01
What stands before you
In the Bastions, read the monument as a long composition rather than an isolated statue. Step back within authorised areas to see its rhythm, then approach one visible element. Compare the figures’ positions and the placement of inscriptions. A commemorative monument chooses what to show: its arrangement has as much meaning as the names it carries. Start with one question: whom does the monument place at its centre?
Sources: Genève Tourisme — Mur des Réformateurs
Plan your next stop: Maison Tavel: a house for reading Geneva’s Old Town · Promenade de la Treille in Geneva: bench, view and chestnut tree
02
Its story
Geneva’s State Archives describe the architectural competition of 1908, followed by the choice of sculptors Henri Bouchard and Paul Landowski in 1909. The monument was handed over to the City of Geneva on 7 July 1917. These milestones explain why a representation of an earlier religious history also has a modern history of commissioning and construction. It is not a snapshot of the Reformation, but a way of organising its memory at a particular moment.
Sources: Archives d’État de Genève — projets et Monument de la Réformation
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03
Look at this
Find the four central figures and read the names on site before assigning roles. Look at the difference between an individual figure, a scene and an inscription: each tells a story differently. With children, choose one gesture or object and form a question rather than asking them to memorise every person. An answer may need a source or additional explanation. Part of looking closely is distinguishing what a sculpture shows from what you assume.
Sources: Genève Tourisme — Mur des Réformateurs
04
What most people never learn
The Museum of Art and History’s dossier notes that the monument was funded through donations and subscriptions. Its story therefore also concerns the people who wanted this memory visible in public space. Consider what changes when a historical narrative is installed in a park used for everyday walks. The same wall may be encountered on a cultural visit, a daily break or a spontaneous discovery: these uses coexist.
Sources: Musée d’art et d’histoire de Genève — dossier Faire le mur ? (PDF)
Plan your visit
Check open access to Parc des Bastions and conditions on site. Our Old Town walk finishes in the Bastions: looking closely at the wall can extend that arrival, but requires extra time. In bad weather, Maison Tavel offers an indoor visiting subject to check before leaving.
Parc des Bastions, Geneva
Your questions, answered.
Was the wall built during the Reformation?
No. The monument was handed over to the City of Geneva in 1917. It commemorates an earlier history; distinguish its subject from its date of construction.
Check the details and explore further
Opening times and entry arrangements can change. Refer to the venues’ websites when planning your visit.
- Genève Tourisme — Mur des Réformateurs
- Archives d’État de Genève — projets et Monument de la Réformation
- Musée d’art et d’histoire de Genève — dossier Faire le mur ? (PDF)
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