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Tourist information - Geneva
Geneva (Switzerland) (French Genève; German Genf) is a city in western Switzerland, the capital of Geneva Canton. The city is located at the western extremity of Lake Geneva, where the Rhône River issues from the lake. The Rhône divides Geneva into two almost equal parts. On the south, or left, bank stands the older part of the city, containing the financial and business districts and two old residential districts: Eaux Vives and Carouge, the latter a working-class neighborhood. Narrow, crooked streets penetrate the old quarter everywhere except along the river bank, which contains broad avenues and modern quays. The Rhône is spanned by several bridges, one of which traverses a small island, Rousseau's Island. The northern, or right, bank is principally residential, containing the Quartier Saint-Gervais, in which large hotels are located; and the Les Délices district, containing the house in which the French writer and philosopher Voltaire lived from 1755 to 1758. The entire city is encompassed by boulevards laid out on the site of the ancient city walls.
Geneva contains many parks and squares, notably the Jardin Anglais and the Place Neuve on the left bank, and the Place des Alpes on the right bank. The principal buildings in the old section include the Cathedral of Saint Peter, built in the 12th and 13th centuries; the Florentine-style city hall, erected in the 16th century; the Temple de l'Auditoire, where the Scottish religious reformer John Knox preached and the French theologian John Calvin taught; the 18th-century house where the French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau was born; the Rath Museum, containing an immense art collection; and the Museum of Natural History. Educational institutions in the city include the University of Geneva (founded as the Collège de Genève by Calvin in 1559) and various industrial and technical schools, including the École d'Horlogerie (School of Watchmaking). Watchmaking and the manufacture of jewelry have contributed to making Geneva an important manufacturing center. Other industries include enameling, the production of music boxes and scientific instruments, and diamond cutting. Geneva is also an important banking and financial center. Guest workers are an important part of the labor force, making up as much as 30 percent of the city's population.
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