The Jet d'Eau (, ''Water-Jet'') is a large fountain in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and is one of the city's most famous landmarks, being featured on the city's official tourism web site and on the official logo for Geneva's hosting of group stage matches at

UEFA Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial association football, football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA ( ...

. Situated where Lake Geneva exits as the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...

, it is visible throughout the city and from the air, even when flying over Geneva at an altitude of . of water per second are jetted to an altitude of by two 500 kW pumps, operating at 2,400 V, consuming one megawatt of electricity and costing 510,000 CHF per year.Geneva Jet d’Eau fountain Switzerland
/ref> The water leaves the

nozzle A nozzle is a device designed to control the direction or characteristics of a fluid flow (specially to increase velocity) as it exits (or enters) an enclosed chamber or pipe (material), pipe. A nozzle is often a pipe or tube of varying cross ...

at a speed of . At any given moment, there are about of water in the air. Unsuspecting visitors to the fountain—which can be reached via a stone jetty from the left bank of the lake—may be surprised to find themselves drenched after a slight change in wind direction.

History

The first Jet d'Eau was installed in 1886 at the Usine de la Coulouvrenière, a little further downstream from its present location. It was used as a safety valve for a hydraulic power network and could reach a height of about . In 1891, its aesthetic value was recognised and it was moved to its present location to celebrate the Federal Gymnastics Festival and the 600th anniversary of the Swiss Confederation, when it was operated for the first time. Its maximum height was about . The present Jet d'Eau was installed in 1951 in a partially submerged pumping station to pump lake water instead of city water. Since 2003, the fountain has operated during the day all year round, except in case of frost or particularly strong wind. It also operates in the evenings between spring and autumn, when it is lit by a set of 21 lights consuming 9 kW. On 25 August 2016, the fountain celebrated its 125th anniversary at its present location. Between 30 March and 11 June 2020, the jet was shut off while the city was under public health measures due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. The Jet d'Eau featured in the titles and cut scenes of the late 1960s British television series '' The Champions''.

Images

File:ETH-BIB-Genf = Genève, Salève, Mont Blanc aus 300 m-Inlandflüge-LBS MH01-007927.tif, alt=, Aerial view in 1937, before the contemporary Jet d'Eau, photographed by Walter Mittelholzer File:ETH-BIB-Genf- Genève-LBS H1-017794.tif, alt=, Aerial view in 1954 File:JetdEau-avi.jpg, Jet d'Eau with blue light in 2007 File:Jet d'eau Geneva.jpg, In 2019 with rainbow effect File:Le jet d-eau de Genève.jpg, alt=, Aerial view in 2020

Notes

External links

SIG Genève, the maintainer of the Jet

Jet d'Eau page at City of Geneva website

Jet visible on Google Maps
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jet D'eau Monuments and memorials in Switzerland Tourist attractions in Geneva Fountains in Switzerland Buildings and structures in Geneva

History

Images

See also

Notes

External links