Les Acacias is a district shared between the cities of

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

and

Carouge Carouge () is a municipality in the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. History Carouge is first mentioned in the Early Middle Ages as ''Quadruvium'' and ''Quatruvio''. In 1248 it was mentioned as ''Carrogium'' while in the 14th Century it was kn ...

in Switzerland, located on the left bank of the

Arve The Arve (french: L'Arve, ) is a river in France (''département'' of Haute-Savoie), and Switzerland (canton of Geneva). A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long, of which 9 km in Switzerland. Its catchment area is , of which 80 km2 ...

Geography

In the past the area was frequently subjected to the overflow of the Arve, the Drize and the Aire rivers. The Acacias and Bâtie districts are the only ones in the city of Geneva located on the left bank of the Arve.

History

The area, along with neighbouring La Praille, initially belonged to the lord of

Lancy Lancy is a municipality of the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. History Lancy is first mentioned in 1097 as ''Lanciaco'' meaning "fearless". Geography Lancy has an area, , of . Of this area, or 5.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while or ...

before moving under the lordship of La Bâtie-Meillé in 1347. This district was progressively developed from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

onwards by sewage works, allowing market gardening activities on the Arve side and livestock breeding towards la Praille. The left bank, however, remained contested between then-independent Geneva and neighbouring Savoy until it came under Swiss jurisdiction in the middle of the 19th Century. Exchanges with the city increased significantly from there onwards: a paved road is inaugurated in 1878 and streetcars start crossing the Arve in 1889. The Swiss Federal Railways and the canton bought land in 1919, and the construction of a commercial railroad station in La Praille led to major infrastructure work, including the canalization of the Drize and Aire rivers (1935). The canton bought the land back from the SBB in 1950 to turn it into an industrial district. Companies rented plots for 90 years (surface rights). In just two years, 42 companies set up in Les Acacias. The district that was built was thus popular, artisanal and industrial. The Vernets barracks were built in 1958, and a

ice skating rink An ice rink (or ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water and/or an artificial sheet of ice created using hardened chemicals where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Ice rinks are also used for exhibitions, contests and ice shows. The ...

in 1959 that now hosts the Genève-Servette hockey team.

Rolex Rolex SA () is a British-founded Swiss watch designer and manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1905 as ''Wilsdorf and Davis'' by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis in London, the company registered ''Rolex'' as the brand name of ...

set up its headquarters in 1965: the company, via the Hans-Wilsdorf Foundation would later come to build a replacement to the 1952 "temporary" Vernets footbridge, the iconic Hans-Wilsdorf Bridge (2012). Geneva-based

fire extinguisher A fire extinguisher is a handheld active fire protection device usually filled with a dry or wet chemical used to extinguish or control small fires, often in emergencies. It is not intended for use on an out-of-control fire, such as one which ha ...

company Sicli, founded in 1923, built its new manufacturing building at 45 route des Acacias in 1969. Known as the "Sicli Pavilion", it was acquired by the Canton in 2011 after the company's departure, and then registered in the Geneva inventory of historical monuments in 2012. As a cultural space, this place is now dedicated to architecture, construction and urban planning. The reinforced concrete shell roof rests on seven anchors, and is one of the most remarkable achievements of the engineer Heinz Isler. The Acacias Park was created in 1979, on a former industrial site acquired by the City of Geneva. It was later renamed after social reformer

Eglantyne Jebb Eglantyne Jebb (25 August 1876 – 17 December 1928) was a British social reformer who founded the Save the Children organisation at the end of the First World War to relieve the effects of famine in Austria-Hungary and Germany. She drafted th ...

{{Cite web , title=Parc Eglantyne Jebb (ex parc des Acacias) , url=https://www.geneve.ch/fr/parc-eglantyne-jebb-parc-acacias , access-date=2022-08-13 , website=www.geneve.ch , language=fr

References

category:Geography of Geneva