Geneva has always been a haven for exiles of all stripes. Protestant Italians, aristocrats fleeing the Paris Commune, Jews fleeing Germany in the 1930s - the walls of Geneva have been a haven for all kinds of exiles!
Start your Geneva walking route in the heart of the city, at the Molar Tower on the left bank of the Rhone. This tower is all that remains of the ancient fortress that used to surround the city. Molar has undergone several reconstructions - during each of them the monument was modified.
Look at the bas-relief depicting a woman holding a coat of arms and a man. The woman symbolizes Geneva, and the man is none other than the leader of the world proletariat Vladimir Lenin, who lived here in 1904-1905 (he was portrayed by sculptor Paul Beaux in 1921).
Continue your route through Geneva along rue du Mont-Blanc and find No. 16 - in this inconspicuous building, Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky began work on his novel "The Idiot".
Let's go further... Did you know that the famous Swiss brand Davidoff has Ukrainian-Jewish roots? Its founder, Zinoviy Davidoff, was born in Novgorod-Seversky, but a few years later he emigrated with his family to Geneva, where he opened Europe's most prestigious tobacco shop. Be sure to stop by at Rue de Rive, 2 and buy souvenirs for yourself and friends.
Conclude your tour of Geneva with a visit to the city's most Orthodox site, the Cross Exaltation Cathedral. Constructed in the mid-20th century with funding from the Romanov family, this church seamlessly blends into the city's landscape and stands as one of the most exquisite Orthodox churches in Europe.
