Nyon
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| Population | 18,469 (Dec 2009)[1] | |||||||||
| - Density | 2,708 /km2 (7,014 /sq mi) | |||||||||
| Area | 6.82 km2 (2.63 sq mi) | |||||||||
| Elevation | 400.9 m (1,315 ft) | |||||||||
| Postal code | 1260 | |||||||||
| SFOS number | 5724 | |||||||||
| Mayor | Daniel Rossellat | |||||||||
| Surrounded by | Crans-près-Céligny, Duillier, Eysins, Grens, Messery (FR-74), Prangins, Signy-Avenex, Trélex | |||||||||
| Twin towns | Nyons (France) | |||||||||
| Website | www.nyon.ch Profile, SFSO statistics |
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  Nyon
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Nyon is a municipality in the district of Nyon in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is located some 25 kilometers north 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 the district of Nyon. The town has (as of December 2006[update]) 17,916 inhabitants.[2] It is connected to the rest of Switzerland by way of the Route Suisse, the A1 Motorway and the railways of the Arc Lémanique.
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Name
Nyon derives from one of the names used by the Romans for the town, Noviodunum or Noiodunum. Other names for the town, particularly of colonies placed there, are Colonia Iulia Equestris or Colonia Julia Equestris, Colonia Equestris Noiodunum, Equestris, Civitas Equestrium, and Civitas Equestrium Noiodunum.
History
It was founded by the Romans between 50 and 44 BCE 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.)
Nyon was raised to the status of administrative center of a Vogtei of Berne in 1536. From 1798 to 1803, it was in the canton of Léman of the Helvetic Republic as district capital.
Current situation
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. 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. It hosted the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup draws in December 2008. [1]
Economy
Cantor Fitzgerald has an office in Nyon.[3]
Sports
Nyon is home to FC Stade Nyonnais, who play in the Challenge League, and their ground Centre sportif de Colovray Nyon.
UEFA
Nyon is famous for being the headquarters of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The draws for the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League are held in Nyon. The 3 main Nyon draws (August for Group stage, December for Round of 16 and March for the last eight until final) are eagerly waited for by football fans whose teams are in UEFA competitions.
 View of Nyon in 1642. |
 White Castle in Nyon |
 Nyon and its castle seen from the lake in spring, with the Jura mountains in the background |
 Nyon seen from Lake Geneva in October |
Transport
Nyon is the starting station for the Chemin de Fer Nyon-St.Cergue-Morez, as well as being on the main Geneva to Lausanne SBB-CFF-FFS line.
The A1 motorway runs nearby and Nyon is served by Junction 11.
Weather
| Climate data for Nyon/Changins | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 3.2 (37.8) |
5.3 (41.5) |
9.1 (48.4) |
13.5 (56.3) |
17.7 (63.9) |
21.4 (70.5) |
24.4 (75.9) |
23.5 (74.3) |
20.1 (68.2) |
14.3 (57.7) |
7.9 (46.2) |
4 (39) |
13.7 (56.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 0.4 (32.7) |
1.9 (35.4) |
4.8 (40.6) |
8.6 (47.5) |
12.6 (54.7) |
16.1 (61) |
18.7 (65.7) |
17.9 (64.2) |
14.7 (58.5) |
9.9 (49.8) |
4.7 (40.5) |
1.5 (34.7) |
9.3 (48.7) |
| Average low °C (°F) | -2.1 (28.2) |
-0.8 (30.6) |
1.1 (34) |
4.1 (39.4) |
7.9 (46.2) |
10.9 (51.6) |
13.1 (55.6) |
12.8 (55) |
10.2 (50.4) |
6.5 (43.7) |
2.1 (35.8) |
-0.9 (30.4) |
5.4 (41.7) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 83 (3.27) |
83 (3.27) |
80 (3.15) |
62 (2.44) |
78 (3.07) |
83 (3.27) |
67 (2.64) |
75 (2.95) |
78 (3.07) |
76 (2.99) |
92 (3.62) |
96 (3.78) |
954 (37.56) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 10.8 | 9.4 | 10.3 | 9.6 | 11.5 | 9.9 | 8.1 | 9 | 8 | 8.1 | 9.5 | 10.2 | 114.4 |
| Source: MeteoSchweiz [4] | |||||||||||||
External links
- Official site of the town (available in French, English and German)
- Web site of the Roman Museum of Nyon (same languages as above link)
- Paléo Festival
- Rugby Club Nyon
- Ultimate Frisbee Club, Les Mange-Disques de Nyon
- La Redoute, Popular neighbourhood of Nyon
- Villa Sanluca, the boutique hotel in Nyon. A great place in an old mansion.
- Nyon Region Tourism
References
- ↑ Swiss Federal Statistical Office, MS Excel document – Bilanz der ständigen Wohnbevölkerung nach Kantonen, Bezirken und Gemeinden (German) accessed 25 August 2010
- ↑ Bundesamt fur Statistik (Federal Department of Statistics) (2008). "Bilanz der ständigen Wohnbevölkerung (Total) nach Bezirken und Gemeinden". http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/01/02/blank/key/raeumliche_verteilung/kantone__gemeinden.html. Retrieved November 5, 2008.
- ↑ "Locations." Cantor Fitzgerald. Retrieved on 4 October 2009.
- ↑ "Temperature and Precipitation Average Values-Table, 1961-1990" (in German, French, Italian). Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss. http://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/web/de/klima/klima_schweiz/tabellen.html. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography by William Smith (1856).
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