traverses a small island, Rousseau's Island. The north, or right, bank is principally residential. It contains the Quartier St-Gervais, where the city's large hotels are situated, and the Les Délices district, which contains the house of the same name in which Voltaire lived from 1755 to 1758.

A

Principal Buildings

Geneva is encircled by boulevards laid out along the line of the ancient city walls. It possesses many parks and squares, notably the Jardin Anglais and the Place Neuve on the left bank, and the Place des Alpes on the right bank. The principal buildings in the old quarter include the cathedral of St Peter, built in the 12th and 13th centuries; the Florentine-style city hall, erected in the 16th century; the Temple de l'Auditoire, where the Scottish religious reformer John Knox preached and the French theologian John Calvin taught; the 18th-century house where Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born; the Rath Museum, containing an immense art collection; and the Museum of Natural History. Educational institutions in the city include the University of Geneva (founded as the Collège de Genève by Calvin in 1559) and various industrial and technical schools, of which the École d'Horlogerie (School of Watchmaking) is particularly prominent.