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Vessy

Canton of Geneva · No published figure for the locality; the municipality of Veyrier has 12'269 inhabitants (31.12.2025)
Part of the municipality of Veyrier
Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Must-see historical sites Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Vessy

The meaning of the name is unknown.

Founding of Vessy

Nothing is known about the founding of Vessy, on the plateau overlooking the Arve. The hamlet appears as part of the parish of Veyrier, to which it was attached after the Treaty of Saint-Julien and of which, in the 18th century, it formed one of the three communities, with Veyrier and Sierne. Its clay deposits, like those of Pinchat, allowed tile works to settle there. Gradually the population concentrated in the village of Veyrier, at the expense of Sierne and Vessy, whose large estates, which grew out of bourgeois properties, remained under cultivation.[1][2][3]

History of Vessy

1603. After the Treaty of Saint-Julien, the parish of Veyrier now includes the hamlets of Sierne and Vessy.

18th century. The parish of Veyrier comprises three distinct communities: Veyrier, Sierne and Vessy.

1865-1867. The Société des Eaux de l'Arve sets up the Vessy water pumping and distribution station, which goes into service in 1867.[3]

After 1931. The municipality and the State drain the marshes between the Vessy plateau and Pinchat.

1936. Completion of the Vessy bridge over the Arve, designed by the engineer Robert Maillart, linking Champel and Carouge to the Vessy plateau.

1988. The Services industriels de Genève take over the Société des Eaux de l'Arve and its Vessy station.[3]

1990s. The pumping station ceases operating. Threatened with demolition, the site is saved and restored.[3]

2007. A small hydroelectric plant is inaugurated on the site of the former station.[3]

2014. The association Les Berges de Vessy begins running events on the site.[3]

Historic sites in Vessy

Vessy pumping station. Water pumping and distribution station of the Société des Eaux de l'Arve, put into service in 1867, taken over by the Services industriels de Genève in 1988, shut down in the 1990s and then restored, with a small hydroelectric plant inaugurated in 2007.[3]

Vessy bridge. Arch bridge over the Arve designed by the engineer Robert Maillart and completed in 1936, in the Bout-du-Monde loop of the Arve.

Vessy plateau. Plateau whose clay deposits allowed tile works to settle there and where large farming estates survive.[1][2]

Sources

  1. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Veyrier » (Isabelle Brunier), version allemande
  2. Commune de Veyrier, Plan directeur communal, rappel historique
  3. Services industriels de Genève, communiqué de presse sur l'exposition consacrée au site de Vessy, mai 2025
  4. Inventaire suisse des biens culturels d'importance nationale et régionale (PBC), notice « Pont de Vessy » (KGS 2647)
  5. Structurae, « Pont de Vessy » (à recouper)
  6. Office cantonal de la statistique (OCSTAT), Mémento statistique du canton de Genève 2026, tableau Population résidante par commune, en 2025
  7. Office fédéral de topographie swisstopo, geo.admin.ch, nom local « Vessy (GE) - Veyrier »

Other villages near Vessy

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