'Gland' is a
municipality in the district of
Nyon in the
canton of
Vaud in
Switzerland.
Even though
French is the main language, there are over 80 nationalities living in this city with a population of 10,775 (2005). Since it is ideally located halfway between the cities of
Geneva and
Lausanne, many international companies and organizations settled there, among others
Sun Microsystems, the
World Conservation Union (IUCN), the
Ramsar Convention and
World Wide Fund for Nature.
History
Gland is known to have been a prehistoric settlement. During the
Roman period a farm called ''Villa Glanis'' was there. Until the
1960s, Gland was merely a small farming village (essentially
vineyards and
cattle). The opening of the highway linking
Geneva with
Lausanne brought many
commuters to this quiet place. It is only since the mid-
1980s that Gland has started to grow into a city with its own businesses and shopping centers.
Miscellaneous
In the
1930s, the
Toblerone line, a defensive line, was built at the edge of Gland. Its purpose was to stop a
tank invasion from the west.
It is also the home of Seven time
Formula 1 World Champion,
Michael Schumacher
External links
★
Town of Gland, official site
★
The Toblerone Trail
★
Formula One Legend Michael Schumacher currently resides in Gland