Nyon
Nyon is a town in the canton of
Vaud, in
Switzerland, some 25 kilometers north of
Geneva on the shores of
Lake Geneva, and is the seat of the
district of Nyon. It was founded by the
Romans between
50 and
44 BC under the name of "Colonia lulia equestris", the urban center of which was called "Noviodunum". It grew to be one of the most important Roman colonies in 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.
The modern town has about 17,000 inhabitants and growing, with fast, convenient and efficient rail and/or road access to both
Geneva and
Lausanne, the two biggest cities in the area.
It has a high school (Gymnase de Nyon, known as CESSOuest until
1997 or
1998), a modern hospital, a movie theater, numerous hotels, restaurants, cafes, etc. The town is best-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 Union Network International. In
2005, the city of Nyon granted rights to
FIBA, the international governing body for
basketball, to build its headquarters there. The "House of Basketball" could be completed as early as
2009.
In the last week of July each year, Nyon hosts the
Paléo Festival, one of the largest music festivals in Switzerland.
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Nyon and its castle seen from the lake in spring, with the Jura mountains in the background |
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Nyon seen from Lake Geneva in October |
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Official site of the town (available in French, English and German)
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Web site of the Roman Museum of Nyon (same languages as above link)
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Paleo Festival*
Rugby Club Nyon
