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60-525: Saint-Gingolph is a small town situated on the south bank of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman). It sits at the France–Switzerland border and is administratively divided into Saint-Gingolph, Valais (Switzerland) and Saint-Gingolph, Haute-Savoie (France). Its name is derived from the eighth-century saint Gangulphus , who is said to have lived as a hermit in this region. Its division at the Morge dates from 1569: as

120-508: A population growth rate of 2.2%. The age distribution of the population (as of 2000 ) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 28.3% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 60.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 11.2%. As of 2000 , there were 4,482 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 4,717 married individuals, 421 widows or widowers and 689 individuals who are divorced. As of 2000 , there were 3,977 private households in

180-625: A chalet to the north of Lake Geneva in 1976, which inspired him to take up painting and informed the first stages of the " Berlin Trilogy ". Pop singer Phil Collins lives in a home overlooking the lake. Rock band Queen owned and operated Mountain Recording Studios (which is still in use today) in Montreux , and a statue of lead singer Freddie Mercury , who also owned a second home in Montreux, stands on

240-515: A child or children. There were 54 households that were made up of unrelated people and 112 households that were made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing. In 2000 there were 671 single family homes (or 56.9% of the total) out of a total of 1,179 inhabited buildings. There were 243 multi-family buildings (20.6%), along with 201 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (17.0%) and 64 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (5.4%). Of

300-523: A little "chalet" at the French bank, near Geneva. Actor Charlie Chaplin spent his final years and died in Vevey (there is a memorial statue of him along the promenade; his home at Corsier-sur-Vevey is now a museum of his life and career). Actors Noël Coward , James Mason , Sir Peter Ustinov , Richard Burton , and Audrey Hepburn all lived in villages on the shores of or in view of the lake. David Bowie moved to

360-465: A loud underwater sound that could be measured at a distance. The flash of the exploding gunpowder provided the visual starting cue for the timepiece, and the underwater explosion sound striking a bell provided the finish cue. The lake is rich in wildlife, especially birds: both the common buzzard and the red kite breed here in considerable numbers. Yacht racing is a popular sport, and high-performance catamarans have been developed specifically for

420-556: A population (as of December 2020 ) of 13,281. As of 2008 , 41.7% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1999–2009) the population has changed at a rate of 23.3%. It has changed at a rate of 19% due to migration and at a rate of 5.8% due to births and deaths. Most of the population (as of 2000 ) speaks French (7,611 or 73.8%), with English being second most common (738 or 7.2%) and German being third (415 or 4.0%). There are 281 people who speak Italian and 3 people who speak Romansh . As of 2008 ,

480-544: A private car. From the 2000 census , 3,667 or 35.6% were Roman Catholic , while 1,963 or 19.0% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church . Of the rest of the population, there were 191 members of an Orthodox church (or about 1.85% of the population), there were 13 individuals (or about 0.13% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church , and there were 265 individuals (or about 2.57% of

540-411: A scientific footnote, in 1827, Lake Geneva was the site for the first measurement of the speed of sound in (fresh) water. French mathematician Jacques Charles François Sturm and Swiss physicist Daniel Collodon used two moored boats, separated by a measured distance, as the transmitting and receiving platforms for the sounds of exploding gunpowder. The loud airborne sound coupled into the lake, establishing

600-554: A total of 5,635 registered voters of which 2,286 (40.6%) voted. In 2011, all the municipalities held local elections, and in Versoix there were 27 spots open on the municipal council. There were a total of 7,640 registered voters of which 2,857 (37.4%) voted. Out of the 2,857 votes, there were 14 blank votes, 30 null or unreadable votes and 269 votes with a name that was not on the list. As of  2010 , Versoix had an unemployment rate of 7.2%. As of 2008 , there were 44 people employed in

660-594: Is a deep lake on the north side of the Alps , shared between Switzerland and France . It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe and the largest on the course of the Rhône . Sixty percent (345.31 km or 133.32 sq mi) of the lake belongs to Switzerland (the cantons of Vaud , Geneva and Valais ) and forty percent (234.71 km or 90.62 sq mi) to France (the department of Haute-Savoie ). While

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720-567: Is again considered safe to swim in the lake. Major leisure activities practiced include sailing, wind surfing, boating (including water skiing and wake-boarding), rowing, scuba diving, and bathing. A total of four submarines have plied the depths of Lake Geneva. In 1964, Jacques Piccard launched a tourist-oriented submarine, the Auguste Piccard (named for his explorer father ), for the Swiss National Exhibition, meant to honor

