300-120 av. J.-C

The Allobroges

The Allobroges (Celtic population) are attested as early as the 2nd century BC on the Geneva territory. The remains of a tomb can be seen in the Archaeological Museum. Dating from 100 BC, the tomb is located under the choir of several successive buildings. It is probably that of an Allobroge chief buried there.

58 av. J.-C

Geneva the Roman

Julius Caesar stops the march of the Swiss tribes towards Gaul at the bridge of the Island. This episode is recounted at the beginning of the Commentaries on the Gallic Wars. It is the first mention of the Latin term Genua (Geneva), meaning "the mouth", in a historical document. Now subject to the fate of the Roman Empire, Geneva had to face the threats of the Alamanni and Germans in the 3rd century AD. During the 4th century, it became the capital of a diocese, and in fact gradually adopted Christianity as the state religion. A century later, it had to accept the settlement by alliance of the Burgundians on its soil.

380

Christianity

Christianity settles in Geneva. An episcopal group (places of worship and residential and administrative buildings) was built around 380 on the site of the present cathedral. Isaac, around 400, was the first bishop.

443

Geneva becomes the capital of the Burgundian kingdom

You will find a striking clue to this period in the Bourg de Four square, at number 5. The small statue of King Gondebaud is nestled in one of the walls of a building, on the site of the old castle.

1032

First part of the medieval period

In 1032, Geneva became part of the Holy Roman Empire; the Emperor was crowned King of Burgundy in the Cathedral of Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens. Faced with the collapse of the Roman Empire and then the Carolingian Empire, a figure of stability and protection remains: the Bishop of Geneva. A true master and lord of the city, he combines religious and political powers. However, from the 12th century onwards, his status attracted the covetousness of the counts, who succeeded, like Aymon I, in usurping property and rights belonging to the Church. Conflicts between counts and bishops ended in 1219 with the Treaty of Desingy, which consecrated the vassalage of the counts of Geneva to the bishop

1260

Construction of the halls and development of the fairs in Geneva

At a crossroads, Geneva is a strategic place for trade. The first fairs are held at the Place Bourg de Four. Very quickly, the Geneva fairs placed the county and then the duchy of Savoy at the heart of Europe from an economic, and therefore political, point of view. The heyday of the fairs extends from the 13th to the 15th century. The places de la Fusterie, du Molard and Longemalle welcome all the merchants. Place du Molard, under the Rhone River, a permanent exhibition bears witness to the commercial activity of the period on the site of former trading halls.

1263

Birth of the commune

This is the event that will leave the most lasting impression on medieval Geneva. It is a sworn association of craftsmen and merchants. This birth is late, it goes back to 1263. At the beginning, the commune was supported by the counts of Savoy, who also wanted to weaken the powers of the bishop.

1424

The Counts of Savoy

The rivalry between the Counts of Geneva and the Counts of Savoy will replace the previous quarrel, to leave a lasting mark on the history of the 13th and 14th centuries in Geneva. From 1424 onwards, this rivalry led to the House of Geneva being replaced by the House of Savoy in most of the territories between the Arve and the Aare rivers. The Counts of Savoy also established a firm foothold in Geneva by winning the office of vidomne, a civil servant responsible for judging trials and conducting criminal cases, over the bishop in 1290.

1477

The combourgeoisie

It is a treaty of mutual assistance between Geneva and the cities of Bern and Fribourg. The threat of an annexation of Geneva to Savoy will provide a second opportunity for the Swiss cantons to move closer to Geneva. Indeed, while a spirit of resistance and patriotism in Geneva, embodied in particular by Philibert Berthelier, is being formed, the case is attracting the sympathy of the canton of Fribourg. A combourgeoisie with the latter was accepted by the General Council in 1519. The combourgeoisie of 1526, combining the cantons of Geneva, Bern and Fribourg, would definitively prevent the idea of an annexation of Geneva to Savoy.

21 mai 1536

The Protestant Reformation

This triumph of the Swiss cause will also have the effect of profoundly changing Geneva's domestic policy. Parallel to these events, the first stage of Geneva's rallying to the Protestant Reformation was taking place, which in fact took place well after the other cities on the Swiss plateau. German merchants, pastors and Bernese allies began to spread the ideas of Luther and Zwingli as early as 1525. From 1534 to 1536, the majority of the population and councils of Geneva adhered to the new faith, a fact which marked the beginning of a real Catholic exodus.

