Ferney-Voltaire: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 74 - 439 Park & Suites Elégance Genève-Ferney Voltaire
 Park & Suites Genève-Ferney Voltaire is close to Palexpo and a less than 6 kilometres from Geneva International Airport. It offers spacious suites wi… MoreEUR 145 - 220 Résidence la Réserve Genève Ferney Voltaire
 Located near the Swiss border, the hotel features a privileged location among the peace and quiet of the beautiful, mountainous country-side.
Réside… MoreEUR 80 - 210 Novotel Genève Aéroport France
 Novotel Ferney-Voltaire Genève Aéroport is located in France only 10 minutes from Geneva airport and 20 minutes from the heart of Geneva. It feature… MoreEUR 90 - 130 Hotel Residence Ferney Geneve
 Located in the Ferney-Voltaire Business Centre, this residence is just 3 km from Geneva International Airport. It features a spa centre with an indoor… MoreEUR 77 - 194 Citadines Genève Ferney Voltaire
 With a heated outdoor swimming pool, sauna and private garden, the Citadines Genève Ferney Voltaire offers self-catering accommodation close to Genev… MoreEUR 59 - 115 Hôtel de France
 The charming and individually decorated rooms at the Hôtel de France are housed in a beautiful 18th-century building. The rooms blend historical eleg… MoreEUR 47 - 145 Campanile Genève - Ferney-Voltaire
 This Campanile hotel offers high-quality accommodation and excellent value for money. The dedicated staff welcomes you in a friendly atmosphere.
The… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ferney-Voltaire: Guide
Ferney-Voltaire is a town and Swiss border. It forms part of the conurbation of Geneva.
History
It was first noted in 14th century Burgundy|Burgundian registers as Fernex. However, four centuries later, Voltaire changed the "x" to a "y" due to the excessive number of towns with names ending in "x" in the region, such as Maconnex, Saconnex, Gex, Versonnex, Ornex, etc. A rapid expansion took place during Voltaire's rule over Ferney in the second part of the 18th century. Today Ferney is struggling to keep its identity as a historic French village with its distinct character and history, while inevitably also becoming a dormitory suburb of the Greater Geneva region.
Voltaire
Ferney was home of French writer and philosopher Voltaire from 1759 to 1778. Voltaire's influence on the town was profound. He built the local church and founded cottage industries that produced some of the finest potters and watchmakers of modern France. After French Revolution, the town was renamed Ferney-Voltaire in his honor.
After having lived in Geneva for less than two years, in 1759 Voltaire purchased an estate called Ferney in France near the Swiss border. One of the main reasons he left Geneva was that theater was forbidden in that Calvinist city, so he decided to become the enlightened "patriarch" of the little village of Ferney, setting up potteries, a watchmaking industry and of course various theaters, attracting rich people from Geneva to watch his plays. During Voltaire's residence, the population of Ferney increased to more than 1000. Voltaire lived there for the last 20 years of his life before making his triumphal return to Paris, where he died in 1778.
Sights
The main attraction is Voltaire's house (chateau), now owned and administered by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux (an arm of the French Ministry of Culture). At the time of writing, it is open during the summer only. It includes the main building, with a reconstruction of Voltaire's room (moved from the original location by the successive private owners), a garden with a fine view of the Alps, and a church dedicated, contrary to custom, directly to God (on the incription Deo erexit VOLTAIRE, the name of the latter is written in the largest characters). In the main village there are various 18th century houses and artisans' workshops; a lifesize statue of Voltaire and a smaller one, of his head, above a fountain; many restaurants, French and foreign; and its proximity to the nearby cosmopolitan city of Geneva in Switzerland.
A market is held in the main street every Saturday.
Voltaire's birthday is celebrated every year at beginning of summer, during a village festivity when his works are played on the streets by amateurs as well as professional actors.
The old road at the centre of the village is very beautiful, and a remnant of the time when Voltaire resided in the chateau in Ferney-Voltaire.
See also
List of places named after people
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Ferney-Voltaire". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.