Jet d'eau

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Jet d'eau
The Jet d'eau in the morning light
The Jet d'eau in the morning light
place Geneva , Canton of Geneva
country Switzerland Switzerland
use fountain
Technical specifications
height up to 140 m
Coordinates
location Coordinates: 46 ° 12 '26 "  N , 6 ° 9' 22"  E ; CH1903:  501018  /  118118 501018  /  118118

The Jet d'eau [ ʒɛ do ] ( French for water jet ) is a fountain in Lake Geneva with a water jet up to 140 meters high. It is one of the landmarks of the city of Geneva .

history

Originally only a few meters high, the fountain served as a pressure relief valve in the function of a water lock for the pressurized water pipeline built in 1885 for the Forces Motrices de la Coulouvrenière power station , with which the Geneva jewelers operated their machines. As a result, unwanted peaks during work interruptions were caught and the overpressure displayed.

In 1891 the city of Geneva decided to move the large fountain into the lake basin as a tourist landmark and to increase the water pressure . In 1951 the current system was built, which has two pumps with a total output of approx. 1000  kW . It emits 500 liters of sea water per second at a speed of 200 km / h.

Operating times

Operating times
Jan - Mar Dec Apr - mid May Mid Sep - Oct Mid-May - mid-Sep Nov
10: 00-16: 00 Mon – Fri 10 a.m. – sunset,
Sat – Sun 10 a.m. – 10.30 p.m.
09: 00-23: 15 Out of service (maintenance work)
  • The fountain is illuminated in the dark.
  • The fountain is switched off when the wind blows or temperatures around freezing point .

Similar constructions

  • In Aarau , a water fountain of this kind was also created on the south bank of the Aare, based on the model of the Geneva Jet d'eau in 2005 .
  • Similarly, the privately financed Hamburg Alster fountain , which is 60 meters high, is inspired by the Jet d'eau (1986).
  • In 1968 a fountain was put into operation in Halle an der Saale .
  • The Captain James Cook Memorial in Canberra , which also includes a water fountain, has existed since 1970 .
  • The highest fountain in the world has been the King Fahd's Fountain in Saudi Arabia since 1985 with up to 312 meters.

Web links

Commons : Jet d'eau  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ [1] Sunset time in Geneva