11 décembre 1602

The Escalade. End of the Savoyard incursions in Geneva

Duke Emmanuel-Philibert had completely reconstituted the Savoyard state in 1559. His son, Charles-Emmanuel, started again, as soon as he became Duke in 1580, the assaults against Geneva. These pushed the Genevans to the limit, and they took the initiative for a war in 1589, helped by French and Bernese reinforcements. They achieved a series of victories, the last of which was the Escalade, against a night attack by Charles-Emmanuel's troops, which took place on December 11, 1602. Following his defeat, the Duke recognized in 1603, by the treaty of Saint-Julien, the independence of Geneva. Maison Tavel will help you discover this historic date, which is deeply rooted in the memory of the people of Geneva. Every December, festivities are organized (parade of the Company 1602 with the inhabitants, workshops, guided tours and foot races). A mosaic frieze retraces the major events of this period under the Arsenal in the old town.

Dès 1550

Appearance of watchmaking with the arrival of Huguenot refugees

During the second half of the 17th century, which corresponds to the first persecutions of the followers of the new faith in France, Italy and England, Geneva became a land of welcome. Thus, the first refuge began in 1542. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, which forced those who did not want to recant into exile, marked the beginning of the second refuge. Thus, thousands of refugees arrived in Geneva, where they quickly found employment, being for the most part craftsmen and merchants. The ban on wearing finery such as jewelry, ordered by Calvin, and the know-how of the refugees contributed to the growth of certain key sectors of the Geneva economy, such as watchmaking and banking.

1603

Independent Geneva

Under the aegis of Henry IV and the Helvetic Diet, peace negotiations were fiercely conducted and agreements were finally reached between the city of Geneva and Charles-Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy, after his defeat at the battle of Escalade. The treaty of Saint-Julien was ratified on July 21, 1603, recognizing the independence of Geneva. The Genevans thus regained their economic freedom. The Duke of Savoy, for his part, undertook not to rebuild the walls within a radius of four leagues around Geneva. Protestantism was recognized, the freedom of movement in all the States of Savoy, for men as well as for goods, was re-established, as was the freedom to work in Switzerland as in the kingdom of France.

1800-1900

The Geneva of the Enlightenment

The Geneva economy of the 18th century was prosperous, thanks to the development of the watchmaking, jewellery and goldsmith's trade, grouped together under the name of "Fabrique". Thus, small craftsmen's workshops were set up on the outskirts of Saint-Gervais. The painted canvas industry, the "indiennes", the second most important after the factory, is structured in large factories. Alongside this economic influence, Geneva also shone from a cultural point of view, from the beginning of the 18th century. In this sense, Jean-Robert Chouet and Jean-Alphonse Turrettini made their mark. The former in fact contributed to the creation of the Chairs of Mathematics and Natural Law at the Geneva Academy, while at the same time introducing experiments in his science and philosophy courses. His work thus marked the starting point of a true Geneva scientific tradition, which the philosopher and physicist Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, a pioneer in the study of mountains, and the naturalist Charles Bonnet would continue. As for the professor of theology Jean-Alphonse Turrettini, he inaugurated a more tolerant doctrine with regard to divergences in the interpretation of religious texts.

XVIIIe siècle

Geneva was also, during the 18th century, a breeding ground for political unrest, linked to the rights enjoyed by the Genevans of the Ancien Régime. Thus, in 1707 a revolt of the bourgeoisie against the political powers of the aristocracy took place. In 1734, new unrest broke out, linked to the collection of new taxes to finance the repair of the city's fortifications. Finally, the citizen of Geneva Jean-Jacques Rousseau will be one of the causes of a quarrel between the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy in 1762. It was on this date that the Petit Conseil condemned L'Émile and Le Contrat social to be burned in front of the town hall, on the pretext that they tended to destroy religion and all forms of government. From then on, a battle ensued between the representatives, the citizens supporting Rousseau, and the negatives, namely the ruling aristocracy. In order to stay in power, the aristocracy appealed to the armies of France, Sardinia and Bern, which laid siege to Geneva in 1782.

1712-1778

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The philosopher was born in the heart of the old town at No. 40 Grande Rue. His life and work are the subject of a museum at this location, the Maison Rousseau. His thought considered too modern, his political texts, notably The Social Contract, forced him to flee Geneva in 1728. You will contemplate the statue of the Geneva writer on Rousseau Island.

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1754

Treaty of Turin, the Duchy of Savoy and the County of Nice are attached to France.

