Geneva: An Introduction
Geneva (Genève as it is known locally) has long been an international centre for diplomacy, multiculturalism and forward-thinking. The second largest city in Switzerland after Zurich, Geneva was once the base of the League of Nations and later of the United Nations before it moved it's head-quarters to New York City in the United States. This trend of international politics and diplomacy remains, and a number of the UN's major offices are still based in Geneva. Other organizations also use the city as their base - the International Committee of the Red Cross, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are amongst the large diplomatic groups working from Geneva.
Before Geneva became such an important diplomatic hub it was a bustling centre for religious thought. During the time of the Reformation (when the Catholic Church was torn apart by revolutionary thinkers such as Martin Luther and John Calvin), Geneva was one of the main cities to harbour Protestant reformers - John Calvin himself used the city as his base (though he was once expelled for his radical behaviour). Nowadays Geneva is proud of its Protestant heritage and has a number of monuments and a museum that testify to the great changes that the Reformation brought to Europe and the world.
It is safe to say that Geneva truly is a meeting place of many different cultures, and this was especially clear when it recently played host to the 2008 Euro Football Championship. Although the official language of Geneva is French (it is the capital of the Republic and Canton of Geneva which is situated in the French-speaking area of Switzerland known as Romandy), English is widely spoken, as is German, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Arabic and Italian. After all, Switzerland is one of the epicentres of European diplomacy and culture, so it makes sense that so many different people would converge on Geneva and bring such a multi-cultural flavour to the city.
Perhaps one of the best things about Geneva, aside from it's friendly and welcoming atmosphere, is its position close to many important natural phenomena. Situated where the Rhône River escapes from Lake Geneva (Lac Léman), Geneva is very close to the tallest mountain peak in Europe, Mont Blanc. Lake Geneva itself is shared between Switzerland and France, and indeed many of the beautiful rural areas around Geneva are in fact across the French border. Geneva is also a city of green areas and gardens, making it an incredibly enjoyable city no matter what time of year or what weather the Swiss town is experiencing!
