Nyon Travel Guide, Canton of Vaud, Switzerland

Nyon is a municipality in Nyon District in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. The city of Nyon is known for its festivals, history and business tourism. It is located some 25 kilometers north east of Geneva’s city centre, and since the 1970s it has become part of the Geneva metropolitan area. It lies on the shores of Lake Geneva and is the seat of Nyon District. Thanks to the Nyon – St-Cergue – La Cure railway, the city joins the countryside and the mountains for escapades in the heart of nature.

A city where life is good, Nyon is surrounded by Lake Geneva, the vineyards of La Côte AOC and the Jura. Events are part of the art of living in Nyon: in July, 230,000 people live 6 days of concerts at the Paléo Festival. Other festival-goers gather for the Hivernales, Visions du Réel, the Caribana, Rive Jazzy and the far ° (festival of performing arts).

The castles and museums of Nyon evoke a patrician history: With a rare Franco-Bernese influence, the Château de Nyon which houses the Historical and Porcelain Museum is well surrounded in the region with the Château de Prangins (Swiss National Museum) and the Coppet Castle. As for the distant past of Noviodunum, founded by Julius Caesar, it is told in the Roman Museum.

The story of Auguste Piccard, the scientist who inspired Tournesol, can be discovered at the Léman Museum in Nyon. The city is highlighted in the “Tournesol Affair”, when Tintin, comic book hero, investigates Nyon in search of Professor Tournesol.

Nyon region
Most of the districts of the district are associated within the Region of Nyon, an institution governed by public law which coordinates regional planning around the interdependent themes of territory, mobility, the environment, the socio-economic context, culture., tourism and sport. This allows them to reach the critical size to weigh in on important issues and implement coherent measures beyond the borders of each of the municipalities.

History
Nyon is first mentioned around 367–407 as civitas Equestrium id est Noiodunus (in the “Notitia Galliarum”). In 1236, it was mentioned as Neveduni and in 1292 as Nyons. It was founded by the Romans, during the reign of Julius Caesar, between 46 BC. AD and 44 BC. AD. At the beginning, it was called Colonia Iulia Equestris but was also called Noviodunum (new fortress, in Gallic language ). Archaeologists thought there must have been a Helvetian site before Roman settlement, but the lack of evidence suggests that this was in opposition to the oppidum of Geneva as an old fortress. This colonywas, in its beginnings, intended for the veteran cavaliers of Rome, receiving a piece of land for their services rendered. It then grew to become one of the most important Roman colonies in Switzerland, with a forum, a basilica and an amphitheater, which was discovered in 1996 and which, despite the wishes of the population, has still not been restored. and enhanced almost 25 years later.

Pre-Roman settlements
A few scattered neolithic items were discovered in the 19th century. North of the city, some bronze rings and the ruins of a Bronze Age settlement were discovered.

Noviodunum
It was founded by the Romans between 50 and 44 BC under the name of Colonia Iulia Equestris or Colonia Equestris Noiodunum, the urban center of which was called Noviodunum. It grew to be one of the most important Roman colonies in modern-day Switzerland, with a forum, a basilica and an amphitheater that was discovered only recently, in 1996, when digging for the construction of a new building.

At Roman contact, the country round the town was held by the Helvetii. The town’s importance is reflected in its numerous mentions in ancient sources. The Antonine Itineraries place the town on the road from Geneva to Lacus Lausonius (near Lausanne). It is first mentioned by Pliny (H.N., iv. 7), and then by Ptolemy (ii. 9), who assigns it to the Sequani. Pliny and Ptolemy simply name it Equestris; and so it is named in the Itineraries. On some inscriptions it is called Civ. Equestrium (short for Civitas Equestrium), and Col. Julia Equ. (short for Colonia Julia Equestris) from which some have concluded that it was founded by Julius Caesar. In the Notitia it is called Civ. Equestrium Noiodunum (short for Civitas Equestrium Noiodunum). The district in which Nyon stands is called Pagus Equestricus in a document of the year 1011; and it is said that the people of the country as of the 18th century still called this district Enquestre. (D’Anville, Notice, &c.; Walckenaer, Géographie, &c., des Gaules, vol. ii. p. 316.)

Noviodunum was part of a loose network of settlements that radiated out from Lugdunum (modern Lyon, France) and helped to control the Rhone Valley. It served, along with other Roman colonies in the area, to control the Helvetii who were settled in the area against their will after their defeat at the Battle of Bibracte in 58 BC.

A rectangular grid pattern divided the area of the wall-less city. A monumental center, housing everything needed for the economic, religious and social life of the colony, was established. Only portions of this first forum have been discovered. At its east end was a two-story basilica. Grid-like residential streets radiated out from the center.

