Fountain of the Jeu d'Eau on Lake Geneva (12 photos). Fountains of Geneva Fountain before

16.10.2020

This Geneva landmark began operating in 1886 - next to the current location of the fountain.

Once upon a time, it was just a side effect of technological progress: under high pressure, water turned mills and machine engines in factories, and on weekends, when the machines stopped, it was necessary to relieve the pressure using a fountain, releasing water back into the lake. Although at that time the stream rose only 30 meters into the air, the residents of Geneva really liked this spectacle, and many citizens and guests of the city walked near the fountain in the evenings.

In 1896 it was moved to the city, and in 1951 to the lake to directly use water from the reservoir.

Nowadays the fountain operates daily, turning off only in frost and strong wind. Perhaps it can be called a symbol of the city.

Fountain of Jeu D'eau

One of the many attractions of Geneva is the beautiful Jet d’Eau fountain, which is 140 meters high. It was first installed in June 1886, slightly below its current location. In early 1891, in honor of the 600th anniversary of the Swiss Confederation, the Jet d'Eau fountain was moved to the city center for public viewing. At that time maximum height attractions was 90 meters. In 1951, a pumping station was installed under the fountain to use water directly from the lake itself, rather than from the water supply, as was previously the case. Since 2003, the Jeu d'Eau fountain has been operating daily; it is turned off only in cold weather and when strong wind.

The Geneva fountain is one of the largest in the world, its flow rate is 500 liters per second. At night, the Jet d'Eau is illuminated with an LED installation, which creates a real enchanting show. You can often meet local youth and couples at the fountain; it often acts as a city landmark.

Today the fountain on Lake Geneva is one of the most beautiful attractions, although it was not originally built for beauty. In 1886, this structure was part of a hydraulic system that provided electricity to its growing factories. At that time, the stream of water was flowing downstream and was initially only 30 meters high, and later 90 meters high.

The townspeople immediately liked the fountain. Already in 1891, it was decided to make it a tourist attraction and move it to a more advantageous place from this point of view - to the center of the harbor. In 1930, the beauty of the high water jet was emphasized by a lighting system, and in 1951 a pumping station appeared, allowing the use of lake water instead of tap water.

How to get there

The Geneva Fountain is located at the end of a long pier on the left bank of the lake, it is easy to find both on the map and while walking around the city.

The exact address: Quai Gustave-Ador, Geneva, Switzerland.

Option 1

Bus: routes No. 2, 6, E, G, NS to the Merle-d’Aubigné stop.

On foot: From the stop, go to Quai Gustave Ador, which is overlooked by a pier.

Geneva Fountain on the map

Attractions around

The fountain quickly became popular, not least due to the fact that there are many other interesting places Geneva. The embankment itself and the lake with pure water, with white swans and ducks, attract both tourists and locals. In addition, there is a ferry pier, Grange Park and the beautiful English Garden.

Also located on the Quai Gustave Ador promenade:

Monument to Empress Elisabeth of Austria(famous Sisi)

Statue of famous philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau

What to pay attention to

The Geneva fountain is considered one of the tallest and most powerful in the world - it throws out about 500 liters of water per second, with a water flow speed of up to 200 km/h. That is why spectators are not allowed too close, lest someone decide to touch the powerful stream with their hand. There is even a legend that in the past one of the Genevans committed suicide by throwing himself into a stream of water.

The water jet is made stunningly beautiful by 12 spotlights and a special sprayer, which makes the water look snow-white even on cloudy days. Saturating the flow with tiny air bubbles, it seems to whip it up, giving it lightness and a boiling white color.

Excursions

The Geneva Fountain is open to the public - from observation platforms and from the embankment you can admire this attraction completely free of charge. Since 2003, it has been open every day, except on frosty or too windy days.

Every year in September, the Jet d'Eau fountain celebrates its birthday, and on this occasion, a fair and various events are held on the embankment. On holiday weekends, which usually fall on September 15-20, there are excursions to the pumping station that releases water to the top. Also on these days, everyone can take chemical samples of water from the lake, conduct their own analysis and make sure of its purity.

Located in the heart of Geneva harbor, the Geneva Fountain (Jet d'Eau) is a recognizable emblem of the city throughout the world and the main attraction of the Swiss capital. The huge water fountain is an integral part of the landscape and occupies a special place in the heart of Geneva. Beautiful and stunning at any time of the day or year, at night, thanks to modern sophisticated lighting, it appears in all its splendor. Millions of tiny bubbles of water and air contrast effectively with the darkness and romantic city at night.

There are a lot of interesting places and attractions in Geneva, but it is almost impossible to visit the city and not see the fountain. Select and book a hotel in foreign countries, for example in Switzerland, you can visit www.planetofhotels.com. There you can also find detailed photos, descriptions, map and see prices. Switzerland is not the best cheap country, price single room in Geneva hotels it can be more than $400. On average - 120 dollars. The popular airport hotel in Geneva usually costs $200-350 per night, but if you look in advance, you can book a room for $124.

The Geneva Fountain was not always a symbol, it for a long time served local residents in a very practical way. With its help, the pressure and water system in the city were regulated at the end of the 19th century. A gigantic hydraulic structure for those times was built in 1886. In the evening, when the artisans stopped their machines, there was excess pressure. So the idea arose to create an additional flow through a safety valve, which regulates the pressure, releasing all the water pressure to the sky. The first stream of water was 30 meters high. In July 1891, the city's Administrative Council decided to make a fountain tourist place and moved it to the very center of the harbor. A new stream of water reached more than 90 meters. Until 1951, the fountain was connected to the network drinking water. Currently, self-contained, partially submerged pumps use lake water, allowing it to operate throughout the year.

