History of Geneva in Timeline

Geneva is Switzerland's second-largest city and the capital of the Republic and Canton of Geneva. Located where the Rhône River exits Lake Geneva, it's a global city recognized as a major international financial center and a hub for worldwide diplomacy, earning it the nickname "Peace Capital".

1907: Separation of Church and State

In 1907, the separation of Church and State was adopted in Geneva.

1919: Construction period of single family homes

Before 1919, 197 single family homes were built in Geneva.

1924: Founding of the International School of Geneva

In 1924, the International School of Geneva, the world's oldest international school, was founded along with the League of Nations.

1945: Construction period of single family homes

Between 1919 and 1945, 277 single family homes were built in Geneva.

1948: World Communion of Reformed Churches Headquarters

In 1948, the World Communion of Reformed Churches established its headquarters in Geneva.

1951: Fire at the Grand Théâtre de Genève

In 1951, the Grand Théâtre de Genève was partly destroyed by a fire.

1954: Foundation of CERN

In 1954, CERN was founded as one of Europe's first joint ventures and has developed as the world's largest particle physics laboratory.

February 1956: Lowest Recorded Temperature

In February 1956, the lowest temperature recorded in Genève–Cointrin was −20.0 °C (−4.0 °F).

1962: Reopening of the Grand Théâtre de Genève

In 1962, the Grand Théâtre de Genève reopened after being partly destroyed by a fire in 1951.

1973: Franco-Swiss Agreement

In 1973, a Franco-Swiss agreement created the Comité régional franco-genevois.

1980: Fête de l'Olivier Organized by ICAM

In 1980, the ICAM started organizing the Fête de l'Olivier, a festival of Arabic music.

1986: Geneva Seahawks Established

In 1986, the Geneva Seahawks, an amateur American football team, were established.

1990: Construction period of single family homes

Between 1990 and 2000, 20 single family homes were built in Geneva.

1991: Geneva Seahawks Championship

In 1991, the Geneva Seahawks won the Swiss Bowl championship.

1996: Léman Bleu TV Channel Founded

In 1996, Léman Bleu, a local TV channel, was founded in Geneva and distributed by cable.

1997: Urban Planning Charter

In 1997 an 'Urban planning charter' of the CRFG defined for the first time a planning territory called agglomération franco-valdo-genevoise

1999: Population Change Rate

Over the last 10 years (1999–2009), the population of Geneva has changed at a rate of 7.2%.

2000: Place of Birth

As of 2000, approximately 24.3% of the population of the municipality were born in Geneva and lived there in 2000.

2000: Age Distribution

As of 2000, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) made up 18.2% of the population in Geneva.

2000: Language Spoken

In 2000, 72.3% of the population in Geneva spoke French as a first language.

2000: Apartment Statistics

In 2000, Geneva had 101,794 apartments, with 3-room apartments being the most common (27,084). 83.8% were permanently occupied, 13.4% seasonally occupied, and 2.8% empty.

2000: Yearly Temperature

In 2000, the mean yearly temperature was 11 °C and the mean number of sunshine-hours per year was 2003.

2000: Religious Landscape

In 2000, there were three times as many Roman Catholics as Protestants living in Geneva, reflecting a change from its historical Protestant identity.

2001: Creation of Comité stratégique de développement des transports publics régionaux

2001 saw the creation of a Comité stratégique de développement des transports publics régionaux ('Strategic Committee for the Development of Regional Public Transports', DTPR).

2002: Unusually Early Bud Appearance

In 2002, the first bud appeared unusually early, on 7 February, and then again on 29 December of the same year.

2002: New Railway Stations Opened

Since 2002, two new railway stations have opened at the city limits: Genève-Sécheron and Lancy-Pont-Rouge.

2003: Voisin, voisine pilot project launch

From 2003 to 2005, "Voisin, voisine", a fibre-to-the-home pilot project with a triple play offering was launched to test the end-user market in the Charmilles district.

2003: Charter for Public Transports

In 2003 a 'Charter for Public Transports' was adopted.

2003: Average Apartment Rental Price

In 2003, the average apartment rent in Geneva was 1163.30 CHF per month. A one-room apartment was 641.60 CHF, a two-room apartment was about 874.46 CHF, a three-room apartment was about 1126.37 CHF and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 2691.07 CHF.

2003: Yearly Temperature

In 2003, the mean yearly temperature was 11 °C and the mean number of sunshine-hours per year was 2003.

