Female Heritage Days

In 2021, having inaugurated the first Swiss edition of the European Heritage Days in 1994 with the support of the services of the State of Geneva, the City of Geneva decided to introduce a mixed and egalitarian vision of heritage by organising Female Heritage Day.

In order to highlight the contributions of women to our common cultural heritage, the Palais Anna et Jean-Gabriel Eynard – renamed by the City’s Executive Council – was chosen as the central venue for this first edition.

Held on Friday 10 September 2021 alongside the European Heritage Days weekend, it boasted a wide-ranging, didactic and inspiring programme including tours on foot, workshops and conferences designed to shed light on these eminent women who have helped write the history of Geneva.

Every year since 2021, a programme has been organised in line with Female Heritage Day in order to ensure that our relationship with history and transmission continues to evolve.

Previous editions

For the first edition held in 2021, a round table was organised on the question of “Why hold a Female Heritage Day?”. The programme also included a guided visit of the Palais Anna et Jean-Gabriel Eynard, a guided walk designed to make the general public more familiar with the women who made Geneva what it is today, and a workshop organised by the Collectif MV exploring the gender-based norms which govern our relationship with public space. To round off this first edition, a conference took a closer look at Anna Eynard’s architectural achievements.

In 2022, the second edition of the FHD opened with a conference on the history and exploits of the very early female mountaineers. The programme highlights included a group running workout at the Bout-du-Monde sports centre followed by an outdoor screening of the film “Free to run”, retracing the history of women’s emancipation through this discipline.