History of Geneva

In 1032 Geneva was initiated as an authoritative city under the Emperor Conrad II. It wasn't until 1530 that Geneva accomplished solidarity and in 1814 joined the Swiss Confederation in 1814. In 1535 the reputation of Geneva as a city of benevolence towards religion resulted in Geneva becoming a center of religious refugees from all around Europe and particularly French Huguenots, Italian Protestants. This influx of refugees with such diversity in terms of religion, geography and education meant that Geneva soon became a center of academia.

The first ever translation of the Bible into English ("The Geneva Bible") was carried out in 1560. Not only was the bible translated into English for the first time, but the verses whithin were numbered and organized. Only in Geneva was the printing of this text possible and hense the major influnece of Switzerland in the Reformation began. The fact that Geneva had a reputation for tolerating different religions meant that Geneva became a major factor during the Reformation. This religious tolerance has been a very important factor in the history of Geneva and the future development of both Geneva and Switzerland in general.

For hundreds of years, refugees from religious punishment adopted Geneva as their home to escape in particular the regicides that were being carried out in England during the 17th Century all the way to more recent times when vast amounts of Russians left their homeland to avoid the mass regicides of Lenin. Switzerland has always been famous for being a neutral country and throughout history has always encouraged international organizations to base their facilities in Geneva. The success of this policy and the acceptance of international organization to locate in Switzerland mean that today the international population of Geneva is 1/3 of the total population.

One of the most famous of all international organizations was initiated in Geneva in 1919 when the HQ of the League of Nations was established. The League of Nations was the forebear for the United Nations (UN). Although the UN is no longer located in Geneva (New York, 1945) there is still a substantial presence of the UN in Geneva. Among the other organizations which are situated in Geneva are the Red Cross and the WHO (World Health Organization).

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