GENEVA is the second-most populous city in Switzerland.
It’s in the most beautiful of locations, centred around the point where the
River Rhône flows out of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman in French, Genfersee in German)
flanked on one side by the Jura bridges and on the other by the first peaks of
the Savoy Alps. It is the nearest thing the world has to a truly international city.
From its profile in world events, one’d imagine a megalopolis on the scale
of London or New York, but Geneva is little more than town-sized. But it has
people from all parts of the world and nationality – 38 percent of the
population are foreigners. However, what one usually hear on the street
is either French or US-accented English.
Geneva is widely regarded as a global city, mainly 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 first appears in history as a border town, fortified against the
Celto-Germanic Helvetii, which the Romans took in 120 B.C. In A.D. 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. The spiritual father of the city is the
Reformer Jean (or John) Calvin, the inspiration behind Puritanism and Presbyterianism,
who turned Geneva into what was dubbed a “Protestant Rome” in the sixteenth century.
It is one of the wealthiest of citystates today. What’s officially still known
as “The Republic and Canton of Geneva” is only nominally within Switzerland’s borders,
squeezed into a bulge of land that shares just 4km of internal border with its
Swiss neighbour but 108km with France all around. Some thirty thousand French
commute daily to their workplaces in Geneva from dormitory towns just over the
border, benefiting from both a high Swiss salary and relatively low French living
expenses, and equally high numbers of Genevois save money by doing their shopping
in France. The Gallic influence is what defines the city, and you have by some
of the world’s most expensive shops and most exquisite restaurants here.
Geneva has become the businessperson’s city par excellence, efficient and packed
with hotels. The cobbled Old Town, high on its central hill, is atmospheric but
strangely austere, with abiding impressions of high, grey walls and the stern
tap-tap of passing footsteps. At the heart of the city is the huge Cathédrale St-Pierre,
and packed in all around are an array of top-class museums, including the giant
Musée d’Art et d’Histoire and an impressive gallery of East Asian art, the Collections Baur.
Livelier residential neighbourhoods on both banks of the Rhône, such as Les Pâquis
and Plainpalais, offer more appealing wandering, and a short way south of the centre
is Carouge, an attractive eighteenth-century suburb built in Sardinian style to be
a place of decadence and freedom beyond Geneva’s control; its reputation lives on
in its population of artists and designers.
Most theaters in Geneva are in French, however there are several companies that stage
regular English productions. Many French spectacles are worth a look even if you
don’t speak the language for their experiment and avant-garde visual style. Movie
going is a favorite activity in Geneva and there are plenty of theaters throughout
the city. Most movies are dubbed into French so look for films marked V.O.
for “Version Original.”
HOTELS
As an international center, Geneva is a master of hospitality ready to cater
to the highest of tastes to the lowest of budgets. There are over 14,000 beds
in the city center ranging from student hostels to luxury five star resorts.
Despite having the largest hotel capacity in Switzerland, reservations are
recommended as hotels do fill up quickly, especially during the summer months
and holidays. However, booking ahead is essential, since all affordable rooms
in the city can get snapped up by delegates to the continuous round of congresses,
conferences and international events that are the lifeblood of the city.
The tourist office’s dedicated hotel reservation service
(022/909 70 20, fax 909 70 21, or over-the-counter) can book a room in the
hotel of your choice. They charge you Fr.5. you can always find out about
any weekend or off-season deals the city happens to be running, which can
often slash walk-in rates to bargain levels.
NIGHTLIFE
Bars are open all night during March’s Motor Show weekend, August’s Fêtes de Genève,
and L’Escalade in December. However, Geneva’s nightlife is unlikely to set
your pulse racing. As far as popular culture goes, the city suffers from a
major image problem both abroad and inside Switzerland, and few bands or
DJs come visiting.
There are numerous venues catering to visiting business people and wealthy
locals – formal dinner-dance, cabaret, and vast quantities of strip-shows
and hostess bars. There are also a handful of alternative arts venues.
But the young Genevois prefer the cutting-edge clubs in and around Lausanne.
You can also find top-notch classical music and opera, with a world-famous
orchestra dividing its time between Geneva and Lausanne, as well as major
international performers. Dance and drama are also well accounted for.
The Fêtes de Genève is the city’s premier annual arts festival, held
in early August on the waterfront, with music of all kinds, theatre,
funfairs and street entertainers.
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