Under Tiberius, the forum was expanded and redesigned into a familiar pattern for the provinces. The sacred area was surrounded on three sides by colonnades, which were built on half-sunken Cryptoporticus. Two outbuildings, including most likely the seat of the Curia, flanked the building. A market building (macellum) with a central courtyard around which were the sales rooms, and the baths (tepidarium with geometric shapes and mosaics) were renovated. The forum witnessed further transformations, particularly the establishment of another large building. During the same building phase a large mosaic on the central part of the north portico was built.

The amphitheater, which was discovered in 1996, was probably built in the early 2nd century AD. Its arena, which was flanked by two prisons and provided with sewers, is about 50 by 36 metres (164 by 118 ft). The ruins of the theater, that should have been in the Colonia, have not been discovered.

The residential quarters consisted of modest homes, in addition to some domi with gardens and pools. The buildings were originally made of wood and clay, but after the mid-1st century AD were built from masonry. Some villa suburbana stood in the west of the village, while the artisan and merchant quarter, presumably, developed in the southwest. A 10 km (6.2 mi) long aqueduct which ran from the Divonne area to the colony, provided the water supply. Sewage canals, that followed the road networks, dumped sewage into the lake.

Decline of the Roman colonia
After a long period of peace and prosperity, signs of crisis and general insecurity were increasing in the early 3rd century. As a result of Alamanni invasions of 259 or 260 AD, the forum and the public buildings in the city were razed. The stone blocks were scattered all over the Lake Geneva region. The stones were re-used as building material, especially in Geneva, where about 300 were used in the construction of the wall. But the settlement was not abandoned. Nyon-Noviodunum, which had already lost much of its prestige and reputation was as a regional capital, now separated from Geneva. Geneva became the center and seat of the diocese which initially fought to administer the territory that had been part of the Colonia.

Medieval Nyon
During the Carolingian era, Nyon belonged to the county of Geneva. In a 926 charter, Rudolph II of Burgundy mentioned that this area was under a comes de pago Equestrico. During the Second Kingdom of Burgundy, Nyon became independent from Geneva. In 1032, Rudolf III granted Nyon to the Archbishop of Besançon. The bishop granted Nyon to the Lord of Prangins as a fief. After 1130, Humbert de Cossonay, the Lord of Prangins, held his court in Nyon. A market was built in 1211. In 1272, the Archbishop of Besançon confirmed Philip of Savoy’s right to administer high justice in Nyon. In 1279, Aymon of Prangins unsuccessfully rebelled against the counts of Savoy, but was forced to acknowledge Savoy authority over him and Nyon.

The Castle is first mentioned in 1272, but probably dates back to the Lords of Prangins. It was rebuilt by Louis I of Savoy in 1463. The rectangular edifice was built in a variety of styles. Around the same time, the square César Tower or Tour de Rive (now a residence), was built to defend the city.

In 1293, Amadeus V, Count of Savoy, and his brother Louis I, Baron of Vaud, conquered the city by besieging it from both the land and the lake. They confirmed the town rights which had been granted to Nyon by Aymon of Prangins, and extended further rights and freedoms. It became one of the four bonnes villes of Canton Vaud. In 1294, Louis I began to expand Nyon as a center of his power after Amadeus granted his share of the conquest to Louis. He created a court and a mint, which minted coins for the lords of Vaud between 1286 and 1350.

In 1323 Louis II, granted the so-called mountains of Nyon, i.e. pastures and forests in the area of Arzier and Saint-Cergue, to Nyon. In 1359 Nyon lost importance after Amadeus VI acquired rights over the entire Vaud. In 1364 the town charter of Morges replaced the charter in Nyon. This change was reconfirmed in 1439. Under the new charter, the town gained greater self-sufficiency. The mint in Nyon reopened in 1430. In 1530 the Swiss Confederation invaded Vaud and acquired Nyon. Then in 1536, Nyon surrendered again to Bern without a fight as Bernese troops marched through to support Geneva.

Starting in 1323, the municipal government was composed of eight procurators and a mayor. A little later the government was replaced by a community meeting which was headed by two mayors (Syndics). The Town Hall is first mentioned in 1508.

A Benedictine priory was founded in the first half of the 12th century in Nyon. In 1244 it was given to the Augustinian order. The last prior, before the Reformation in 1535 was Aymon de Gingins, who was also the abbot of Bonmont and the selected Bishop of Geneva.