2004: Creation of Projet d’agglomération franco-valdo-genevois

In 2004, a public transnational body called Projet d’agglomération franco-valdo-genevois was created.

2005: Voisin, voisine pilot project end

From 2003 to 2005, "Voisin, voisine", a fibre-to-the-home pilot project with a triple play offering was launched to test the end-user market in the Charmilles district.

2008: Employment Statistics

As of 2008, 9,783 people were employed in the secondary sector, and 134,429 people were employed in the tertiary sector in Geneva.

2008: Gender Distribution

As of 2008, the gender distribution of the population in Geneva was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.

2008: Genève-Servette HC Lost League Finals

In 2008, Genève-Servette HC reached the league finals but lost to the ZSC Lions.

2008: Early Bud Appearance

In 2008, the first bud also appeared early, on 19 February.

2008: Full-Time Equivalent Jobs

In 2008, the total number of full-time equivalent jobs in Geneva was 124,185. 9,363 jobs were in the secondary sector and 114,818 in the tertiary sector.

2008: Births, Deaths, and Migration

In 2008, there were 1,147 live births to Swiss citizens and 893 births to non-Swiss citizens in Geneva.

2009: Construction Rate of New Housing Units

As of 2009, the construction rate of new housing units in Geneva was 1.3 new units per 1000 residents.

2009: Yearly Temperature

In 2009, the mean yearly temperature was 11 °C and the mean number of sunshine-hours per year was 2003.

2009: Population Change Rate

Over the last 10 years (1999–2009), the population of Geneva has changed at a rate of 7.2%.

2010: Founding of the Genevan Brass Festival

In 2010, Christophe Sturzenegger founded the Genevan Brass Festival.

2010: Genève-Servette HC Lost League Finals

In 2010, Genève-Servette HC reached the league finals but lost to SC Bern.

2010: Car Restriction Project Approved

In 2010, a project to close 200 streets in the centre of Geneva to cars was approved by the Geneva cantonal authorities, with implementation planned over four years.

2010: Vacancy Rate

In 2010, the vacancy rate for the municipality of Geneva was 0.25%.

2010: Geneva Metropolitan Area Population

In Jan. 2010, the Geneva metropolitan area had a population of 906,603.

June 2011: Apartment and House Prices

In June 2011, the average price of an apartment in Geneva was 13,681 CHF per square metre, while the average price for houses was 11,595 CHF per square metre.

2011: Student Statistics in Geneva

During the 2011-2012 school year, there were a total of 92,311 students in the Geneva school system. In 2011, 11,797 students were attending private schools.

2011: Education Statistics

In 2011, 37.0% of Geneva's population had completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 44.3% had completed additional higher education.

2011: University of Geneva Ranking

In 2011, the University of Geneva was ranked as the 35th best European university.

2011: CEVA Rail Project Started

In 2011, work began on the CEVA rail (Cornavin – Eaux-Vives – Annemasse) project, connecting Cornavin with the Cantonal hospital, Eaux-Vives railway station, and Annemasse in France.

2012: Religious Statistics

According to 2012 statistics, 49.2% of Geneva's population was Christian (34.2% Catholic, 8.8% Swiss Reformed, and 6.2% other Christians), 38% were non-religious, 6.1% were Muslim, and 1.6% were Jewish.

2012: Student Statistics in Geneva

During the 2011-2012 school year, there were a total of 92,311 students in the Geneva school system (primary to university).

2012: Rename to Grand Genève

In 2012 the Projet d’agglomération franco-valdo-genevois was renamed Grand Genève.

2012: World Communion of Reformed Churches Vote to Move

In 2012, the executive committee of the World Communion of Reformed Churches voted to move its offices from Geneva to Hanover, Germany.

May 2013: Electric Bus System Commenced

In May 2013, a demonstrator electric bus system with a capacity of 133 passengers commenced operation between Geneva Airport and Palexpo, introducing a new system of mass transport with electric "flash" recharging.

2013: Foreign Nationals

As of 2013, 48% of the population of Geneva are resident foreign nationals.

2013: Lions de Genève Champions

In 2013, Lions de Genève won the Swiss Basketball League championship.

2013: Fêtes de Genève Attendance

In 2013, according to Radio Télévision Suisse, hundreds of thousands of people attended the Fêtes de Genève to see the annual firework display.

