[Photo from geneve-tourisme.ch]

The lakeshore’s star attraction is the elegant water fountain, dazzling visitors as it shoots 140 metres into the sky.

Originally a simple security valve at the Coulouvrenière hydraulic factory, the Jet d'Eau has become the landmark of Geneva. Its millions of air bubbles will immediately put you under its spell.

The fountain came into being by chance. In 1886, a hydraulic power station was built to deliver water under pressure from the Rhône to the city’s fountains, households and factories. One evening, pressure build-ups forced the engineers to install a special pressure relief valve. This marked the birth of the Jet d’Eau. The ephemeral work of art soon became a tourist attraction and was moved closer to the lakeside. With time, water column grew taller. Since 1951, an autonomous pumping station has propelled 500 litres of water per second to a height of 140 metres at a speed of 200 km/h (124 mph).

Address:

Quai Gustave Ador

1207 Genève

Situation:

Town CentreLakeside

Distances (in meters)

Direction:

Bus:

Lines: 2, 6, E, G, stop Vollande

Mouettes Genevoises:

Line: M2, stop Eaux-Vives