Nyon

Nyon is a municipality and capital of the eponymous district of the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland. The German names Neuis and Neuss date from the time of the Bernese Lords and are no longer used today. Among the Celts was called the place Noviodunos ( Latinized Noviodunum ), during the Roman period Colonia Iulia Equestris.

9.1 Connected to Nyon

Geography

Nyon is situated at 403 m above sea level. M., 34 km west-southwest of the capital of the canton of Lausanne and 22 km north- east of Geneva (air line). The municipality extends on a terrace on the northwestern shore of Lake Geneva, about 30 m above the lake level, between the mouths of the Boiron and the aces.

The area of 6.8 km ² large municipality area includes a section on the northwest shore of Lake Geneva. The communal land extends from the shore to the northwest over the flat riparian strips on the slightly elevated level on subsequent Jurasüdfuss. In this level, the valleys of the river Boiron de Nyon are sunk ( in the southwest ) and aces ( in the northeast ) in the municipality of Nyon. South of the Boiron enough in the area to the forest area Bois Neuf The highest elevation of Nyon is 480 meters above sea level. M. reaches below Trélex. From the municipality surface 1997 51 percent went to settlements, 8 per cent to forest and woody plants and 41 percent to agriculture.

At Nyon include commercial and industrial settlement L' aces (470 m above sea level. M. ), the right of the river of the same name, one part of the hamlet Changins (436 m above sea level. M. ) south of the hill of Duillier and some Hofsiedlungen. Neighboring communities of Nyon are Crans- près -Céligny, Eysins, Signy- Avenex, Grens, Trélex, Duillier and Prangins.

Population

With 18,804 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2012) Nyon is one of the largest municipalities in the canton of Vaud. Of the 75.9 percent of residents are French-speaking, German-speaking 5.7 percent and 4.0 percent in English (as of 2000). After 1950 began a rapid increase in population since then, the population has nearly tripled from Nyon. The settlement area of Nyon has now grown together seamlessly with that of Prangins.

Economy

Nyon has long been a mainly agrarian embossed town. Today, agriculture plays only a minor role as a source of income. It focuses thanks to the fertile lands on the Crop Production, at the optimal inclined to the south hillside lots outside the city limits wine production.

The city is an important regional industrial center that has grown rapidly thanks to the excellent traffic connections to the axle Geneva -Lausanne in recent decades. Major industries include the manufacture of medicines, food, chemical, metallurgical and match industry, the tools, watches and pottery production and graphic arts businesses.

Since Nyon is also regarded as administrative and financial center, the majority of jobs in the service sector are present. Since 1995 Nyon headquarters of UEFA. In 1988, the Centre d' enseignement secondaire supérieur ( CESSOUEST ) opened. Since 1886, located in the station Changins fédérale de recherches de agronomiques Changins, the Federal Agricultural Research Station Agroscope.

Culture

In Nyon significant cultural events are held each year. Among them is mainly the Paleo Festival Nyon to call, one of the biggest open-air festivals in Switzerland. There are also other dance and film festivals, a documentary film festival, including the internationally renowned Visions du Reel, and concerts. The summer resort on Lake Geneva has also important for tourism and has several museums such as the Musée Romain (since 1979), the Musée du Léman (since 1954) and the Musée historique et des porcelaines (since 1860).

Following an old custom - - In the Easter season are in Nyon, the fountain with flowers, twigs, ribbons and colored eggs decorated ( Easter tradition ).

Traffic

The city is conveniently reach and accessible. It lies on the main road 1 from Geneva along the lake to Lausanne. Here branches off the road over the Col de la Givrine after Morez in France from. The motorway connection Nyon on the A1 opened in 1964 ( Geneva -Lausanne ) is about 3 km from the city center.

On April 14, 1858 Section Morges- Coppet the SBB line Lausanne- Geneva was taken with a station in Nyon in operation. The one-meter Nyon -Saint- Cergue- Morez -Bahn ( NStCM ) from Nyon to Saint- CERGUE which also opens up Nyons outer quarters, was inaugurated on July 12, 1916. From 1905 to 1962 was also the railway line from Nyon to Divonne- les- Bains in operation. Today only the section to Eysins is used for transporting goods.

For the dispersion in public transport the city bus from Nyon provides. There are also Postbus courses in the surrounding communities, to Coppet, Gingins and Gimel. Furthermore, Nyon is connected to the network of passenger ship on Lake Geneva.

History

Nyon can look back on a very long urban tradition. The earliest finds date to the Neolithic period, when there was a small settlement on the lakeshore.