19 mai 1815

Birth of the Canton of Geneva, which is attached to the Swiss Confederation

After having fought tooth and nail to keep its independence for centuries, Geneva will join Switzerland. On the1st of June 1814, troops from Fribourg and a company from Solothurn came to help Geneva and disembarked at the Port Noir. You can reach the site using the "Mouettes" in the colours of the Yellow and Red Republic (free with the Transport Card). This landing remains symbolic, the entry into the Confederation of Geneva is signed on May 19, 1815. The National Monument in the garden is commemorative. It represents the admission of Geneva as the twenty-second Swiss canton into the Confederation after acceptance by all the member cantons. The Confederation comprises twenty-six cantons.

1864

Cradle of humanitarian law and Swiss neutrality

Geneva became the cradle of humanitarian law thanks to the founding of the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1863 under the aegis of Henri Dunant. The Geneva Convention was signed on 24 May 1864 at the town hall. In 1920, Geneva became the seat of the League of Nations, as well as that of the International Labour Office (ILO).

Henri Dunant (1828-1910)

Henri Dunant, a citizen of Geneva, went to the battlefield of Solferino in June 1859 to trade with Napoleon III. Faced with the shock and horror of the war, the 6,000 dead and 40,000 wounded, he decided to help the families of the victims. On his return to Geneva, he wrote about this tragedy in his book Un souvenir de Solférino, which he published in 1862. From his humanitarian ideas and neutrality in times of war, a committee of sixteen governments was born. The first Geneva Convention was signed on 22 August 1864. The main foundations and common values of commitment are: to care for the wounded without distinction of nationality, the neutrality (inviolability) of medical personnel and medical establishments and to display the distinctive sign of the Red Cross on a white background as a protective emblem. In Geneva, you will find its bust at the foot of the Montée de la Treille, Place Neuve, and in the old town the places where the convention was signed.

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1919

The Treaty of Versailles, at the end of the war, recognized Switzerland's perpetual neutrality in exchange for giving up the right to occupy Savoy in case of conflict. The First World War created a rift between the German Swiss, who favoured a German victory, and the French Swiss, who wanted to see France and its allies win.

Switzerland did not participate in the two world wars and hosted many international organizations.

Seconde moitié du XXe siècle

Geneva became an international center and the European headquarters of the United Nations in 1946 (guided tour possible directly with the UN). It joined the Council of Europe in 1963 and the United Nations in 2002.

In 1992, consulted by referendum, the Swiss people refused to join Europe (50.3% "no", but the EU has abolished customs duties since 1972). Accession to the IMF and the World Bank. Switzerland votes "yes" on the Schengen/Dublin bilateral agreements and the free movement of people.

Années 2000

Geneva today

In September 2021, marriage for all is accepted by 64% in the federal vote. From now on, the right to adoption for any homosexual couple is also authorized.

Since June1, 2022, Marie Barbey Chappuis has been invested as Mayor of Geneva.

Geneva is economically prosperous (banks, biotechnologies, watchmaking) and many cross-border workers make it their employment territory. People cross the French-Swiss border without question (except, of course, in times of crisis). Given the high price of land in Geneva and the high standard of living in Switzerland, more and more Genevans and expatriates are moving to the Pays de Gex to live there while working in Geneva or its region. Thus, a majority of "cross-border commuters" work in Geneva. Every day, border workers and Swiss cross the border to go to their offices, to do their shopping, to do sports, to study. There are 635,000 daily crossings.

The environment is in danger, the roads are increasingly congested and the region is being urbanized at high speed... Thus, the Greater Geneva is a "Franco-Vaud-Geneva agglomeration" project encompassing the two Swiss cantons of Geneva and Vaud (Nyon district) and the "French Genevois" including the departments of Ain and Haute-Savoie. This "cross-border conurbation" includes 1 million inhabitants, stretches over 2000 km2 and encompasses 209 municipalities. It must manage mobility between the cities and their outskirts by developing public transport and developing the road network to encourage people to take public transport in order to make traffic flow more smoothly and preserve the environment. For example, the Leman Express, a train departing from the Cornavin station in Geneva and connecting Annemasse, a border town on the other side of the lake, connects the French-Swiss rail networks. Public transport will soon link Geneva, Ferney-Voltaire, Annemasse, Saint-Julien-en-Genevois, Annecy to the Chablais, the Gex country to the Haute Savoie.

The greenway, the pride of Geneva, reserved for cyclists and pedestrians, will link Saint-Genis-Pouilly in the Ain to Bonne in Haute-Savoie, and finally to the Montets Pass in the Chamonix valley, on the French-Swiss border.