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. A global city and international financial center, it's renowned as a hub for diplomacy, earning it the title "Peace Capital." Geneva's strategic location and international presence contribute to its significance on the world stage.

1907: Separation of Church and State

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

1919: Construction timeline for single family homes

Before 1919, 197 single family homes had been constructed in Geneva.

1924: Founding of the International School of Geneva

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

1945: Construction timeline for single family homes

Between 1919 and 1945, the greatest number of single family homes were built (277) in Geneva.

1948: World Communion of Reformed Churches Based in Geneva

The World Communion of Reformed Churches was based in Geneva from 1948.

1951: Fire at the Grand Théâtre de Genève

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

1954: Founding of CERN

CERN was founded in 1954 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 ('Franco-Genevan Regional Committee', CRFG).

1980: Fête de l'Olivier Organized

Since 1980, the ICAM has organized the Fête de l'Olivier, a festival of Arabic music, in Geneva.

1986: Geneva Seahawks Established

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

1990: Construction timeline for single family homes

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

1991: Geneva Seahawks Win Swiss Bowl

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

1996: Léman Bleu Local TV Channel Founded

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

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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 ('Franco-Vaud-Genevan urban area').

1997: Planning Territory Defined

In 1997, the planning territory for Franco-Vaud-Genevan urban area was defined.

1999: Population Change Start

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

2000: Birthplace Statistics

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, while adults (20–64 years old) made up 65.8% and seniors (over 64 years old) made up 16%.

2000: Marital Status

As of 2000, there were 78,666 single people, 74,205 married individuals, 10,006 widows or widowers, and 15,087 divorced individuals in Geneva.

2000: Religious Demographics

In 2000, there were three times as many Roman Catholics as Protestants living in Geneva, while a large number of residents were members of neither group.

2000: Census Records of Religious Affiliation

The 2000 census recorded that 37.4% of Geneva residents identified as Catholic, 23.20% had no religious affiliation, 13.5% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church, and 4.89% were Muslim. There were also members of Orthodox, Christian Catholic, and other Christian churches, as well as Jewish, Buddhist and Hindu individuals.

2001: Creation of Strategic Committee

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

In 2002, two new railway stations were opened at the city limits of Geneva: Genève-Sécheron and Lancy-Pont-Rouge.

2003: Voisin, voisine Fiber-to-the-Home Pilot Project Launched

From 2003 to 2005, the "Voisin, voisine" fiber-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 the Strategic Committee for the Development of Regional Public Transports adopted a 'Charter for Public Transports', first step in the development of a metropolitan, cross-border commuter rail network.

2003: Average Apartment Rental Prices

In 2003, the average price to rent an apartment in Geneva was 1163.30 Swiss francs (CHF) per month. A one-room apartment averaged 641.60 CHF, a two-room apartment 874.46 CHF, a three-room apartment 1126.37 CHF, and a six or more room apartment 2691.07 CHF.

2003: Yearly Sunshine Hours

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

2004: Creation of Public Transnational Body

In 2004, a public transnational body called Projet d’agglomération franco-valdo-genevois ('Franco-Vaud-Genevan urban area project') was created.

2005: Voisin, voisine Fiber-to-the-Home Pilot Project Concluded

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

2008: Gender Distribution

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

2008: Employment Statistics

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

2008: Full-Time Equivalent Jobs

In 2008, Geneva had 124,185 full-time equivalent jobs. The primary sector had four jobs, the secondary sector had 9,363 jobs, and the tertiary sector had 114,818 jobs.

2008: Genève-Servette HC Loses League Finals

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

2008: Early Bud Appearance

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

2008: Birth and Death Statistics

In 2008, there were 1,147 live births to Swiss citizens and 893 births to non-Swiss citizens, with 1,114 deaths of Swiss citizens and 274 non-Swiss citizen deaths.

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: End of Temperature Recording Period

From 2000-2009, the mean yearly temperature was 11 °C and the mean number of sunshine-hours per year was 2003.

2009: Population Change End

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

2010: Project to Close Streets Approved

In 2010, Geneva cantonal authorities approved an ambitious project to close 200 streets in the city center to cars.

2010: Genève-Servette HC Loses League Finals Again

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

2010: Genevan Brass Festival Founded

In 2010, the Genevan Brass Festival was founded by Christophe Sturzenegger.

2010: Apartment Vacancy Rate

In 2010, the vacancy rate for apartments in Geneva was 0.25%.

