Nyon (; historically German: or and Italian: , ) is a municipality in Nyon District in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is located some 25 kilometers north east 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 Nyon District. The town has () a population of and is famous in the sporting world for being the headquarters of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the European Club Association (ECA). It is connected to the rest of Switzerland by way of the Route Suisse, the A1 Motorway and the railways of the Arc Lémanique.

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

Nyon is first mentioned around 367–407 as civitas Equestrium id est Noiodunus (in the "Notitia Galliarum"). In 1236, it was mentioned as Neveduni and in 1292 as Nyons. 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.)

Noviodunum was part of a loose network of settlements that radiated out from Lugdunum (modern Lyon, France) and helped to control the Rhone Valley. It served, along with other Roman colonies in the area, to control the Helvetii who were settled in the area against their will after their defeat at the Battle of Bibracte in 58 BC.

A rectangular grid pattern divided the area of the wall-less city. A monumental center, housing everything needed for the economic, religious and social life of the colony, was established. Only portions of this first forum have been discovered. At its east end was a two-story basilica. Grid-like residential streets radiated out from the center.

The Castle is first mentioned in 1272, but probably dates back to the Lords of Prangins. It was rebuilt by Louis I of Savoy in 1463. The rectangular edifice was built in a variety of styles. Around the same time, the square César Tower or Tour de Rive (now a residence), was built to defend the city.

In 1570, Theodore Beza headed the regional assembly of Protestant refugee clergymen in Nyon. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, many Huguenots fled to Nyon. In 1688, they founded the Bourse française to help other refugees.

Nyon remained an important transhipment point for trade along Lake Geneva and from France and Italy. Grain and wood came from Burgundy and Franche-Comté through the Col de la Givrine and Saint-Cergue on to Geneva. In 1537–76, the customs post of Nyon was the most profitable in the bailiwick. Over the following centuries, trade through Nyon remained very profitable and by 1772–73, it was again the highest in the region. In the 18th century, trade and commerce grew strongly. The flow of goods allowed four (after 1738, five) yearly markets. A granary was built in the 18th century. The Bernese rebuilt the Asse canal system to drive tanneries, sawmills and mills. The Faïencerie Baylon earthenware factory was founded in 1769. It was followed by the Jacob Dortu and Ferdinand Müller porcelain factory in 1781, both of which contributed Nyon's reputation for fine ceramics.

With the profits of the Early Modern era, many of the public buildings of Nyon were rebuilt or expanded. Following the suppression of the monasteries, in 1539, the town hospital moved into the offices of the Augustinian convent and received money from the closed monasteries. Hans-Ulrich Heldt rebuilt the college, the original building was from 1559, in 1786 in a neoclassical style. The church of Notre-Dame was rebuilt several times between 1661 and 1718. The medieval city walls and gates were demolished in 1718. The town hall was rebuilt in 1773. In 1720, Louis de Saint-Georges, a minister of the English king, built Changins Castle.

In 1858, a station of the railway line Lausanne–Geneva was built in north of Nyon. New housing developments sprung up around this station, and the city began to spread. The railroads Nyon–Crassier–Divonne (1905) and Nyon–Saint-Cergue–Morez (1916) connected Nyon with its hinterland. To meet the needs of the economy, the shipping industry and the emerging tourism industry, a port was built in 1838 and a quay was added in 1873. By the middle of the 19th century, a major source of income was the sale of timber from the commons forest. Other industries included tanneries (closed in 1925), carpentry, saw mills (until 1935), mills (including Andre & Cie.), cooperages and a soap factory. The Faïencerie Baylon closed in 1828. The porcelain factory, Müller et Dortu temporarily closed in 1813, then resumed production of ceramics in the Art Nouveau style in 1878. From then on until 1980 they produced Stoneware. Other industries in Nyon include the pasta factory Sangal SA (1860–1996), Zyma (1906, since 1996, Swiss Novartis Consumer Health), Stellram (hard metal treatment, 1940–99), Cherix et Filanosa SA (printing and graphic arts, 1932) and several tool factories. Starting in 1966, the companies stopped using the local locks and dams for hydropower and by 1974 they had disappeared from the Asse river.

Geography

thumb|550px|View of Nyon from Nyon Castle

thumb|Aerial view (1949)

Nyon has an area, , of . Of this area, or 39.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 7.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 54.1% is settled (buildings or roads). Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 5.9% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 27.4% and transportation infrastructure made up 14.1%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 2.1% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 4.6%. Out of the forested land, 5.6% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.2% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 25.9% is used for growing crops and 4.7% is pastures, while 8.5% is used for orchards or vine crops.

The municipality is located between the Jura Mountains and Lake Geneva. The old core of Nyon, on the right bank of the Asse, is divided into the upper city (which was built on the Roman ruins on a hill) and the lower city along the water. Along the main thoroughfare a residential section developed to the east of the old city, and an industrial sector to the west.

Climate

Coat of arms

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Per pale Gules and Azure, overall a Fish nainaint Argent.

Demographics

thumb|Fountain in old Nyon

thumb|Lake front in Nyon

Nyon has a population () of . , 38.0% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1999–2009) the population has changed at a rate of 16.8%. It has changed at a rate of 9.7% due to migration and at a rate of 7.7% due to births and deaths.