In 1295–96, Louis I, Duke of Savoy, built a Franciscan monastery under the patronage of St. Francis, in which several members of the House of Savoy were buried. In 1530, Bern and Fribourg plundered the monastery for the first time, and Bern destroyed all the pictures of saints. In 1536, it was burned by the withdrawing Savoy garrison.

In 1110 Geneva granted authority over the church of Notre-Dame to the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Oyend (Saint-Claude). The church was built with material from the Roman period and replaced an earlier Christian church. The choir dates from the 12th century, and the nave was built in 1448. The vault and the side chapels were built in 1470–81.

Situated outside the city walls was the church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, also known as Corps-Saints. The church is first mentioned in 1346. By 1412, it was administered by the Augustinian Priory. Until the Reformation it was a pilgrimage site where the relics of the martyrs of the Theban Legion were revered. Bern ordered the church destroyed in 1537.

Early Modern Nyon
Nyon was raised to the status of administrative center of a Vogtei of Bern in 1536. It remained the seat of the vogt until the Vaud revolution of 1798. In 1568, a yearly market took place for the first time. In 1574–80 the castle was converted into the seat of the bailiff. It was renovated several times in the following centuries. The municipal government added a Council of Fifty in 1558 and in 1578, an inner council of Twenty-four. The inner council was made up of nobles, citizens and habitants.[clarification needed] Later the councils became a Council of Twelve and a council of Twenty-Four, which was headed by a knight banneret.

In 1570, Theodore Beza headed the regional assembly of Protestant refugee clergymen in Nyon. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, many Huguenots fled to Nyon. In 1688, they founded the Bourse française to help other refugees.

Nyon remained an important transhipment point for trade along Lake Geneva and from France and Italy. Grain and wood came from Burgundy and Franche-Comté through the Col de la Givrine and Saint-Cergue on to Geneva. In 1537–76, the customs post of Nyon was the most profitable in the bailiwick. Over the following centuries, trade through Nyon remained very profitable and by 1772–73, it was again the highest in the region. In the 18th century, trade and commerce grew strongly. The flow of goods allowed four (after 1738, five) yearly markets. A granary was built in the 18th century. The Bernese rebuilt the Asse canal system to drive tanneries, sawmills and mills. The Faïencerie Baylon earthenware factory was founded in 1769. It was followed by the Jacob Dortu and Ferdinand Müller porcelain factory in 1781, both of which contributed Nyon’s reputation for fine ceramics.

With the profits of the Early Modern era, many of the public buildings of Nyon were rebuilt or expanded. Following the suppression of the monasteries, in 1539, the town hospital moved into the offices of the Augustinian convent and received money from the closed monasteries. Hans-Ulrich Heldt rebuilt the College, the original building was from 1559, in 1786 in a neoclassical style. The church of Notre-Dame was rebuilt several times between 1661 and 1718. The medieval city walls and gates were demolished in 1718. The town hall was rebuilt in 1773. In 1720, Louis de Saint-Georges, a minister of the English king, built Changins Castle.

The city was one of the most active centers of the revolutionary movement in the Vaud region. The councils of Nyon formed an oversight committee and refused to pay homage to Bern on 10 January 1798. A few days later, they secured the support of the French General Philippe Romain Ménard in support of the independence of Canton Vaud. When this proclamation of support was brought from Nyon to Lausanne, on 24 January 1798, it finally led to the Vaudois revolution.

From 1798 to 1803, it was in the canton of Léman of the Helvetic Republic as district capital.

Modern Nyon
In the first half of the 19th century, the city continued with the demolition of the fortifications, but left wall remains at the Promenade des Marronniers and by the tower of Notre Dame. During the 19th century the Reformed parish church was rebuilt several times. The Catholic Church was consecrated in 1839, and a chapel for the Église libre (Free Church) was finished in 1872.

In 1858, a station of the railway line Lausanne–Geneva was built in north of Nyon. New housing developments sprung up around this station, and the city began to spread. The railroads Nyon–Crassier–Divonne (1905) and Nyon–Saint-Cergue–Morez (1916) connected Nyon with its hinterland. To meet the needs of the economy, the shipping industry and the emerging tourism industry, a port was built in 1838 and a quay was added in 1873. By the middle of the 19th century, a major source of income was the sale of timber from the commons forest. Other industries included tanneries (closed in 1925), carpentry, saw mills (until 1935), mills (including Andre & Cie.), cooperages and a soap factory. The Faïencerie Baylon closed in 1828. The porcelain factory, Müller et Dortu temporarily closed in 1813, then resumed production of ceramics in the Art Nouveau style in 1878. From then on until 1980 they produced Stoneware.

