Switzerland (officially the Swiss Confederation, Confoederatio Helvetica in Latin) is an Alpine country bordering Germany to the north, Austria to the east, Italy to the south, and France to the west. The nation is a federation of 26 states called cantons; the cantons were considered to be independent states until the federal constitution was adopted in 1848. Switzerland has no seacoast but there is navigation on lakes, two large ones in particular. One is Lac Léman (Lake Geneva in English). The Rhône River flows out of Lac Léman at Genève (Geneva) to begin its course through southern France to the Mediterranean. Another large lake is the Bodensee (Lake Constance in English), located on the country's northern border with Germany. The Rhine River flows through the Bodensee before beginning its course northward through Germany and the Netherlands to the North Sea. Switzerland has four official languages; its name is Schweiz in German, Suisse in French, Svizzera in Italian, and Svizra in Romansh. French is the common language of the Lac Léman area and German is the common language of the Bodensee area. The French word for a lighthouse is phare, but it is usually reserved for larger coastal lighthouses; each of these Swiss lights would be called a feu (fire) in French. The German word for a lighthouse is Leuchtturm (light tower). The lighthouses on the lakes are owned and operated by the respective city governments. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Special thanks to Michel Forand for providing much of the data on these lighthouses.
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Lighthouses of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) (see also France: Alpes-Maritimes)
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![]() Jetée du Sud Light and Jet d'Eau, Genève, September 2006 Flickr Creative Commons photo by Victor Abellón |
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![]() Jetée du Sud Light, Morges, March 2023 Google Maps photo by Chttps://maps.app.goo.gl/GGFHZC3EGMfrBGbU6 |
Lighthouses of the Rhein and the Bodensee (Lake Constance) (see also Germany: The Bodensee and Austria)
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Information available on lost lighthouses: |
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Germany Bodensee | East: Austria | South: Alpes-Maritimes (French Riviera)
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Posted April 17, 2006. Checked and revised April 13, 2024. Lighthouses: 7; lightships: 1. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.