Pierres du Niton

The Repère Pierre du Niton, RPN for short, is the reference point of the height measurement in Switzerland and is mounted on a rock in the harbor of Geneva. The Pierres du Niton (French for " rock of Niton " ) are two boulders sticking out of the lake opposite the Gustave - Ador -Quai. They were brought from the Rhone glacier during the last ice age. The Repère Pierre du Niton is on the larger and further from the shore block.

The word is derived from Niton ancient water god Neptune, who was also worshiped by the Gauls on Lake Geneva, as shown by inscriptions from Geneva and Lausanne. Until modern times also circulated saying the water spirit Nuiton or Neton on Lake Geneva.

Guillaume -Henri Dufour used this rock as the high starting point in the development of the Dufour Map of 1845 and 1864 at a scale of 1:100 000 At that time, his height was at 376.86 m above the level Marseille fixed ( " Ancient Horizons "). To date, this stone forms the reference point of the height measurement in Switzerland. However, it was its height in 1902 to 373.6 meters above sea level. M. redefined by controlled the sea level over four sea ports ( Rhine, Inn / Donau, Ticino / Po, Rhône). Therefore, elevation data are maps of Switzerland before 1902 to 3.26 m higher than today's official values ​​.