2013: World Communion of Reformed Churches Move

In 2013, the World Communion of Reformed Churches completed its move from Geneva to Hanover, Germany, due to high operating costs.

2014: Car Restriction Project Planned End Date

In 2014, the car restriction project was initially planned to be implemented over a span of four years from 2010, though as of 2018, work on the project has yet to be started.

2014: Crime Statistics

In 2014, the incidence of crimes listed in the Swiss Criminal Code in Geneva was 143.9 per thousand residents. The rate of drug crimes was 33.6 per thousand residents, and violations of immigration, visa and work permit laws was 35.7 per thousand residents.

July 2015: Highest Recorded Temperature

In July 2015, the highest temperature recorded in Genève–Cointrin was 39.7 °C (103.5 °F).

2015: Lions de Genève Champions

In 2015, Lions de Genève won the Swiss Basketball League championship.

2015: Federal Election Results

In the 2015 federal election for the Swiss National Council, the PS was the most popular party with 23.8% of the vote.

2016: 25th Anniversary of the Music Festival

In 2016, the annual music festival in Geneva celebrated its 25th anniversary.

2017: Genève-Servette HC Spectator Numbers

In 2017, Genève-Servette HC drew three times more spectators than the football team, making it the most popular team in both the city and the canton of Geneva.

2018: Car Restriction Project Unstarted

As of 2018, the car restriction project approved in 2010 has yet to be started.

2018: UBS Ranking

In 2018, Geneva was ranked first for gross earnings, fourth in purchasing power, and the second most expensive city by UBS.

December 2019: CEVA Rail Line Fully Opened

In December 2019, the CEVA rail line fully opened as part of the Léman Express regional rail network.

2019: Unemployment Rate

As of 2019, Geneva had an unemployment rate of 3.9%.

2019: Federal Election Results

In the 2019 federal election for the Swiss National Council, the Green Party was the most popular party with 26% of the vote.

March 2020: Municipal Council Election

On 15 March 2020, the last election of the Municipal Council was held for the term 2020–2025.

April 2020: Administrative Council Composition

As of April 2020, Geneva's Administrative Council is made up of two representatives each of the Social Democratic Party (PS) and the Green Party (PES), and one member of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC), giving the left-wing parties a female majority in the election held on 15 March / 5 April 2020.

June 2020: Start of Administrative Council Term

From 1 June 2020, the current term of office for the Administrative Council began.

January 2021: City and Metropolitan Area Population

In January 2021, the city of Geneva had a population of 203,856 within its municipal territory. The Geneva metropolitan area had a population of 1,053,436, and the Grand Genève had a population of 1,046,168.

2021: Administrative Council in office

During the governmental year 2021–2022, the Administrative Council is presided over by Madame la maire de Genève Frédérique Perler.

2021: Revision of the Lighting Plan

In 2021, Geneva's Office cantonal de l'agriculture et de la nature (OCAN) 2021 revision of the Lighting Plan (Plan Lumière) further introduces dark infrastructure in the form of black corridors (Trame Noire).

2021: Genève-Servette HC Lost League Finals

In 2021, Genève-Servette HC reached the league finals but lost to EV Zug.

2021: Population of Geneva

In 2021, the city of Geneva had a population 203,856. The Geneva Functional Urban Area had 1,053,436 inhabitants in Jan. 2021.

2021: Geneva Metropolitan Area Population

In Jan. 2021, the Geneva metropolitan area had a population of 1,053,436.

2021: Grand Genève GLCT population

In Jan. 2021, the Grand Genève GLCT had a population of 1,046,168, 58.3% of them living on Swiss territory, and 41.7% on French territory.

2022: Administrative Council in office

During the governmental year 2021–2022, the Administrative Council is presided over by Madame la maire de Genève Frédérique Perler.

2023: Religious Composition

In 2023, 51.1% of Geneva's population identified as having no religious affiliation or an unknown affiliation. Christianity accounted for 38.5%, Islam for 7.32%, Judaism for 1.29%, and other religions for 1.72%.

2023: Genève-Servette HC Won First Championship

In 2023, Genève-Servette HC won its first championship by winning game 7 at home against EHC Biel. An estimated 7,000 fans watched the game on a giant TV screen in front of the arena.

February 2024: Genève-Servette HC Won Champions Hockey League

In February 2024, Genève-Servette HC won the Champions Hockey League, securing their first European title. An estimated 5,000 fans watched the game in a fanzone in front of the arena.