We explored parts of Geneva with our friends Matt and Weiwei, who have lived in this unique city for several years. Geneva is the 2nd largest city in Switzerland and often misidentified as the country’s capital. It is the headquarters for many international organizations, including the Red Cross.

Palace des Nations – Over 175 countries have embassy, consulate, or official representative offices in Geneva. The Palace of Nations, the United Nations’ office complex in Switzerland, sits in the area where many of those international offices are located. In addition to hosting thousands of intergovernmental meetings each year, the Palace des Nations welcomes visitors for hour-long guided tours in 15 different languages.  Maybe on our next visit to Geneva we can take a tour of the complex, which is the featured in the photo above. 

Broken Chair – After taking photos of the flagged walkway to the Palace des Nations, we went across the street to the Broken Chair, an eye-catching wooden sculpture standing 12 meters high and weighing 5.5 tons. Created by Swiss sculptor Daniel Berset, the chair was commissioned in 1997 by Handicapped International to draw attention to the victims of land mines and encourage countries to sign the Ottawa Treaty, which calls for the elimination of anti-personnel land mines throughout the world. The original plan was to display the chair at its current location for only three months. However, the chair with the broken left leg generated so much attention that the organization and city officials decided to have the artwork remain in place.

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Jet d’Eau – We were quite impressed with the Water Jet, one of Geneva’s most famous landmarks and one of the tallest fountains in the world. Originally created in 1886 in a different location, it served as a safety valve for a hydroelectric plant. When the jet was no longer needed for practical purposes, city residents expressed how much they loved the fountain and it was moved in 1951 to its current location at the west end of Lake Geneva. The strong fountain motors pump 500 liters of water per second to a height of 140 meters, so it is quite visible, even from many kilometers away. 

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Cathedrale St-Pierre – Matt and Weiwei took us on a tour of St. Peter’s Cathedral, located in the center of Old Town. It is an impressive and unique mix of Gothic-style detail (stained glass windows and arched stone construction) and modern features (fairly new pipe organ and large LED chandeliers.)

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St. Peter’s Cathedral was John Calvin’s home church in the mid 16th century and he often preached there from 1536 to 1564. During that time he was instrumental in changing the church from a catholic to a protestant place of worship. His personal chair still remains in the main part of the cathedral. Matt told us that the yellow cord on the chair was added recently. Before that time, visitors would sit in the chair for a photo.

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The small 15th century chapel on the southwest wing of the main cathedral has cycled through a variety of purposes. Originally built as a tomb for Cardinal Jean de Brogny and his family, the chapel was converted into a storehouse for salt and gunpowder during the Reformation and then later used as a schoolroom. The chapel was refurbished in the late 1800s to become the colorfully-painted Chapel of the Maccabees. The beautiful wood pulpit features sculptures of an angel, an eagle, a winged lion, and a winged horse. And the small historic Walcker pipe organ is positioned on the cardinal’s tomb.

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We climbed the 157 steps to the top of the south bell tower and enjoyed the incredible views of the city, lake, and French mountains.

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International Monument to the Reformation – The four of us stopped to look at this monument, which was built into 100 meters of the old city walls and stands on the University of Geneva campus. The statues honor the leaders of the Christian Reformation and the monument was created in 1909 in celebration of John Calvin’s 400th birthday.

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Very Long Bench – Geneva locals proudly say the 120 meter-long wooden bench in Treille Promenade is the world’s longest bench. But, unfortunately, that is no longer correct as of 2012. Another bench in Switzerland now holds that Guinness World Record title. Made in 1767 with 180 wooden boards, Geneva’s very lengthy green bench is still impressive and in a very beautiful spot.  If it weren’t for the rain, we would have enjoyed sitting on the bench to take in the autumn scenery and watch the children play in the park while visiting with our friends. 

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Climbing Cube – We searched on the internet for the story behind the climbing cube submerged in Lake Geneva near the promenade. But we had no success. Please let us know if you learn of the history of this interesting Geneva feature.

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