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In January 2003, the Bank acquired the Tour-de-l’Ile building which has housed its premises since 1975. The Tour-de-l’Ile, last vestige of the Château de l’Ile, which rose between two arms of the Rhone river, is the oldest remnant of Geneva’s medieval past. This former fortress was a veritable city gate at the time. Today, the reception facilities of Banque Safdié occupy the main entrance to the Tour-de-l’Ile. These prestigious premises have been remodelled and furnished with the special significance of this historical site in mind. Built between 1215 and 1219 by Bishop Aymon de Grandson to control bridge traffic, the Château was besieged and taken in 1287 by the Count of Savoie. Partially destroyed in 1670 by the fires that burned down the Rhone bridges, rebuilt in 1680 and finally declared by referendum a protected historical land-mark in 1897, Geneva’s Tour-de-l’Ile has always been intimately linked to the history of this international financial centre. From 1858 to 1886, the Tower featured three clock dials showing the different local times then in effect in Paris, Geneva and Bern. Indeed, Paris was 15 minutes 16 seconds behind Geneva, while Bern was 5 minutes 6 seconds ahead. As a result, intrepid travellers from Lyon to Lausanne often became confused because they had to take into account three different time zones. The story goes that a young Bernese groom-to-be travelled by train to Geneva to meet his future in-laws, but his engagement was broken off because he missed his connection by 5 minutes due to these time differences.
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