Other industries in Nyon include the pasta factory Sangal SA (1860–1996), Zyma (1906, since 1996, Swiss Novartis Consumer Health), Stellram (hard metal treatment, 1940–99), Cherix et Filanosa SA (printing and graphic arts, 1932) and several tool factories. Starting in 1966, the companies stopped using the local locks and dams for hydropower and by 1974 they had disappeared from the Asse river.

In 1937, it hosted the Nyon Conference.

Nowaday
Nyon has a high school (Gymnase de Nyon, known as CESSOuest until 1997 or 1998), a modern hospital, a movie theater, numerous hotels, restaurants, and cafes. The town is well known on the international stage as the home of the headquarters for UEFA, the governing body for football in Europe. It is also the seat of the international headquarters of the global union federation UNI Global Union. Nyon is also a major centre for the International Money-Broking Industry.

In the last week of July each year, Nyon hosts the Paléo Festival, the second largest outdoor festival in Europe (although technically the festival is in the village of L’Asse). Nyon Rugby Club is one of the top rugby teams in Switzerland and is twinned with Ealing Rugby Club in West London. Nyon also hosts Visions du Réel international film festival every April. Nyon has been the regular host of the draws of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League as well as other UEFA Football competitions.

Historical heritage
The city of Nyon has several listed cultural properties of national importance. Besides Colonia Iulia Equestris, the Roman museum, the Reformed Church of Notre-Dame, the manor located at 2-4 rue Maupertuis, the castle which houses the historical museum and porcelain. The city also has several other museums, including the Lake Geneva museum and a Roman museum. On the outskirts of the city, Bois-Bougy is a picturesque historic residence, accompanied by a large agricultural estate.

Nyon Castle
Magnificent historic fortress, the Château de Nyon sits in the city center, with a breathtaking view of Lake Geneva. A major cultural site, the castle houses a famous exhibition of porcelain made in Nyon and the Historical Museum, retracing 3000 years of history in the region. In the setting of a sumptuous dining room in the medieval castle of Nyon, the Museum presents, in the castle, porcelains produced in Nyon between 1781 and 1813. The Nyon porcelain factory, one of only two in Switzerland at the time, produced neoclassical pieces, mainly for a local clientele of notables and patricians. It is supplied with kaolin, the raw material, in Saint-Yrieix near Limoges. The whiteness of its porcelain is comparable to high-level French productions. The Nyon porcelain factory does not have the support of a sovereign, but of wealthy bourgeois. The revolutionary and Napoleonic unrest got the better of this expensive industry: porcelain production fell from 1805 and ceased in 1813. The factory nevertheless continued to produce fine earthenware until 1979.

The Château de Nyon now houses a new permanent exhibition in the attic. In 2006, when the castle reopened after six years of work, the presentation under the framework showed objects found in the attic, but also in other places and buildings in the city of Nyon. This presentation has been taken up, expanded and modified. This is the one we are offering you today with, in particular, a more mysterious, more shifting lighting, sound effects, sometimes almost imperceptible and nevertheless present, movements often unexpected. As for the exhibits, they are as much furniture from old courts as they are detective novels read by prisoners in their cells. There are also signs of missing inns (La Croix Blanche, Guillaume Tell), crates for Sangal pasta, weathervanes (a rooster that was shot, a golden angel with flickering wings), advertising images for shows from the 1940s, a broken piano, a reproduction of the castle of Nyon in matches, a bicycle that circled the lake in 1906, wax and sound mannequins – a little disturbing in their pallor – and old portraits stored in the semi-darkness of the place.

Château de Prangins
Near Nyon, the majestic Château de Prangins is the only branch of the National Museum in French-speaking Switzerland. Prangins is an unmissable cultural place in the region, thanks to the largest 18th century castle that can be visited in Switzerland and the largest historic vegetable garden in the country. Built around 1730, in a magnificent park above Lake Geneva, the Château de Prangins houses the Swiss National Museum dedicated to modern, democratic and industrial Switzerland between 1730 and 1920. The permanent exhibitions are a journey back to the Age of Enlightenment, in particular “Noblesse oblige! La vie de château au 18e siècle ”which depicts the daily life of a noble family from the Pays de Vaud. The temporary collections, on the other hand, highlight subjects linked to Swiss culture or current affairs. Many activities, designed for groups and families, bring these collections to life.

Replica of a typical 18th century garden, the château’s vegetable garden presents ancient species and varieties of flowers and fruits, as well as vegetables that were grown and eaten in the region two centuries ago. and half. Certain plants in this garden, forgotten nowadays, bear witness to the way of feeding, even of use, of the time. Thus, this living conservatory, guardian of a fragile and threatened heritage, presents the historical, botanical, ethnological and ecological facets of a varied range of vegetable and horticultural plants from Switzerland.

