'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 on the shores of
Lake Geneva, and is the seat of the
district of Nyon. The town has (as of
2006) 17,267 inhabitants. 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
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.)
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.
In the last week of July each year, Nyon hosts the
Paléo Festival, one of the largest music festivals in Switzerland.
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
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Rugby Club Nyon
★
Ultimate Frisbee Club, Les Mange-Disques de Nyon
★
La Redoute, Popular neighbourhood of Nyon
References
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