Themed trail : A historical tour of Gex
Come discover Gex and its 700 years of history! From medieval ramparts to market squares, this 35-stop tour traces the evolution of a small provincial capital.
1: Tourist Office
2: Avenue de la Gare
2a: The Bellevue Hotel
2b: The Gex Dairy
2c: The Convent of the Ladies of the Propagation of the Faith
3: Rue des Terreaux (former moats of the medieval town walls)
4: Place Gambetta (Porte de l’Horloge, town bell tower)
5: Optional: “Judicial District”
6: The courthouse and prisons
7: An example of a prison with individual cells
7a: The Protestant church
8: The Clock Fountain
8a: City Hall
8b: The subprefecture building
9: The Nicod House
10: Place de l’Appétit (“Political Hub”)
10a: The Fournier House
10b: The former Bailiff’s House
10c: The Brossin-Panissod House
10d: The Harent House
10e: The Emery House
10f: The Fabry House
10g: The Lucien-Brun House
10h: The Ballalier House
11: Place de la Fontaine (Fountain of the Four Goulettes (1746), 15th-century gate)
12: The Fountain of the Four Goulettes
12a: The former elementary schools
13: 19th-century church square
14: Interior of the church (decorated 15th- and 16th-century baptisteries, 16th-century religious paintings)
15: Rue Charles Harent
16: Mannien Vert (view of Lake Geneva and Geneva)
17: Le Mannien Vert18Ruelle de la Côte aux Dindes
18a: The former rectory
19: The Perdtemps School
19a: The former Saint-Pierre Church
19b: The 1870–1871 War Memorial
20: Avenue de Perdtemps (“Religious center until the 19th century, then fairgrounds”)
21: Place Perdtemps
21: The Ursuline Convent
21b: The Old Fire Pump
22: Rue du Château
23: A 15th-century house
23a: A townhouse (32 Rue du Château)
23b: A townhouse (52 Rue du Château)
24: Chemin de la Chenaillette
25: Gex Castle
26: The Duval House
27: The Village and Gex Castle
28: Rue du Commerce (Option: “Artisan Center”)
29: La Visitation
30: Passage de la Fontaine
31: Les Capucins
32: Chemin de la Chenaillette
33: The tanneries
34: The Beauchâteau House and the salt storehouse
35: Statio militum
Itinerary details
Description
Gex boasts over 700 years of history. From the charters of 1292 to the new neighborhoods of the early 20th century, the urban fabric has undergone profound changes. As a political capital, administrative and judicial center, and venue for markets and fairs, Gex has developed the multifaceted functions of a small provincial capital. The major stages of the town’s development are reflected in the layout of its streets and squares. This historical tour invites you to interpret this landscape, to understand the creation of the medieval town, and to trace its expansion linked to the successive alignments of the Col de la Faucille road.