Porte Ste-Marie
The Porte Ste-Marie is the last remaining medieval gateway of the five that once closed the city of Nyon. Formerly, two turrets framed the Porte Ste-Marie, a medieval door with machicolations. In the 18th century, during the construction of a house on the lake side, a turret was demolished and the door replaced by the current stone arch.

Porcelain from Nyon
From 1781, a large porcelain production was established in Nyon. Its patterns are very recognizable and famous across Europe. Some pieces are saved and exhibited at the Château de Nyon. One of the two Swiss porcelain factories was established for almost 3 decades in Nyon. It was run by a German painter and porcelain maker. His ambition was great and worked actively for this production to gain great fame. From the end of the 18th century, the company encountered great financial difficulties due to the French Revolution and the Napoleonic invasions. It then closed its doors for good in 1813.

Prisons of Nyon
Discover the secrets of the prisons of the Château de Nyon in a fun way with this exclusive escape room! After a night too drunk, you wake up in the back of a cell, accused of insanity due to absinthe. From the day before, no memory. Between visions and vague reminiscences, you have an hour to search your memories, conduct your investigation and defend yourself against the judge. Inspired by real events, this new escape room is housed in an exceptional place: the historic prisons of the Château de Nyon, used until 1979.

Roman Amphitheater of Nyon
Discovered in 1996, this monument, remarkable for its size and good conservation, is the sixth amphitheater unearthed in Switzerland after those of Avenches, Vindonissa, Augst, Martigny and Bern. Its dimensions are almost the same as those of the Avenches amphitheater. Its history can be discovered at the Roman Museum of Nyon. The Roman Amphitheater of Nyon is built below the road leading to the vicus of Lousonna / Vidy. Two inscriptions, presented at the museum, have been unearthed. One of them, which mentions the Emperor Trajan, allows us to suppose that the amphitheater, in which several thousand spectators could sit, was built at the beginning of the 2nd century AD. In the amphitheater, shows were held, the main known elements of which are gladiatorial combats, hunts (venationes), exhibitions of wild animals and, sometimes, executions of those condemned to death. Currently, the project to present this site in the form of an archaeological visit and performance place is awaiting realization.

Fontaine Maître-Jacques
This historic monument since 1942, located in the heart of the Quartier de Rive, represents a Bernese banneret dating from 1546. This statue was originally placed on a fountain in the Place du Marché. It was moved to Rive in 1810 because it was supposedly too provocative. It is possible that its name comes from Jacques Populus, a boatman who, according to the town plan, lived in front of the fountain in 1672. Hergé represented this fountain in Tintin’s comic strip “The Tournesol Affair”.

Religious heritage

Temple of Nyon
The temple of Nyon is registered as a Swiss cultural property of national importance. The temple was restored in 2016. The choir which serves as the base of the bell tower, dates from the first quarter of the 12th century. A medieval wall painting probably dates back to the second half of the 13th century. It represents the scene of Pentecost. It was restored for the last time between 2013 and 2016. The building which threatened to fall into ruin was consolidated and reopened for worship in 1442. The temple of Nyon is therefore a very interesting medieval building. The magnificent stained glass windows in the lower windows except the one behind the organ are the works of the artist François de Ribaupierre (1886-1981). The temple of Nyon was originally the Catholic Church of Notre-Dame.

Museums
Romans, Bernese or even Audrey Hedburn, discover the history of the many inhabitants by visiting castles and museums. Take advantage of a stay in the Nyon region and the Nyon Museums Pass to discover the culture of the Coast. The Pass gives you access to 8 museums in the region, including the Château de Prangins Swiss National Museum, the Château de Nyon and the Musée du Léman.

Roman Museum of Nyon
Let the collections of the Roman Museum of Nyon take you to Noviodunum, founded over 2000 years ago by Julius Caesar on the shores of Lake Geneva. Located a stone’s throw from the castle, the museum offers permanent collections, temporary exhibitions and activities for children. Between Lausanne and Geneva, Nyon is located on the remains of one of the largest Roman cities in Switzerland: Noviodunum. The testimonies of this period are beautifully preserved at the Roman Museum of Nyon. Striking sculptures and objects linked to everyday life, culture or religion constitute the permanent exhibition of unique richness. Numerous amphorae, and other objects from the vine and wine, attest to the age of the La Côte AOC vineyard – the largest wine-growing region in the canton of Vaud – which surrounds the city of Nyon. Each year, one or two temporary exhibitions deal with various themes from the Roman era. While the children’s program “Roman Holidays” transforms the youngest into heirs of Julius Caesar through disguises, games and workshops.