Most of the population () speak French (12,274 or 75.8%), with German being second most common (918 or 5.7%) and English being third (647 or 4.0%). There are 565 people who speak Italian and 9 people who speak Romansh.

, there were 6,796 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 7,538 married individuals, 768 widows or widowers and 1,080 individuals who are divorced.

, there were 7,307 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.2 persons per household.

, a total of 7,072 apartments (86.2% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 1,028 apartments (12.5%) were seasonally occupied and 105 apartments (1.3%) were empty.

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bar:1880 from:start till:3595 text:"3,595"

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Heritage sites of national significance

Nyon Castle and the Museum of the History of Porcelain, the Roman Colonia Iulia Equestris, the Swiss Reformed Church of Notre-Dame, the Manoir at Rue Maupertuis 2 & 4, the Roman Museum and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance. The entire old city of Nyon is part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.

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File:NyonCastle.jpg | Nyon Castle

File:Roman column - Nyon, Vaud, Switzerland.jpg | Colonia Iulia Equestris

File:Temple of Nyon.jpg | Reformed church of Notre-Dame

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Politics

In the 2023 Swiss federal election the most popular party was the SP which received 26.5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP (21%), the Green Party (16.5%) and the SVP (14.3%).

Economy

Glénat's Swiss subsidiary has its headquarters in Nyon. Cantor Fitzgerald has an office in Nyon. Edwards Lifesciences opened the regional headquarters and training center in Nyon in 2009.

, Nyon had an unemployment rate of 6%. , there were 49 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 13 businesses involved in this sector. 1,331 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 153 businesses in this sector. 10,644 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 1,131 businesses in this sector.

, there were 7,415 workers who commuted into the municipality and 5,234 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 1.4 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. About 12.1% of the workforce coming into Nyon are coming from outside Switzerland, while 0.1% of the locals commute out of Switzerland for work. Of the working population, 26.7% used public transportation to get to work, and 50.6% used a private car. During the school year, the political district provided pre-school care for a total of 1,249 children of which 563 children (45.1%) received subsidized pre-school care. The canton's primary school program requires students to attend for four years. There were 995 students in the municipal primary school program. The obligatory lower secondary school program lasts for six years and there were 806 students in those schools. There were also 66 students who were home schooled or attended another non-traditional school.

Nyon is home to three museums; the Musée historique, the Musée du Léman and the Musée romain. In 2009 the Musée historique was visited by 14,164 visitors (the average in previous years was 26,194). In 2009 the Musée du Léman was visited by 20,596 visitors (the average in previous years was 23,020). In 2009 the Musée romain, was closed for renovations but in previous years it had an average of 9,225 visitors.

Collège Champittet, an international school, has its Nyon campus in the commune.

Sports

Nyon is home to FC Stade Nyonnais, who play in the Swiss Challenge League, and their ground Colovray Sports Centre.

Nyon Rugby Club is one of the most successful rugby teams in Switzerland, regularly ending top of their leagues in both the first and second teams leagues, they also have a third team, youth, ladies and veterans side and also are based at the Colovray Centre.

Nyon Basket Feminin is based in Nyon. Nyon Basket plays in SB League Women, the top-tier women's professional basketball league in Switzerland.

UEFA

Nyon is famous for being the headquarters of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the European Club Association (ECA). The UEFA organises their sanctioned national team and club competitions and regulates the national football associations across Europe, South Caucasus, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel and Kazakhstan and its competitions, and the ECA regulates UEFA-affiliated member clubs from every associations.

Notable people

100px|thumb|Rev. John Fletcher

100px|thumb|Léa Sprunger, 2012

  • John William Fletcher (1729–1785), an English divine
  • André Haefliger (born in 1929), a Swiss mathematician
  • Louis Niedermeyer (1802–1861), a composer of church music, a few operas and a teacher
  • Louis Ruffet (1836–1923), a Swiss Protestant theologian and church historian
  • Édouard Rod (1857–1910), a French–Swiss novelist
  • Alfred Cortot (1877–1962), a Franco-Swiss pianist, conductor and teacher
  • Louis Mercanton (1879–1932), a Swiss film director, screenwriter and actor
  • Nina Simone (1933–2003), an American singer, songwriter, pianist, lived in Nyon around 1988
  • Béatrice Graf (born in 1964), percussionist, organist and keyboard player of jazz fusion and modern jazz
  • Jonas Kocher (born in 1977), an accordionist, musician and composer
  • Gaël Monfils (born in 1986), a French professional tennis player
  • Kevin Fickentscher (born in 1988), a Swiss professional football goalkeeper, over 100 club caps
  • Léa Sprunger (born in 1990), track and field athlete, competed at the 2012 and the 2016 Summer Olympics

Transport

Nyon is the starting station for the Nyon–St-Cergue–Morez Railway, as well as being on the main Geneva to Lausanne Swiss Federal Railways line.

The A1 motorway runs nearby and Nyon is served by Junction 11.

References

  • Official site of the town (available in French, English and German)
  • Web site of the Roman Museum of Nyon (also French, English and German)