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Commune of Ferney-Voltaire |
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| Location | |
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| Administration | |
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| Country | France |
| Region | Rhône-Alpes |
| Department | Ain |
| Arrondissement | Gex |
| Canton | Ferney-Voltaire |
| Intercommunality | Pays de Gex |
| Mayor | Pierre-Étienne Duty (2001-2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 409 m–446 m (avg. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Wikipedia talkFeatured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This list of countries, arranged alphabetically This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. France is divided into 26 regions or régions (in French of which 21 are in continental Metropolitan France, one is the island of Corsica, Rhône-Alpes ( Franco-Provençal: Rôno-Arpes; Occitan: Ròse Aups) is one of the 26 regions of France, located on the In the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies a department (département depaʁtǝmɑ̃ is an Administrative division Ain (ɛ̃ Arpitan: En) is a department named after the Ain River on the eastern edge of France. The 100 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts. The arrondissement of Gex is an arrondissement of France located in the Ain department, in the Rhône-Alpes region. The cantons of France are territorial subdivisions of the French Republic's 341 arrondissements and 100 departments. The canton of Ferney-Voltaire is an administrative division in eastern France. The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. 423 m) |
| Land area¹ | 4. 78 km² |
| Population² (1999) |
7,173 |
| - Density | 1,490/km² (1999) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 01160/ 01210 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0. As of January 1, 2008, 64473140 people live in the French Republic. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume The INSEE code is a numerical indexing code used by the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE to identify various entities including communes Postal codes were introduced in France in 1972, when La Poste introduced automated sorting. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. An estuary is a semi-enclosed Coastal body of Water with one or more Rivers or Streams flowing into it and with a free connection to the open | |
| 2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once. C D E | |
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Ferney-Voltaire is a commune in the department of Ain in eastern France. The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. In the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies a department (département depaʁtǝmɑ̃ is an Administrative division Ain (ɛ̃ Arpitan: En) is a department named after the Ain River on the eastern edge of France. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. It lies between the Jura mountains and the Swiss border. The Jura Mountains are a small Mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation It forms part of the metropolitan areas of Geneva. Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking
Contents |
History
Ferney was first noted in 14th-century Burgundian registers as "Fernex. Burgundy (Bourgogne Burgund is a region historically situated in modern-day France and Switzerland, inhabited in turn by Celts ( Gauls) " Four centuries later, however, Voltaire changed the "x" to a "y" due to the excessive number of towns in the region with names ending in "x," such as Maconnex, Saconnex, Gex, Versonnex, Ornex. François-Marie Arouet ( 21 November 1694 30 May 1778) better known by the Pen name Voltaire, was a French GEX is a German Stock market index. It contains owner-dominated companies which have been listed on the German stock exchange for no more than ten years Versonnex may refer to the following places in France Versonnex Ain, a commune in the department of Ain Versonnex Haute-Savoie Ornex is a commune in the department of Ain in eastern France.
During Voltaire's reign over Ferney in the second part of the 18th century, the town saw rapid expansion. Today Ferney is a peaceful village with Saturday markets and a close community. Ferney is slowly growing with the building of new apartments and houses in the area. It is also home to the Lycée International. Voltaire still presides over Ferney with his life-like statue near La Grande Rue. It is a peaceful place to live in or visit.
Voltaire
From 1759 to 1778 Ferney was home to French writer and philosopher Voltaire. A writer is anyone who creates a written work although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally as well as those who have written in many different forms Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language His 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. A watchmaker is an Artisan who makes and repairs Watches A modern watchmaker is more likely to repair a wristwatch or a pocketwatch than to actually create a watch After the French Revolution, the town was renamed "Ferney-Voltaire" in his honor. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an
In 1759, after having lived in Geneva less than two years, Voltaire had purchased the estate of Ferney in France, near the Swiss border. Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking A prime reason for his leaving Geneva was that theatre was forbidden in that Calvinist city, so he had decided to become the enlightened "patriarch" of the little village of Ferney, setting up potteries, a watchmaking industry and, of course, theaters, attracting rich people from Geneva to watch his plays. Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one Calvinism (sometimes called the Reformed tradition, the Reformed faith, or Reformed theology) is a theological system and an approach to the A play, or stageplay, is a form of Literature written by a Playwright, almost always consisting of Dialogue between Fictional characters
During Voltaire's residence, the population of Ferney increased to more than 1,000. Voltaire lived there for the last 20 years of his life before making a triumphal return to Paris, where he died in 1778. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city
Sights
Ferney's main attraction is Voltaire's house (château), built 1758-66, now owned and administered by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux (an arm of the French Ministry of Culture). For other senses of this word see Château (disambiguation. A château (plural châteaux) is a Manor house or residence As of July 2007, it was closed for restoration, with no date for its reopening to visitors.
The château includes the main building, with a reconstruction of Voltaire's room (moved from its original location by later private owners), a garden with a fine view of the Alps, and a church dedicated, contrary to custom, directly to God. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. In the church's inscription, "Deo erexit VOLTAIRE" ("Erected to God by VOLTAIRE"), Voltaire's name is written in the largest characters.
A few dozen meters from the château is another impressive house, built in 1900 by Monsieur Lambert (the sculptor of the statue of Voltaire; his family owned the château before it was purchased by the French government). The house, now privately owned, had been used to store provisions and wine for the château, and to accommodate the household staff.
The village features 18th-century houses and artisans' workshops; a life-size statue of Voltaire; a smaller bust of him, surmounting a fountain; many restaurants, French and foreign; and proximity to the nearby cosmopolitan city of Geneva, Switzerland. Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation
Every Saturday, a market is held in the main street of Ferney.
Each year at the beginning of summer, Voltaire's birthday is celebrated in village festivities at which his works are performed in the streets by amateur and professional actors.
The old road at the centre of the village is very beautiful, and a remnant of the time when Voltaire resided at the château in Ferney-Voltaire.
The pedestal of the Voltaire statue, erected in 1890, dedicates that memorial to the town's "benefactor," noting that he built over a hundred houses for the inhabitants, as well as a school and church, gave the town interest-free loans, and fed its inhabitants in time of need.
See also
- List of places named after people
- Georges Vianès, mayor of Ferney-Voltaire from 1995 to 2001 [1]
References
- ^ (French) QuiElire. There are a number of places named after famous people. For more on the general etymology of place names see Toponomy. Georges Jean Gabriel Vianès is a former French Civil servant, Corporate officer and Politician. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. fr, Commune de FERNEY VOLTAIRE (01210). Consulted on April 11, 2008.
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