780-564: Is called Lavaux and is famous for its hilly vineyards. The average surface elevation of 372 m (1,220 ft) above sea level is controlled by the Seujet Dam  [ fr ] in Geneva. Due to climate change , the average temperature of deep water (more than 300 metres or 980 feet deep) increased from 4.4 °C (39.9 °F) in 1963 to 5.5 °C (41.9 °F) in 2016 (an increase of 1.1 °C or 2.0 °F in 53 years), while

840-407: Is forested. Of the rest of the land, 3.4 km (1.3 sq mi) or 32.4% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.08 km (20 acres) or 0.8% is either rivers or lakes and 0.01 km (2.5 acres) or 0.1% is unproductive land. Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 19.4% and transportation infrastructure made up 8.7%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 2.8%. Out of

900-532: Is one public Middle school, the Collège des Colombières. This school goes from 7th to 9th grade. Students from Versoix, Genthod, Bellevue, Céligny, Chavannes-des-Bois and Crassier go to this school. There are no High Schools in Versoix, so the students have to go to Geneva. Two private schools are based in Versoix - Collège du Léman and the Secondary Campus of Geneva English School . The average annual temperature

960-473: Is one sports center in Versoix, La Bécassière. It contains two pools, soccer fields, basketball courts and a beach-volleyball court. The pool in Versoix consists of two outdoor pools, a snack-bar, a restaurant with a terrace and a playground. Versoix has a Parcours VITA-FUITE of 2.4 km (1.5 mi), in the Versoix woods. In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 22.27% of

1020-412: Is the lowest point of the cantons of Valais and Vaud. The culminating point of the lake's drainage basin is Monte Rosa at 4,634 metres above sea level. The beauty of the shores of the lake and of the sites of many of the places near its banks has long been celebrated. However, it is only from the eastern end of the lake, between Vevey and Villeneuve, that the scenery assumes an Alpine character. On

1080-619: Is the last town of the Canton of Geneva on the road northeast towards Lausanne , before the Canton of Vaud starts. It is a train stop on the Swiss Federal Railways line running between Coppet and Geneva . On the Vaud side, the next village is called Mies . The distance from the centre of Geneva is about 10 km, and it takes around 15 minutes by train or car to get into downtown. Versoix has

1140-652: The Expo 64 theme of accomplishments by Swiss engineers and industry. After operating through to 1965 in Lake Geneva, Piccard used the vessel for scientific exploration in other parts of the world. Piccard later built the F.-A. Forel , launched in Lake Geneva in 1978 and used primarily for scientific research until it was retired in 2005. In 2011, in a collaborative operation led by École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne , two Mir submersibles were used for ten weeks to conduct extensive scientific research in Lake Geneva. On

1200-560: The Libéral with 16.1% of the ballots. In the canton-wide election they received the highest proportion of votes. The second most popular party was the Les Verts (with 15.9%), they were also second in the canton-wide election, while the third most popular party was the Les Socialistes (with 11.9%), they were fourth in the canton-wide election. For the 2009 Conseil d'Etat election, there were

1260-406: The primary economic sector and about 13 businesses involved in this sector. 421 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 66 businesses in this sector. 2,060 people were employed in the tertiary sector , with 277 businesses in this sector. There were 4,864 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 46.1% of the workforce. In 2008

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1320-456: The 2009-2010 school year there were a total of 3,061 students in the Versoix school system. The education system in the Canton of Geneva allows young children to attend two years of non-obligatory Kindergarten . During that school year, there were 200 children who were in a pre-kindergarten class. The canton's school system provides two years of non-mandatory kindergarten and requires students to attend six years of primary school , with some of

1380-548: The French line from Evian to Saint-Gingolph having been abandoned in the late 1980s. There is now discussion of resuscitating the line by 2012; this has been mentioned in the Swiss and French press but the outlook, according to Swiss railway workers, is dubious. The old, unelectrified, French tracks remain in place. 46°24′N 6°48′E  /  46.400°N 6.800°E  / 46.400; 6.800 Lake Geneva Lake Geneva

1440-646: The Swiss Federal Office of Topography, Swisstopo , Lac de Genève designates that part of the Petit Lac which lies within the cantonal borders of Geneva (excluding the cantonal exclave Céligny ), so about from Versoix – Hermance to the Rhône outflow in Geneva. The Chablais Alps border is its southern shore, and the western Bernese Alps lie over its eastern side. The high summits of Grand Combin and Mont Blanc are visible from some places. The lake lies on

