Around the Cathedral, Geneva

On the south side of Geneva's Temple de Saint-Pierre is the former church of Notre-Dame (originally early 13th C.), in which Calvin, Beza and John Knox preached. Since the Reformation it has been called the Temple de l'Auditoire. Partly rebuilt in the 19th C., it is now used by Scottish, Dutch, Italian and Spanish Protestants (John Knox Chapel; restored 1959; exhibition of historical documents).

To the west of Geneva's Temple de Saint-Pierre the peaceful tree-shaded Cour Saint-Pierre has a number of historic old houses, the most elegant of which is the Maison Mallet (Louis XV style, 1721).

Southeast of Geneva's Temple de Saint-Pierre in the picturesque Place du Bourg-de-Four, on the site of the Roman forum, stands the handsome Palais de Justice, built 1707-12. It has housed the law courts since 1860.

Southwest of Geneva's Temple de Saint-Pierre is the Hôtel de Ville (15th-17th C.), seat of the cantonal government, which has a ramp without steps, leading to the upper floors. The Tour Baudet contains the cantonal archives. On the ground floor of the southeast wing is the Alabama room, in which the first Geneva Convention (on the Red Cross) was signed in 1864.

Facing Geneva's Hôtel de Ville is the Old Arsenal, a former 16th C. granary which served as a weapons arsenal in the 18th C. Restored in 1971, it now houses the State archives.

From Geneva's Hôtel de Ville begins the Grand' Rue (pedestrians only), the well-preserved main street of the old town, with house fronts of the 15th-18th C. (at No. 40 the birthplace of Jean-Jacques Rousseau).

Southwest of Geneva's Hôtel de Ville, reached through a pillared gateway, is the Promenade de la Treille, lined with chestnut-trees (views of Mont Salève and the Jura).

A historic monument, Tavel House is the oldest private house in Geneva. First mentioned in records in 1303 and rebuilt 1334, the house was acquired in 1963 by the City of Geneva. Since restoration was carried out, the house is viewable in its entirety, from the cellars to the attic. Tavel House is devoted to the urban history and daily life of Geneva. A huge scale model dating from 1896, reconstructs the appearance of Old Geneva as it was before 1850, still surrounded by its fortifications.Drawings, engravings, photographs, coins, furniture and collections of silver from the Middle Ages to the beginning of the 20th C can be seen.

Below Geneva's old town, to the southwest, is the Place Neuve (equestrian statue of General Dufour).

Southeast of Geneva's Place Neuve the Promenade des Bastions is graced by old trees and busts of prominent citizens of Geneva.

The Ethnographic Museum of Geneva contains about 100,000 objects and documents, the second largest collection of its kind in Switzerland. Objects exhibited reflect the diversity and the creativity of traditional cultures from the Five Continents including South American colonial silverware, Japanese weapons and art objects. Tibetan, Australian Aboriginal and rural African cultures are stressed.The Annex at Conches houses temporary modern exhibitions on regional, alpine and urban ethnography.

The Centre pour l'Image Contemporaine is concerned with art and new technologies: photography, video, computer, cinema, multimedia and the web. It is a production, presentation, discussion and archival center for contemporary images. It's Media Library has over 800 titles.

At the southeast end of the hill on which Geneva's old town is built is the Promenade St-Antoine, a former bastion. Below this is the Collège St-Antoine, founded by Calvin in 1559, now one of the eight cantonal secondary schools.

The primitive art of Africa, Oceania, Melanesia and America is displayed.