Vernier

History of Vernier

The municipality (commune) of Vernier is the third largest of the 45 municipalities in the Canton of Geneva, with an area of 7.67 square kilometres. It has about 30,000 inhabitants, making it the 15th largest city in Switzerland. More than half the population comes from other countries than Switzerland, and another quarter from other cantons than Geneva, which makes for a lively diversity of cultures. Vernier lies along one winding bank of the Rhone River after it leaves Lake Leman to descend towards France and the Mediterranean. It has some industry, oil storage depots, large shopping centres, and large housing estates, many of which have subsidized apartments for families with low incomes. One apartment building, Le Lignon, is a kilometre long. Vernier is largely urbanized except for some lovely woods and the river bank. There are number of neighborhoods, including Vernier village itself, Chatelaine, Aïre, Cointrin, Le Lignon, Avanchets and Balexert, each with its own particular atmosphere. The name Vernier comes from the Celtic work "verne" meaning aulne or alder, a kind of tree common in the area.

Vernier has a history marked by many changes. The area was successively occupied by Helvetians, the Roman legions, the Burgundians, the Franks, the Sarracins and and Germans, who suffered a bloody defeat at Vernier in 1029. Under the feudal system the lord of Vernier (the Bourgeois family) first paid allegiance to the Counts of Geneva. Vernier was then attached to the House of Savoy as part of the Pays de Gex by the treaty of 1355. It was then reduced to its present size as a Protestant parish by the Bernese in 1536 when they occupied the region and introduced the Reformation. It was returned to the Duke of Savoy 30 years later until conquered by Geneva in 1590. The treaty of Lyon of 1601 returned Vernier to France, when it became part of the province of Burgundy. A Protestant church was built in 1615 but demolished in 1662, before the inhabitants were forced to renounce protestantism or flee into exile by the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. At this time Vernier marked the French side of the border with the Republic of Geneva. Vernier, Chatelaine and Aïre already appear as distinct localities in the map of 1675. With the French revolution, Vernier became part of the Department of Ain, and then of the Department of Leman when Geneva was annexed to France. The Treaty of Paris of 1815 returned Vernier to Geneva when it became part of Switzerland. At that time it had 566 inhabitants.

Originally an agricultural area, Vernier had flour mills along the banks of the Rhone, as well as quarries and tile kilns, and a few watchmakers. In the second half of the 18th century the famous theatre at Chatelaine was frequented by Voltaire. The train reached Vernier in 1858 and the tram in 1889, encouraging industrial development, with a hydroelectric plant on the Rhone in 1896 and a gas plant in 1914. Today Vernier is a major part of the urban fabric of Geneva.

The Bahá'ís in Vernier

While the Swiss Bahá'í community celebrated its centenary in 2003, the Bahá'í community of Vernier was only established about 30 years ago. The community is not large, but quite diverse, with members of many nationalities and origins, like Vernier itself. It is administered by an elected council of nine members, since there is no clergy in the Bahá'í Faith. If you are interested in local activities in Vernier, send an email to info@bahaivernier.ch or write to the Bahá'í Community of Vernier, P.O. Box 298, CH-1219 Le Lignon, Switzerland.