Jet d'Eau, literally meaning 'water jet', is the huge Fountain on the Geneva Lake, in the city of Geneva, Switzerland. Jet d'Eau is one of the tallest fountain in the world. Originally, in 1886 they built the fountain to control and release the excess pressure of a hydraulic plant at La Coulouvrenière. Shortly it became remarkable symbol of the city and so it was amplified and relocated to the center of the Lake.
The Fountain presence gives the power to the place, every time you look on its majesty you are reminded that you are in the powerful and well organized country.
Soon after being finished, the fountain became the symbol of strength, ambition and vitality of Geneva and Switzerland. Its strong engines pump 500 liters of water per second to the height of 140 meters.
Facts & Statistics:
Maximum height: 140 meters
Water velocity on exit: 200km/h
Pump rate: 500 liters per second
Total power of tde two pumps: 1000kW
The Jet d'Eau (French pronunciation, Water-Jet) is a large fountain in Geneva, Switzerland, and is one of the city's most famous landmarks, being featured on the city's official tourism web site and on the official logo for Geneva's hosting of the 2008 UEFA Championships.It is also one of the largest fountains in the world. Situated at the point where Lake Geneva empties into the Rhône, it is visible throughout the city and from the air, even when flying over Geneva at an altitude of 10 km (33,000 ft).
Five hundred litres (132 gallons) of water per second are jetted to an altitude of 140 metres (459 feet) by two 500 kW pumps, operating at 2,400 V, consuming one megawatt of electricity.The water leaves the nozzle at a speed of 200 km/h (124 mph). When it is in operation, at any given moment there are about 7,000 litres (1849 gallons) of water in the air. Unsuspecting visitors to the fountain—which can be reached via a stone jetty from the left bank of the lake—may be surprised to find themselves drenched after a slight change in wind direction.