Border between France and Switzerland

Border between Switzerland and France

Dreiländereck in Basel at the Rheinhafen Kleinhüningen

The border between France and Switzerland is 585 kilometers long. It extends on the west side of the country in the north from the canton of Basel-Stadt to the canton of Valais in the south.

history

Since the Congress of Vienna in 1815, when the cantons of Valais , Geneva and Neuchâtel were recognized as part of Switzerland, the state border has hardly changed. In order to protect Swiss neutrality, Switzerland was granted the right to occupy the northern Savoy provinces of Chablais and Faucigny in the event of war. However, this right was never redeemed and later lapsed. In the Dappental , an exchange of territory was agreed in 1862 in order to give France better access to the Pays de Gex , while at the same time granting a toll-free and duty-free passage between La Cure and the Valée de Joux.

Switzerland joined the Schengen Agreement in 2008 , which means that the regular identity checks between the two countries have been eliminated. However, since Switzerland does not belong to the EU or the EEA, goods controls continue to exist.

course

The national border leads from the Italian border on Mont Dolent in the Mont-Blanc massif via Geneva and from there along the Jura to the border triangle France-Switzerland-Germany in the Rhine near Basel .

The binational Basel-Mulhouse airport is located on French territory. Since its inception, it can be reached from Switzerland without French border controls. You can also do this on the way to France from Geneva Airport .

The Basel tram crosses the border several times at Leymen on the Basel – Rodersdorf route and during the newly built extension to Saint-Louis .

The major European research facility CERN is located near Meyrin in the Swiss canton of Geneva; large parts of their underground accelerator rings are located on French territory. The CERN can be entered from the Swiss and the French.

The Hôtel Arbez Franco-Suisse in La Cure near Saint-Cergue is a curiosity : it is located on the border.

Elevation diagram of the border between Switzerland and France

See also

• Savoy trade
• Dappental question
• Jewish cemetery (Veyrier GE)

Web links

Commons : border between France and Switzerland  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ national border
2. ↑ Quirky hotel: Here the national border runs right through the bed