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THE IWG BLOG

Celebrating Italian Creativity and Ingenuity

World Water Day @ The Jet D'Eau

Writer's picture: IWG SwitzerlandIWG Switzerland

More often than not when people think of Geneva they think of the Jet D'Eau, and for those of us lucky enough to live here it is a common and welcome sight.


Yet, have you ever wondered what function it has and what the history behind it is?


World Water Day and the good fortune of having the Executive Director of GAHP (Global Alliance on Health and Pollution) Maria Paola Lia on our Board were the perfect excuse for IWG Switzerland to organise a Private Guided Tour of the Jet D'Eau in collaboration with SIG.


Blessed with a stunning Spring morning and two exceptional guides Wera Schukow and Julie Zelenova our tour started at the meeting point just in front of the jetty.




From its inception as a release for the excess pressure built up during the evening by the hydraulic plant which served craftsmen, in particular watch makers - many of which were descendants from the Huguenots escaped from France, through to its existing role as an iconic tourist attraction, our guides provided us with anecdotes and answered our questions.


The hydraulic plant (probably the most powerful of its time) was developed by Théodore Turrettini who also became the Director of Society of Physical Instruments. As the surname suggests Turrettini's ancestors hailed from Italy and originally came from the town of Lucca in Tuscany, finding refuge in Geneva at the time of the Reformation in 1575.


The release was conceived in 1891 and reached a height of 30 metres. Today the pumps (named after Geneva's mountains Jura and Saleve) are powerful enough to propel one cubic metre of water into the air every two seconds reaching a height of 140 metres and expelling 500 litres of water per second at a speed of 200km/h!


The Jet d'Eau's nozzle is the secret behind the 'vaporization' effect which gives it the white colour. An LED projector box placed below it allows this to change colour on particular days. On World Water Day it turned blue.


View from the Jetty
The Jet D'Eau's Partially Submerged Pumping Station
GAHP Director and IWG Switzerland Member of the Board Descends into the partially submerged Pumping Station


The Two Pumps are named after Geneva's Salève and Jura Mountains

Inside the Partially Submerged Pumping Station


Now this is what you call a wrench! IKEA beat that! :-)

The Art of Measuring the Height of the Jet D'Eau (the trick is to look through the small slit)


View from the Jetty. The walls protecting the land from the lakes water are made up of stones from the city's original fortifications!






To book a guided tour with SIG click here

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