DESTINACIJA / DESTINATION
sassination of Austro-Hun- garian empress Sisi. She was stabbed to death by an Ital- ian anarchist while waiting
visaged, but one was ultimately includ- ed in the design thanks to a Rockefeller donation of two million dollars. The Pal- ace of Nations is one of the world’s larg- est centres of diplomacy, while Geneva is certainly among the world’s most power- ful cities. Your itinerary when visiting Geneva should also make note of the Museum of History and Art, one of Switzerland’s most important museums, while lov- ers of watches and horology simply must visit Patek Philippe Museum, which pre- sents an incredible exhibition of musi- cal instruments, watches and portrait miniatures created from the 1500s until the 20 th century. This museum preserves some of the most important and pres- tigious horological collections. Its collec- tions comprise as many as 2,500 clocks, automata, precision devices and minia- tures in enamel, testifying to over 500 years of watchmaking history. If you’d like to spend your time in Gene- va outdoors, alongside the city’s abun- dance of restaurants, cafeterias and, of course, the Swiss “must” that are its choc- olatiers offering hand-crafted chocolate, it will be sufficient to take a stroll along the lakeside promenade and observe the Jet d‘Eau, a large fountain that blasts 500 litres of water 140 metres up into the air every second. When you tire of walking, you’ll find numerous concerts and cul- tural events, but also a little tranquillity, in the unique English Garden, or on the Promenade de la Treille, where you can take a break on the world’s longest bench. For those who take a keen interest in sci- ence and technology, Geneva has an- other must-visit destination: CERN, the world’s largest particle physics laborato- ry. You’re awaited in the Visitors Centre by an exhibition about the search for the Higgs boson particle, marking one of the top achievements of modern scientific advancement.
stein. That’s because Lake Geneva and the city of Geneva, which lies at one end of the lake, have over many centuries welcomed important figures from the worlds of history, art, science, politics etc. It was during the summer of 1816 that a cloud of volcanic ash suddenly appeared over Lake Geneva, blocking out the sun and inspiring a peculiar English trio who happened to be holidaying by the lake to compete in telling horror stories. The trio comprised Lord Byron, Percy Shelley and then Mary Godwin, who would later be- come Mary Shelley. Her name to this day remains primarily associated with a clas- sic of horror literature that has also been adapted for the screen on countless occa- sions: Frankenstein. It was a century lat- er that famous poet Rainer Maria Rilke sought serenity in Switzerland, but noth- ing met his expectations until he dis- covered Geneva, which he described as reminding him of his beloved Paris. Ril- ke eventually died in Switzerland, in the aforementioned lakeside resort town of Montreux. Geneva was marked by another major event in European history: the 1899 as-
for a steamliner on the lakeshore. A mon- ument today marks the spot and testifies to the final moments of this famous Aus- trian empress. In contrast, famous sing- er David Bowie once said that Geneva in- spired him to engage in painting. Calvin himself delivered sermons in Ge- neva, and to this day you can visit the city’s International Museum of the Ref- ormation, as well as the Reformation Wall – representing a monument to the greats of the Protestant Reformation. The city’s Saint Pierre Cathedral, dating back to the early 12th century, was orig- inally Roman Catholic, before being con- verted to a Calvinist Church in 1535. Geneva is today known primarily for the many international organisations head- quartered in the city, such as the Inter- national Red Cross and the European di- vision of the United Nations. Visitors to Geneva can tour the Museum of the Red Cross and the Palace of Nations that houses the offices of the UN, while it is also the headquarters of the World Bank and other organisations. The Palace of Nations was constructed in 1927 in the
Art Deco style, to serve the needs of the then League of Nations. De- spite 377 design pro- jects having been sub- mitted from around the world, the commission found itself unable to accept any of the archi- tectural solutions ful- ly, which was why five architects were select- ed to work together on a new design. The inclu- sion of a library in the palace hadn’t been en-
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