1500-476: The average temperature of surface water (five metres or 16 feet deep) increased from 10.9 °C (51.6 °F) in 1970 to 12.9 °C (55.2 °F) in 2016 (up 2 °C or 3.6 °F in 46 years). Lake Geneva (and particularly the lakeside parts of the city of Geneva) can be affected by the cold Bise , a northeasterly wind. This can lead to severe icing in winter. The strength of the Bise wind can be determined by

1560-459: The bed of the lake, and it appears that within the historical period, the waters extended about 2 km (1.2 mi) beyond the present eastern margin of the lake. The greatest depth of the lake, in the broad portion between Évian-les-Bains and Lausanne , where it is just 13 km (8.1 mi) in width, has been measured as 310 m (1,020 ft), putting the bottom of the lake at 62 m (203 ft) above sea level . The lake's surface

1620-442: The children attending smaller, specialized classes. In Versoix there were 413 students in kindergarten or primary school and 65 students were in the special, smaller classes. The secondary school program consists of three lower, obligatory years of schooling, followed by three to five years of optional, advanced schools. There were 413 lower secondary students who attended school in Versoix. There were 605 upper secondary students from

1680-663: The course of the Rhône . The river has its source at the Rhône Glacier near the Grimsel Pass to the east of the lake and flows down through the canton of Valais , entering the lake between Villeneuve and Le Bouveret , before flowing slowly towards its egress at Geneva . Other tributaries are La Dranse, L'Aubonne, La Morges, La Venoge , La Vuachère, and La Veveyse. Lake Geneva is the largest body of water in Switzerland, and greatly exceeds in size all others that are connected with

1740-486: The death warrant of English King Charles I , was granted on 16 April 1662 protection in and continued to live at Vevey until his death in 1692. Mary and Percy Shelley and Lord Byron holidayed by the lake and wrote ghost stories, one of which became the basis for the novel Frankenstein . The Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi) was stabbed to death on the quayside in Geneva in September 1898. Vladimir Lenin rented

1800-484: The difference in air pressure between Geneva and Güttingen in canton of Thurgau . The Bise arises when the air pressure in Güttingen is higher than in Geneva. In 563, according to the writings of Gregory of Tours and Marius Aventicensis , a tsunami wave swept along the lake, destroying the fort of Tauredunum and other settlements, and causing numerous deaths in Geneva. Simulations indicate that this Tauredunum event

1860-521: The environmental, science, and technology fields. The University of Geneva has part of its campus, in particular the department of astronomy and its observatory , in Versoix, while the International Committee of the Red Cross maintains a training center there. Versoix has its official music band, the "Musique Municipale de Versoix", which also provides a music school. Versoix is also known for

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1920-505: The exact origins of the name are unknown, the name Lacus Lemanus was in use during the time of Julius Caesar . Lemannus comes from Ancient Greek Liménos Límnē ( Λιμένος Λίμνη ) meaning "port's lake". It became Lacus Lausonius , although this name was also used for a town or district on the lake, Lacus Losanetes , and then the Lac de Lausanne in the Middle Ages . Following

1980-432: The foreign population increased by 44. There were 39 Swiss men and 40 Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland. At the same time, there were 124 non-Swiss men and 94 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was an increase of 56 and the non-Swiss population increased by 211 people. This represents

2040-564: The forested land, 36.1% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.0% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 23.1% is used for growing crops and 3.5% is pastures, while 2.5% is used for orchards or vine crops. Of the water in the municipality, 0.4% is in lakes and 0.4% is in rivers and streams. The municipality of Versoix consists of the sub-sections or villages of Richelien, Creuson, Sauverny, Petit-Saint-Loup, Ecogia, Versoix-la-Ville, Pont-Céard, Port-Choiseul, Versoix-Bourg, Versoix-lac, Crève-Cœur. It

2100-482: The frontier is less frequent in the modern age because there are separate primary schools ("L'École André Zénoni" on the French side) and French lycéens are bussed to Evian, while Swiss students take the train to Monthey. Thereafter, each tend to seek employment in their own country. In any case, the town is so small that there are only two or three weddings recorded in a year.) The Swiss railway line from St Maurice and Martigny terminates at Saint-Gingolph (Switzerland),

