Rhône - Molard - Swiss Prime Site

The location between Geneva's historic old town and the left bank of the Rhône is prime. Accessed from four sides, including the prestigious Rue du Rhône, this property offers pedestrians the opportunity to move around protected from the weather within the entire street block. The prestigious bijoux on the Place du Molard was built in various stages in the 16th and 17th centuries and has stood in its current form for around 300 years. The ensemble includes the time honored market halls and the Tour du Molard. The historic and prestigious property is a listed building and features unique architecture. Trade was conducted on the same site more than 2000 years ago. The property is connected to the property on Rue du Rhône on several floors. In addition to the anchor tenant Globus, the property on Rue du Rhône accommodates a diverse mix of tenants from the retail, office and fitness sectors. At the beginning of the 20th century, this property housed the first modern department stores Au Grand-Passage.

Type of use

Retail - Office

Year of construction

1690 & 1921

Floor space m²

40 681

History - Part I

The construction of the old market halls in 1309 (the present building dates from 1690) coincided with the international promotion of the Geneva fairs. Merchants and financiers from Italy, France, Germany and Flanders came to the end of Lake Geneva four times a year to conclude their business, thus sealing Geneva's now central economic role in the European market. The Geneva fairs disappeared with the Renaissance, but the economic importance of the market halls did not diminish as a result. On the contrary, the expansion of international traffic in the 17th century and the improvement of the port facilities increased revenues and made the newly built hall a first-class customs and trading centre.

History - Part II

From the end of the 15th century, houses conquered the space by the lake and gradually expanded the built-up area. At the same time, the streets around the square were redesigned and new arteries were built. In the 19th century, the use of Les Halles gradually changed: the upper floors were converted into flats. In 1848, the Caisse hypothécaire du canton de Genève bought the building and moved in in 1901. One hundred years later, the Cantonal Bank of Geneva, the owner of the building, sold it to Jelmoli.

1857 glowing paving stones

Redesigned in 2004, the 3,000 m² Place du Molard is covered with black hand-cut basalt paving stones, between which the artist Christian Robert-Tissot laid luminous paving stones engraved with everyday words in the six official languages of the United Nations in 1857. The luminous paving stones are reminiscent of the whisper of water flowing into the lake, but also of the whisper of people. Each of them is engraved with words like "Good morning", "Good night", "Thank you", "Goodbye", "Cheers", which have been heard in the square for centuries.

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Kim Schmid

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Rhône - Molard