2010: Geneva Metropolitan Area Population

In Jan. 2010 the population in Geneva was 906,603.

June 2011: Average Apartment and House Prices

In June 2011, the average price of an apartment in Geneva was 13,681 CHF per square metre, ranging from 9,847 CHF for basic apartments to 17,589 CHF for luxury apartments. The average price for houses was 11,595 CHF per square metre, ranging from 4,874 CHF to 21,966 CHF.

2011: Student Enrollment

During the 2011–2012 school year, there were 92,311 students in the Geneva school system from primary to university.

2011: Education Levels

In 2011, 37.0% of the population in Geneva 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 35th European university.

2011: Work Started on CEVA Rail Project

In 2011, work began on the CEVA rail project, aimed at connecting Cornavin with several other locations.

2012: Religious Statistics

According to 2012 statistics, 49.2% of Geneva's population were 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 Enrollment

During the 2011–2012 school year, there were 92,311 students in the Geneva school system from primary to university.

2012: Renaming of Project

In 2012, the Projet d’agglomération franco-valdo-genevois was renamed Grand Genève ('Greater Geneva').

2012: Vote to move World Communion of Reformed Churches

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

May 2013: Electric Bus System Commenced

In May 2013, a demonstrator electric bus system, with a capacity of 133 passengers, commenced operations between Geneva Airport and Palexpo.

2013: Fêtes de Genève Attendance

According to Radio Télévision Suisse in 2013, hundreds of thousands of people came to Geneva to see the annual hour-long grand firework display of the Fêtes de Genève.

2013: Foreign Nationals

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

2013: Lions de Genève Wins Swiss Basketball League

In 2013, Lions de Genève became the champions of the Swiss Basketball League.

2013: Move of World Communion of Reformed Churches

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

2014: Planned Implementation End Date for Street Closure Project

2014 was the planned end date for implementing the street closure project approved in 2010; however, the project was not started yet as of 2018.

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 Wins Swiss Basketball League Again

In 2015, Lions de Genève once again became the champions of the Swiss Basketball League.

2015: Swiss National Council Election

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

2016: Music Festival Anniversary

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

2017: Genève-Servette HC Spectator Popularity

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

2018: Street Closure Project Not Started

As of 2018, the project to close 200 streets in the center of Geneva to cars, which was approved in 2010, had not yet been started.

2018: UBS Global Cities Ranking

In a UBS ranking of global cities in 2018, Geneva was ranked first for gross earnings, second most expensive, and fourth in purchasing power.

December 2019: CEVA Rail Project 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: Swiss National Council Election

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

March 2020: Municipal Council Election

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

April 2020: Administrative Council Election Results

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).

June 2020: Start of Administrative Council Term

The current term of office for Geneva's Administrative Council began on 1 June 2020.

January 2021: Geneva 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. The Grand Genève had a population of 1,046,168, with 58.3% living on Swiss territory and 41.7% on French territory as of January 2021.

2021: Population Growth in Geneva

From Jan 2010 to Jan 2021, Geneva's population rose from 906,603 to 1,053,436.

2021: Geneva Population Statistics

In 2021 (Jan. estimate), the city of Geneva had a population 203,856 and the Geneva Functional Urban Area had 1,053,436 inhabitants.

2021: Revision of the Lighting Plan

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

2021: Genève-Servette HC Loses League Finals For the Third Time

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

2021: Grand Genève GLCT Population

In Jan. 2021, the Grand Genève GLCT had a population of 1,046,168.

2021: Administrative Council Presidency

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

2022: Administrative Council Presidency

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

2023: Religious Composition of Geneva

In 2023, 51.1% of Geneva’s permanent residents aged 15 and older identified as having no religious affiliation or an unknown affiliation. Christianity accounted for 38.5% (26.3% Catholic, 5.90% Protestant, 6.29% other Christian). 7.32% identified as Muslim, 1.29% as Jewish, and 1.72% adhered to other religions.

2023: Genève-Servette HC Wins First Championship

In 2023, Genève-Servette HC won its first championship, defeating EHC Biel in game 7 at home, with many fans watching on a giant TV screen outside the arena.

February 2024: Genève-Servette HC Wins Champions Hockey League

In February 2024, Genève-Servette HC won the Champions Hockey League, securing their first European title in front of a large crowd at Patinoire des Vernets and with additional fans in a fanzone.