Place du Bourg-de-Four is a sloping cobbled square in Geneva's Old Town, a short walk below St Pierre Cathedral. It is often called the oldest square in the city: it stands on the site of the Roman forum, later held medieval fairs and markets, and today is lined with café terraces around a stone fountain. On one side stands the Palais de Justice, a former convent and hospital that has housed Geneva's courts since 1860.
Place du Bourg-de-Four at a glance
- Where: in the Old Town (Vieille-Ville), between St Pierre Cathedral and the Promenade de Saint-Antoine, where five streets meet, including the Rue de l'Hôtel-de-Ville.
- Created: a meeting place since Roman times; the houses around it mostly date from the 16th to the 18th century.
- What it is today: a pedestrian square with cafés, restaurants and the Palais de Justice, a favourite meeting point in the Old Town.
- Time needed: 15 to 20 minutes to look around, longer if you sit down on a terrace.
From Roman forum to courthouse square
When Roman Geneva spread beyond the top of the hill, this flat spot below it became the town's forum, and the name Bourg-de-Four is often said to come from the Latin forum. In the Middle Ages the square was the place for Geneva's fairs and markets, which drew merchants from far away. A castle stood nearby in early medieval times, and later a Savoyard fortress, which burned down during the conflicts between Geneva and the House of Savoy in the 14th century.
The Reformation changed the square. The Poor Clares, whose convent had been founded here in 1474, left Geneva in 1535, and their convent became the city's General Hospital, caring for the sick and the poor. Between 1706 and 1712 it was rebuilt as the large building you see today. When a new cantonal hospital opened in the 1850s, the courts moved in, and the building has been the Palais de Justice since 1860. In 1766 Geneva's Lutheran community built its church here, at a time when the city was strictly Calvinist.
What to look for
- The fountain in the lower part of the square: built in 1576–1579 and rebuilt several times, it has a central pillar topped by a vase of flowers, with a top recarved and put back in 2024.
- The long, sober façade of the Palais de Justice, the former General Hospital of 1706–1712.
- The slope of the square itself: it sits on a step between the plateau of Les Tranchées and the top of the hill, so the houses climb with the cobbles.
- The tall old houses with shutters and arcaded ground floors, most from the 16th to 18th centuries.
- La Clémence, the café on the square, named after one of the bells of St Pierre Cathedral.
A bell, a café and a meeting place
La Clémence, the cathedral's great bell, gave its name to the best-known café on the square, and its terrace is where many Genevans arrange to meet. The square has always been a place where people cross: five streets lead into it, linking the Old Town with the lower town and the old ramparts. On a summer evening the terraces fill up, and the square still does the job it did as a forum and a fairground: bringing people together.
Tips for your visit
- Come in the morning for a quiet coffee and good light on the façades, or on a summer evening when the terraces are at their liveliest.
- Look up at the cathedral towers as you walk up the Rue de l'Hôtel-de-Ville; the square is the natural start or end of an Old Town walk.
- The cobbles are uneven and the square slopes, so wear comfortable shoes.
- The Palais de Justice is a working courthouse: respect any security checks and don't photograph people going in and out.
Nearby
- St Pierre Cathedral: Geneva's cathedral, where Calvin preached, with a climb up the towers and an archaeological site beneath; a couple of minutes uphill.
- Maison Tavel: Geneva's oldest private house, now a museum of daily life with a large model of the city in 1850.
- Promenade de Saint-Antoine: a terrace on the old ramparts with views towards the Salève.
- Musée d'Art et d'Histoire: the city's large art and history museum, a short walk south-east.
See Geneva with World City Trail
Our Geneva scavenger hunt turns the city into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around three hours, with about 44 minutes of walking. It includes places such as St Pierre Cathedral, the Basilica of Notre-Dame, the Brunswick Monument and the National Monument. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and Chinese.
If you prefer a different format, Geneva also has a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game.
Play the Geneva scavenger hunt →
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Facts checked in October 2026.