Lake Geneva Museum
Located on the shores of Lake Geneva, Nyon is a city of culture, whose history is closely linked to that of its lake. To pay tribute to its Lake Geneva, Nyon is devoting a very comprehensive museum to it. Nature, culture, science: all aspects of the largest lake in Western Europe are covered at the Musée du Léman. Opened in 1954, in a bourgeois house on the shores of Lake Geneva, the Lake Geneva Museum contains a collection on nature and lake culture. Custodian of prestigious funds and owner of 30 historic boats, it has recently modernized its museography. The museum tells about the people of the lake, especially lifeguards and fishermen. There are various activities linked to the life of the lake such as fishing, rescue… Five aquariums present typical biotopes of Lake Geneva: from the shore to the deep sea. The first floor is dedicated to the Piccard family, for whom Auguste invented the first tourist submarine in Lake Geneva, commissioned in 1964 during the national exhibition in Lausanne. The exhibition also presents the incredible exploits under the sea or in the stratosphere of the Piccard adventurers.

Patrick Baumann Museum
The museum allows you to dive into the history of basketball around the world. Located in the village of Mies, about ten minutes drive from Geneva airport, the Maison du Basketball is located at the headquarters of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). Get ready to discover the basketball history exhibit, which will take you on an exciting journey through the evolution of the sport to the present day. Numerous objects that belonged to great athletes and an interactive area will make this tour an unforgettable experience for families, schools and basketball fans.

Promenade des Lumières
A permanent outdoor exhibition provides an original way of discovering the history of the place, mainly in the 18th century. A historical walk that presents little known or even new aspects of the castle, in an idyllic natural setting. Famous characters such as Rosalie de Constant, Mozart or Voltaire, represented by elegant silhouettes, will guide you at all times and for free through the park of the castle. The Swiss National Museum continues on the outside, with the cultural path “La Promenade des Lumières” and a gigantic historic vegetable garden. The fruits of the ancient species cultivated here can be tasted at the Café du Château.

Romandy Museum of Agricultural Machinery
In the region of Nyon, at the Moulin de Chiblins, on the course of the Asse, old vehicles, machines and tools retrace the evolution of the mechanization of agriculture. An exhibition which is located in a superb old mill. The museum brings together more than 2,000 pieces that retrace the evolution of agriculture from the 18th century, one of the largest collections of old Swiss machines. The old mill has been preserved and remains fully functional. From 1991, several events were organized, such as the harvest festival and old-fashioned plowing.

Vieux-Coppet Museum
The Vieux-Coppet Museum, located in the heart of the village under the arcades, bears witness to an authentic bourgeois residence from the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1944, Mademoiselle Michel bequeathed to Coppet the beautiful residence she owned at Grand-Rue 30 in the 18th and 19th centuries. In application of its wishes, the Municipality carried out the work necessary for the development of the “Maison Michel” in order to install a museum there which bears witness to an authentic interior of the petty bourgeoisie of the time with its historic furnished rooms, remained in the state. Feel seduced by the quality of the rooms in the house and imagine the life that this bourgeois from Coppet led. Various local arts and crafts are displayed in the rooms.

Cultural heritage

Marens Theater in Nyon
The Théâtre de Marens in Nyon offers a quality theatrical program where everyone will find their happiness. Located in the school, the Marens theater can accommodate more than 460 people. Concerts, cinema, plays of all kinds.

Footsteps Of Tintin
Tintin, the famous cartoon character of Hergé, makes a passage through Nyon in the album “The Calculus Affair”. To follow in his footsteps and find out which Swiss scientist the famous Professor Tournesol is inspired by,. In “The Tournesol Affair”, Tintin, the comic book detective created by Hergé, searches for Professor Tournesol in the Nyon region. We can recognize the entrance to Nyon on the Route Suisse, the house of Professor Topolino on the road to St-Cergue, the fire service car, the docks and the fountain of Maître Jacques. The character of Professor Tournesol is inspired by Auguste Piccard, explorer of the abyss and the stratosphere, to whom the Léman Museum in Nyon devotes two fascinating rooms.

Villa Thomas in Nyon
Villa Thomas offers concerts and music lessons organized by the Conservatoire Ouest Vaudois in Nyon. On the shores of Lake Geneva, is the Villa Thomas. It hosts the West Vaud Conservatory which organizes concerts and music lessons.

