Nyon

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Nyon

Canton	Vaud
District	Nyon
Coordinates	46°23′N 6°14′E
Population	17'267 (2006)
Area	6.82 km²
Elevation	400.9 m
Postal code	1260
SFOS number	5724
Mayor	Alain-Valéry Poitry
Website	www.nyon.ch
Twin towns	Nyons (France)
Nyon

Nyon is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Vaud, some 25 kilometers north of Geneva on the shores of Lake Geneva, and is the seat of the district of Nyon. It was founded by the Romans between 50 and 44 BC under the name of "Colonia lulia equestris", the urban center of which was called "Noviodunum". It grew to be one of the most important Roman colonies in Switzerland, with a forum, a basilica and an amphitheater that was discovered only recently, in 1996, when digging for the construction of a new building.

The modern town has about 17,000 inhabitants and growing, with fast, convenient and efficient rail and road access to both Geneva and Lausanne, the two biggest cities in the area.

It has a high school (Gymnase de Nyon, known as CESSOuest until 1997 or 1998), a modern hospital, a movie theater, numerous hotels, restaurants, cafes, etc. The town is best-known on the international stage as the home of the headquarters for UEFA, the governing body for football in Europe. It is also the seat of the international headquarters of the global union federation Union Network International. In 2005, the city of Nyon granted rights to FIBA, the international governing body for basketball, to build its headquarters there. The "House of Basketball" could be completed as early as 2009.

In the last week of July each year, Nyon hosts the Paléo Festival, one of the largest music festivals in Switzerland.