Specifications Geneva fountain:

Average height jets: 140 meters
Water outlet speed: 200 km/h
Flow: 500 liters/sec
Two pumping units with a total power of 1000 kW and 2400V.
Flow rate of each group: 250 l/s
Lighting power: 9000 W

Postcard with a view of the main fountain of Switzerland.

Geneva at night is beautiful!

Without exaggeration, Jet d'Eau is one of the largest fountains in the world.

Fountain and couple on the shore.

Five hundred liters (132 gallons) of water per second rises to a height of about 140 meters!

Since 2003, the Geneva Fountain has been operating 24 hours a day throughout the year. It is turned off only in very strong winds and frosts.

The Geneva fountain, Je Deau, is unique, beautiful, majestic and is rightfully the hallmark of Geneva. Every tourist who comes to Geneva tries to see this miracle and, if possible, get wet under its spray. But not everyone succeeds, because... the fountain only works in summer time, more precisely, at ambient temperatures above -2 degrees Celsius. In winter it is turned off, because huge drops, falling down, freeze and turn into ice. And if such a “drop,” falling from a height of more than 140 meters, hits a curious tourist on the head, the consequences will be very dire.

In 2011, the Geneva Fountain (Jet d'Eau) turned 120 years old. The history of the formation of the Geneva Fountain is interesting. In 1886, at the very place where the Rhone River flows from the lake, a powerful pumping station was built, which took water from the lake and supplied it to the hydraulic factory. At this factory, water, with the help of a powerful jet, rotated various machines and mills. On weekends, the water jet was not used and it had to be released somewhere. They decided to release the water, naturally, back to Lake Geneva . This is how the first Geneva fountain was born. Its height at that time was still only 30 meters. Over time, the townspeople liked the fountain more and more. This place has become favorite place recreation for Genevans, and subsequently, the first attraction of Geneva.
In 1891, local authorities decided to improve the fountain. It was moved, electric lighting was installed and the power of the jet was increased, as a result of which the height of the Geneva Fountain was already 90 meters. The official birthday of the Geneva Fountain is August 2.

The technical characteristics of the Geneva Fountain are as follows:
The average height of the jet is 140 meters.
The speed of the ejected jet is 200 km/h.
Productivity - 500 liters per second.
The mass of water in the stream is 7 tons, and one drop lingers in flight for 16 seconds from the moment of release. All this beauty is provided by 2 powerful water pumps. It is also noteworthy that the stream of the Geneva Fountain is always white. This is achieved using a built-in air atomizer.
If you are lucky enough to visit Geneva, be sure to take a boat ride on Lake Geneva. He floats past the fountain for quite some time close range and you will be able to take a closer look at this miracle.
Je Do has its own character, which changes depending on the weather and wind direction. In calm, windless weather, the jet of the Geneva Fountain shoots strictly vertically, but as soon as the wind blows, its spray scatters over several hundred meters. Its color changes depending on the light in the sky. In sunny weather it is bright white, at sunset it is pink, and sometimes it even shines with all the colors of the rainbow. The spectacle is truly amazing! And no photo can convey all this beauty and grandeur. I suggest you watch a short video. Agree, this is a grandiose spectacle.

The giant jet of water has been Geneva's most significant landmark since 1981. This narrow column of water, shooting to a staggering height of 140 meters, is one of the most recognizable places in the city.

The fountain has quite impressive characteristics: every second, a stream of water with a diameter of 4 inches (10.16 cm) rushes to the surface at a speed of 200 km/h. At any moment there is about 7,000 liters of water in the air.

Named "Jet d'Eau", which means "stream of water" in French, the fountain is located on Lake Geneva where it flows into the Rhône River. The lake has a stone pier installed in the same year, The same as the famous fountain, visitors can use it to get from the shore directly to the place where the stream of water comes from.

The famous Swiss landmark was originally intended as a relief valve to relieve excess pressure that was being put on the city's hydraulic power grid. A hydraulic power network uses pressurized water to transfer mechanical energy from a large central pumping station to workshops and factories throughout the city through a network of pipes, just as a power system transfers energy from a generator station to end users.

The idea of a hydraulic power supply network was first proposed by the English inventor Joseph Bramah in the early 1800s, and the first such low-pressure systems began to appear in England in the 1840s, but the real breakthrough came in 1850 with the introduction of the hydraulic accumulator, which allowed the use of much higher pressures. By the end of the 19th century, many cities around the world had hydraulic power grids. These included London, Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Antwerp, Melbourne, Sydney, Buenos Aires and Geneva.

The Geneva hydraulic power supply network was created in 1879 by installing steam engine 300 HP pumping water from Lake Geneva for both drinking and pressurized water supply. Increased demand prompted the city to install a new pumping station in 1886, which used water from the Rhone River. Water pressure was used to drive machines in more than a hundred workshops and factories. At the end of each workday, as factories turned off machines at the same time, excess pressure built up in the system, so a relief valve was needed to relieve it. This safety valve became the first fountain in Geneva, creating a column of water 30 meters high.

Soon the tall fountain became a city landmark. Seeing how popular it had become, in 1891 the city authorities decided to move it to its current location with the sole purpose of attracting more tourists. When the jet began to flow with greater power, the height of the fountain rose by 90 meters. In 1951, the power of the flow once increased so much that the jet rose to its current height - 140 meters - becoming the sixth tallest fountain in the world.

Today the fountain operates around the clock throughout the year, and in the evenings it is illuminated with colorful lights.

The first Jeu d'Eau fountain in Geneva, circa 1886.