2160-479: The frontier made it possible for the Resistance to smuggle goods, arms and refugees (including many French Jews) across the border, often using a secret tunnel (no longer in existence; it was actually a drainage pipe) located near the lake. These stories are documented in a book privately published in 1994 by the late André Zénoni, "Saint-Gingolph et sa région frontière dans la Résistance 1940-1945". (Intermarriage across

2220-401: The gender distribution of the population was 48.3% male and 51.7% female. The population was made up of 3,465 Swiss men (26.6% of the population) and 2,831 (21.7%) non-Swiss men. There were 4,013 Swiss women (30.8%) and 2,713 (20.8%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 1,979 or about 19.2% were born in Versoix and lived there in 2000. There were 1,978 or 19.2% who were born in

2280-460: The impressive ice formations, or icicles , which can be seen mainly in the coast line during the winter. The Swiss chocolate manufacturer Favarger has its headquarters and factory in Versoix. Since 2004, Versoix has organized a chocolate festival. At this festival you can taste various artisan chocolates and visit the Favarger chocolate factory. Festival activities include treasure hunts. There

2340-517: The lake originally extended, the shores are enclosed by comparatively high and bold mountains, and the vista terminates in the grand portal of the defile of St. Maurice , cleft to a depth of nearly 2,700 m (8,900 ft) between the opposite peaks of the Dents du Midi and the Dent de Morcles . The shore between Nyon and Lausanne is called La Côte because it is flatter. Between Lausanne and Vevey it

2400-553: The lake. The design of the Alinghi 5 , the defender of the 2010 America's Cup , was influenced by those racing catamarans. The best-known event, the Bol d'or  [ fr ] (not to be confused with other events having the same name) runs from Geneva to the end of the lake and back. The Tour du Lac rowing event also takes place on Lake Geneva. Competitors row once around the entire lake, making this 160-kilometre (99 mi) event

2460-779: The longest non-stop rowing regatta in the world. Several competitions for swimmers are organised yearly, the longest of which spans the length of the lake from Chillon Castle to Geneva (70km) and is known as The Signature . Other events include the crossing of the lake from Lausanne to Evian (13km), from Montreux to Clarens (1.8 km), in Geneva (1.8 km), all in summer, and the Coupe de Noël , 125m in Geneva in December. Canton of Valais (VS): Haute-Savoie : Canton of Vaud (VD): Haute-Savoie : VD: ( * Lac de Genève, see also Geography ) Haute-Savoie: Canton of Geneva (GE): VD: GE: Edmund Ludlow , famous as one who had signed

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2520-409: The main valleys of the Alps . It is in the shape of a crescent, with the horns pointing south, the northern shore being 95 km (59 mi) and the southern shore 72 km (45 mi) in length. The crescent form was more regular in a recent geological period, when the lake extended to Bex , about 18 km (11 mi) south of Villeneuve. The detritus of the Rhône has filled up this portion of

2580-604: The municipal Web site explains, it is one town consisting of a single parish (the church and cemetery are on the French side) with two municipal administrations and two distinct legal systems. The town played an important role during the World War II when Haute Savoie was occupied first by the Italian and then by the Nazi German Armed Forces . The fact of large-scale intermarriage and business and family connections across

2640-698: The municipality along with 90 students who were in a professional, non-university track program. An additional 596 students attended a private school. As of 2000 , there were 1,082 students in Versoix who came from another municipality, while 688 residents attended schools outside the municipality. Versoix is home to the Bibliothèque Communale de Versoix library which is found in the Bolero Building. In Versoix there are four primary public schools:Ami-Argand, Bon Séjour, École Lachenal and Monfleury. These schools go from Kindergarten to 6th grade. There

2700-412: The municipality and 3,669 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 2.4 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. About 10.7% of the workforce coming into Versoix are coming from outside Switzerland, while 0.3% of the locals commute out of Switzerland for work. Of the working population, 18.5% used public transportation to get to work, and 63.9% used

2760-486: The municipality, and an average of 2.4 persons per household. There were 1,282 households that consist of only one person and 296 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 4,089 households that answered this question, 31.4% were households made up of just one person and there were 28 adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 906 married couples without children, 1,323 married couples with children There were 384 single parents with

2820-614: The municipality, in 2010 , was 0.12%. The historical population is given in the following chart: The Bourg, a Bronze Age littoral settlement, and the Villa Bartholony (Sans Souci) are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance . The Bourg settlement is part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps a UNESCO World Heritage Site . It is the hub for many humanitarian organizations and other organizations within