Gaz Factory
The Gaz factory asserts itself as an essential cultural center in the Nyon region, offering a rich program, combining concerts, theaters and themed evenings which fill a wide and varied audience year after year. In a magnificent setting by the lake, this fully modular room for any type of show can accommodate up to 500 people standing and 200 seated. Housed in the walls of a real gas factory, the place was transformed into a performance hall and opened to the public in 1995.

La Parenthèse Bar
La Parenthèse is a concert hall founded in 2008 at the instigation of four enthusiastic young Nyonnais. It is located in an original vaulted cellar, in the center of Nyon. The concert hall hosts nearly 90 free concerts per year, as well as plays, visual arts exhibitions and film screenings. Thanks to her unique artistic approach, she has been able to forge a large network of artists. Many artists who, after their time at La Parenthèse, have been programmed in several renowned festivals.

Events and festivals
Among the various cultural events, the Paléo Festival, the largest open-air music festival in Switzerland and organized every summer in July; Visions du Réel, an international documentary film festival, takes place every spring, while the Festival of the performing arts takes place every year in August. The theater of Nyon-Marens organizes “seasons of humor” in collaboration with the Association des Trois Trees. The Association d’Usine à Gaz offers a cultural season in the fields of music, dance, circus and theater. It is based in the premises of the former gas plant, owned by the Municipality, in the Rive district. It will have a second performance hall at the start of 2021. Several other events are organized, including the Intercultural Festival of the Coast, the Nyon Triathlon, the NovioduRun race or even Rive Jazzy during the summer. The archives kept at UEFA headquarters (route de Genève 46) are protected.

Visions of the Real
Visions du Réel is one of the only Swiss film festivals to present the majority of its films in international or world premieres, in the presence of the directors. The festival is also an ideal springboard for new talents. Every year in April, the city of Lake Geneva welcomes filmmakers from all over the world for nine days.

The Winter Festival
Enjoy the good atmosphere of the Hivernales Festival in Nyon. A varied program, quality artists, a promise of a “musical” stroll throughout the city of Nyon! It is a festival that encourages musical discovery, with a social and environmental approach. A great human adventure which aims to bring together people of all generations around the same passion… music. For the first festival of the season, find a warm atmosphere in the middle of winter during paid or free concerts!

Caribana Festival
Launched in 1990 by a group of friends, the festival takes place every year at the Port of Crans-près-Céligny, in an idyllic setting on the shores of Lake Geneva. Welcoming an average of 30,000 spectators, the Caribana vibrates between pop, rock, electro and rap for 5 days in June.

Jazzy Shore
The Rive Jazzy Festival is one of the most beautiful treasures in Nyon. The concept is to animate the magnificent riverside district for 5 consecutive weeks with free Jazz concerts in all its aspects on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. The festival is spread over 6 stages which are none other than the most beautiful terraces in Nyon: Fontaine Maître Jaques, Place du Molard, Place de Savoie, Restaurant O ‘Les Terrasses, Restaurant La Nautique and the Plage des Trois Jetées.

Paleo Festival
All styles of music and the most famous international artists are present every summer at Asse during the Paléo Festival. For 6 or 7 days in July, 230,000 people attend more than 280 concerts. In 45 years, the Paléo Festival in Nyon has become the largest festival in Switzerland, without losing its conviviality or its touch of madness. One of the most important open-air events in Europe spans 84 hectares, with 7 stages, more than 200 stands and around 50 bars. Each spring, the revelation of the Paléo program is a real event for the media and festival regulars. Ticket sales are at record highs: a few minutes are enough to sell the precious tickets. Céline Dion, The Cure, Maxime Le Forestier, but also new talents, street artists and traditional music from all over the world punctuate the festival, always ending on Sunday evening with a highly anticipated fireworks display.

Far° Manufactures Performing Arts
For more than thirty years, the vast factory of performing arts, far °, has been held in Nyon in August each year. The fields of theater, dance, performance and all new artistic practices can be explored for more than a week. The far °, dedicated to the most original contemporary aesthetics, has maintained a Swiss and international program since its creation. The event becomes for eleven days a major meeting place to soak up the performing arts. Bringing together the conditions conducive to true artistic emulation, many opportunities are available to deepen the experience of works by opening up spaces for discussion. Intended for all audiences.

Nyon Triathlon
The Nyon Triathlon, the largest triathlon in Switzerland, welcomes each year nearly 2,300 athletes and 600 volunteers, of all ages (from 5 years) on races suitable for all levels.