Celtic and Roman times

In the 1st century BC, was located on the site of today's Nyon attachment Noviodunos, which was inhabited by the Helvetians. Probably burned them in their exodus to Gaul around 58 BC, the city down. Compelled by Caesar to return to the tribes of the Helvetii left again down on the shore of Lake Geneva and founded by 45 BC under the supervision of the Roman city of Colonia Iulia Equestris that rose the most important city on Lake Geneva during the Roman period. The center was located on the grounds terrace in the area of the castle on the site of the present Old Town. It consisted of a forum with the main temple, endowed with rich floor mosaics and a basilica. The first excavations were made in the 19th century, further excavations followed in 1974. Via the residential areas, however, is little known. Colonia Iulia Equestris was supplied by an aqueduct with water from the Versoix. Some remains of this partially underground running aqueduct are preserved.

During the Roman period Aventicum solved ( Avenches ) Colonia Iulia Equestris from a regional center, in the late Roman period also Genava ( Geneva ) gained more and more importance. A first time the town was destroyed after the middle of the 3rd century, but later rebuilt under the name Civitas Equestri. The final devastation and destruction of the city took place in the 5th century.

Medieval and modern times

The re-founding of Nyon is to settle on the time around the 11th and 12th centuries. First, the city bore the Latinized name Neodunum, Nevidunum, Nividunum, Novidunum, Niviodunum, Noiodunum and Neomagus. Nyon belonged to the rule Prangins and came in 1293 to the House of Savoy. After Nyon had received city rights in the 13th century, it experienced an economic boom under the House of Savoy and was mint ( until the 15th century ).

With the conquest of Vaud by Bern in 1536 Nyon was raised to the office of the bailiwick of the same name. 1711 Bailiwick Bonmont of Nyon was separated. After the collapse of the ancien régime the city from 1798 to 1803 during the Helvetic Republic belonged to the canton of Geneva, who came up then with the enactment of the Act of Mediation in the canton of Vaud. Since 1798 Nyon is the capital of the district of the same name. From 1781 to 1813 the city gained world renown as the seat of a porcelain manufactory.

Attractions

Remains of the Roman Basilica and the Forum can be seen in the Roman museum. From the Roman period also witness the three pillars of the old forum who are at the entrance to the city today. Only in 1996 the former amphitheater was discovered.

The old town was built on Roman foundations and has retained the original floor plan. Still it shows a medieval townscape with distinctive patrician houses mostly in the late Gothic style. The town was fortified in the 12th century, the lords of Prangins; from this period is still the Tour de César ( also called Tour de Rive ) was obtained. Parts of the perimeter wall are visible in the southeast of the old town.

The Reformed parish church of Notre -Dame emerged from a former priory. This was built on the site of probably built before 700 house of God in the 12th century. The present building of the church dates mostly from the 14th century, vaults and side chapels were built from 1471 to 1781. From the Romanesque period parts of the choir and the wall paintings are preserved. Major changes were made in the 18th and 19th century, the bell tower was rebuilt in 1934.

The castle at the east end of the Old Town was built in the 13th century. It initially served the Counts and Dukes of Savoy, in the Bernese time the sheriffs as a residence. The original building was greatly expanded and redesigned to 1583 in the period from 1574. The castle is a quadrangular plan with four side towers. It now houses the Musée historique et des porcelaines ( with a rich collection of porcelain and faience ).

Among the most important buildings in the old town include the Porte Sainte -Marie ( 18th century), the Maison Bonnard with a tower from the 15th century, the Hôtel de Ville (also called Maison Lancaster ) from the 16th century with sundials on the facade. The former college is a neo-classical building from 1784 to 1792.

The district on the lake shore below the old town from the 18th to 19th centuries earlier focused mainly on trade and commerce.

Also building of modern architecture are present in large numbers in Nyon.

Twinning

Since September 8, 2001, there is a friendship agreement between Nyon and the French town of Nyons in Drome region.

Personalities

Georges de Mestral (1907-1990), a Swiss engineer, inventor of Velcro
Alfred Cortot (1877-1962), French pianist, piano teacher, composer, conductor and writer on music
Béatrice Graf ( b. 1964 ), Swiss musician (drums, organ, keyboard ) of the fusion and modern jazz
Kevin Huggins (* 1988), Swiss football goalkeeper

Connected to Nyon

Arnold C. Klebs (1870-1943), Swiss- American medical historian, lived in Nyon
The musician Phil Collins has settled here.
The ancestors of former U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower operated in the 19th century in Nyon a brewery.

176221