The Oxford and Cambridge Club of Geneva and John Burley invite you for a historical journey through the enigmatic Pays de Gex, followed by a three-course dinner at the Warwick Hotel.

Menu

• Starter: Asparagus tips salad, fish roll with horseradish mousse
• Main course: Chicken ballotine flavoured with truffle, polenta pancake & vegetables with pumpkin seeds
• Dessert: Pear in red wine, red fruits melody
• Beer, red or white wine, mineral water, tea or coffee

The border between Geneva and the Pays de Gex: a completely artificial creation?

For centuries, Geneva and the Pays de Gex have shared the same territory.

The talk will retrace the important historical events of the region, especially over the last 100 years following the establishment of the League of Nations in 1920 and the beginnings of what is now known as “Genève internationale”. The Pays de Gex, along with the rest of the région Lémanique, has experienced extraordinary changes over the years. The talk will present some amusing anecdotes and some more serious ones as well as some less well-known facts, before concluding with a few remarks about le Grand Genève.

John Burley read History and Economics at Peterhouse, Cambridge in the mid-1960’s. He worked as an economic adviser for the newly independent government of Uganda, before joining the UN, first in New York and then in Geneva. After retirement he was invited to join the Conseil Municipal in Divonne-les-Bains, where he was also Maire-Adjoint pour les relations transfrontalières. In that capacity he organised the exhibition in Divonne, in 2021 “100 ans +1 de vie internationale – une région transformée"

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