2880-459: The northern shore of the lake. Writer Vladimir Nabokov also took residence in Montreux, where he died in 1977. Former Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher lives with his family in a home overlooking the lake. Versoix Versoix has an area, as of 2009 , of 10.51 square kilometers (4.06 sq mi). Of this area, 3.06 km (1.18 sq mi) or 29.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 4 km (1.5 sq mi) or 38.1%

2940-428: The population) did not answer the question. In Versoix about 2,774 or (26.9%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education , and 2,132 or (20.7%) have completed additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule ). Of the 2,132 who completed tertiary schooling, 31.4% were Swiss men, 26.9% were Swiss women, 22.2% were non-Swiss men and 19.5% were non-Swiss women. During

3000-467: The population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 45 individuals (or about 0.44% of the population) who were Jewish , and 554 (or about 5.37% of the population) who were Islamic . There were 46 individuals who were Buddhist , 54 individuals who were Hindu and 23 individuals who belonged to another church. 2,311 (or about 22.42% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic or atheist , and 1,177 individuals (or about 11.42% of

3060-430: The rise of Geneva it became Lac de Genève (translated into English as Lake Geneva ), but Le Léman was the common name on all local maps and is the customary name in the French language. In contemporary English , the name Lake Geneva has become predominant. Lake Geneva is divided into three parts because of its different types of formation (sedimentation, tectonic folding, glacial erosion): According to

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3120-410: The same canton, while 1,603 or 15.5% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 4,052 or 39.3% were born outside of Switzerland. In 2008 there were 75 live births to Swiss citizens and 54 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 57 deaths of Swiss citizens and 10 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 18 while

3180-446: The single family homes 113 were built before 1919, while 90 were built between 1990 and 2000. The greatest number of single family homes (138) were built between 1981 and 1990. The most multi-family homes (46) were built before 1919 and the next most (39) were built between 1991 and 1995. There were 19 multi-family houses built between 1996 and 2000. In 2000 there were 4,536 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size

3240-665: The south side, the mountains of Savoy and Valais are for the most part rugged and sombre, while those of the northern shore fall in gentle vine-covered slopes, thickly set with villages and castles. The snowy peaks of the Mont Blanc Massif are shut out from the western end of the lake by the Voirons mountain, and from its eastern end by the bolder summits of the Grammont , Cornettes de Bise , and Dent d'Oche , but are seen from Geneva, and between Nyon and Morges . From Vevey to Bex, where

3300-509: The tertiary sector was 1,707. In the tertiary sector; 249 or 14.6% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 40 or 2.3% were in the movement and storage of goods, 135 or 7.9% were in a hotel or restaurant, 12 or 0.7% were in the information industry, 51 or 3.0% were the insurance or financial industry, 77 or 4.5% were technical professionals or scientists, 665 or 39.0% were in education and 278 or 16.3% were in health care. In 2000 , there were 1,534 workers who commuted into

3360-402: The total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 2,146. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 34, of which 20 were in agriculture, 11 were in forestry or lumber production and 2 were in fishing or fisheries. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 405 of which 248 or (61.2%) were in manufacturing, 8 or (2.0%) were in mining and 135 (33.3%) were in construction. The number of jobs in

3420-550: The vote. The next three most popular parties were the Green Party (18.16%), the SP (17.05%) and the LPS Party (13.65%). In the federal election, a total of 2,338 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 42.7%. In the 2009 Grand Conseil election, there were a total of 5,631 registered voters of which 1,919 (34.1%) voted. The most popular party in the municipality for this election was

3480-427: Was 3 rooms of which there were 1,406. There were 293 single room apartments and 991 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 3,734 apartments (82.3% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 676 apartments (14.9%) were seasonally occupied and 126 apartments (2.8%) were empty. As of 2009 , the construction rate of new housing units was 6.1 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for

3540-460: Was most likely caused by a massive landslide near the Rhône delta, which caused a wave eight metres (26 ft) high to reach Geneva within 70 minutes. In 888, the town was part of the new Kingdom of Burgundy , and, with it, was absorbed into the Holy Roman Empire in 1033. In the late 1960s, pollution made it dangerous to swim at some beaches of the lake; indeed, visibility underwater

3600-433: Was near zero. By the 1980s, intense environmental pollution ( eutrophication ) had almost wiped out all the fish. Endemic whitefish species Coregonus fera was last recorded in the lake in 1920 and is now extinct. Although the name fera is still used for the only coregonid present in the lake, this is not the original species but the introduced C. palaea . Today, pollution levels have been dramatically cut back, and it

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