REPUBLIQUE
ET CANTON
DE GENEVE

LE MUR DES RÉFORMATEURS,
LOOK AT THE PAST

At first a simple military outpost on the edge of the Roman world, GENAVA soon established itself as the centre of Narbonne Gaul up to the first half of the 5th century. During the Middle Ages, Geneva's geographical position helped it to become one of the first truly international meeting places. Merchants from all over Europe passed through and brought with them the open-mind attitude which still characterizes the City today. But it is no doubt thanks to Jean Calvin, that Geneva owes its inhabitants reputation for innovation and courage. The major centre of the reformation, the City resisted the omnipotence of papal Rome and Calvin's writings spread across the whole of Europe. In the 17th century Geneva welcomed the protestants and developed its trade with the world. During the century of Enlightenment its charming landscapes attracted many artists and great minds, or was even their birthplace, as in the case of Jean-jacques Rousseau. Annexed to france in 1789, Geneva became the capital of the Léman Département, but regained its independence in 1814 and joined the Swiss Confederation. The 19th century marked the birth of its humanitarian vocation and the blossoming of its international reputation which culminated after the First World War, with the establishment of the League of Nations headquarters by the lake.