Désalpe de St-Cergue
Attached to its traditions, the village of St-Cergue perpetuates the celebration of the désalpe with passion and authenticity. Residents and visitors alike are delighted to see the carefully decorated herds, to visit the stalls of the craftsmen and to taste the typical specialties. In Switzerland, cattle spend the summer in the mountains and the winter in the plains. The descent of the cows is the occasion of a great traditional festival, which is called Désalpe. In the Vaudois Jura, above Nyon, the St-Cergue resort continues this tradition every autumn. During the event, the passage of many carefully decorated herds testifies to the great passion of the breeders for their cattle. Cows and other pasture dwellers cross the village throughout the morning to the sound of bells and the alphorn. Various typical activities are offered and craftsmen from the region present their works on the market.

Tannay’s Musical Variations
Les Variations Musicales de Tannay is a festival around classical music that brings together quality musicians in the park of the Château de Tannay. Every summer, the musical variations of Tannay offer classical concerts in an idyllic setting: the park of the Château de Tannay with its lake and its view of the Alps is perfect for these concerts. A selected program of high-level artists offers the finest classical works to a mixed audience. The proximity to the musicians helps to create a warm atmosphere. One of the goals of the festival is to bring classical music closer to young people. The promotion of young artists is another consideration for the festival.

Jval Openair
The JVAL Openair is held in the intimate setting of the Serreaux-Dessus wine estate. Born in 2005, the JVAL Openair is a music festival taking place over four evenings in the gardens of the Domaine de Serreaux-Dessus in Begnins (near Nyon). Nestled in the middle of an 8.5 hectare vineyard, the setting offers a 180 ° view of Lake Geneva and the Alps, which gives the event a unique and magical atmosphere. More than 50% of Swiss groups, young talents and established artists, rock at the heart of the festivities.

Surroundings

Floral Mosaic in Nyon
Each year this floral mosaic takes place in the heart of the Parc du Bourg de Rive and represents news from the region. The technique of this mosaic is inspired by Roman stone mosaics. It is made up of more than 18,000 plants and each year represents a specific news or event in the Nyon region.

The Fishing Village
At the edge of the lake, the Fishermen’s Village is undoubtedly one of the places where you have to buy your fresh fish. A 5-minute walk from the center, a small picturesque area, made of wooden huts by the lake, where professional fishermen still work in the traditional way, offers the possibility of buying freshly caught fish.

Wine Tasting Package
About fifty Vins de la Côte winemakers offer you a “tasting package” allowing you to taste 6 wines for CHF 15.- in each cellar. With the purchase of 6 bottles, the tasting will be offered to you. Located between Lausanne and Geneva, a large number of small hillsides, veritable gems set in the landscape, each having their own colors and lights, form this great mosaic that is the vineyard of the Côte. The wines of the Côte offer the extraordinary diversity of 24 grape varieties.

The Aoc Coast
Stretching 45 km along Lake Geneva, between Lausanne and Geneva, the La Côte AOC vineyard is the largest wine-growing region in the canton of Vaud. From the shores of the lake at the foot of the Jura, from gravelly soils to heavier soils, a wide variety of grape varieties find the ideal conditions to produce great vintages. With more than 2,000 hectares facing Lake Geneva, La Côte AOC is the largest wine-growing region in the canton of Vaud, as well as a prime destination for wine tourism. In the villages of Féchy, Bursins or Echichens – among others – some of Switzerland’s most famous winegrowing families welcome their visitors for a tasting of exceptional wines.

Shores of the lake, hills or rivers: the great variety of landscapes and soils make La Côte suitable for numerous grape varieties, white or red, finer or more robust. Even if, as in the whole of the canton of Vaud, the king grape remains Chasselas. The Coast is also a land of history: around thirty castles to see along the hiking trails embellish holidays under the sign of the art of living.

La Côte Vineyard Route
Rich in its 2000 hectares of vineyards, La Côte offers a unique and perfectly marked route: the famous Route du Vignoble, radiating over more than 50 km and offering a breathtaking view of Lake Geneva, the Alps and Mont-Blanc. Bordering Lake Geneva, between Morges and Nyon, the wine region of La Côte is crisscrossed by the marked route of the Route du Vignoble. To be explored on foot or by bike, these paths lead to the discovery of splendid landscapes, exceptional wines, gourmet products and unique know-how. Over more than 50 km, the various stages create an encounter with winegrowers, cheese makers, pork butchers, bakers, farmers and arborists, as well as painters, ceramists and sculptors from the region. These artisans, who bring their village to life, open their doors to share their passion with passing guests. To recover from these adventures, country restaurants, gastronomic stops and comfortable inns offer the ideal lodging for walkers of the Route du Vignoble.