Lighting up the sky for CERN's anniversary
For CERN's Golden Jubilee, the Canton of Geneva, supported by the Pays de Gex local authorities, lit up eight points around the LHC ring.
On the date of CERN's fiftieth anniversary, 29 September 2004, the Organization's Host State authorities gave the Laboratory a gift of light. As night fell, twenty-four powerful floodlights blazed into the night sky from the eight access points to the future LHC. For the many spectators gathered at a special vantage point above the village of Crozet, these beams emanating from the valley floor marked out the locations of the access shafts around the 27-km of the LHC tunnel.
The event was organised by the Department of Justice, Police and Security of the Canton of Geneva, with the participation of the Crozet local council and support of local councils in the Canton of Geneva, the Communauté des communes of the Pays de Gex, and the Ain Préfecture. This joint gift from the local authorities on both sides of the French-Swiss border has great symbolic value for an organisation which plays host to scientific collaborations from all over the world.
Before the illuminations began, speeches were made by local dignitaries from France and Geneva in praise of CERN's scientific and technical achievements and the spin-offs for the region. "CERN contributes to the economic growth and development of the whole Lake Geneva region on both sides of the French-Swiss border," said State Councillor Micheline Spoerri, Head of the Department of Justice, Police and Security of the Canton of Geneva. "CERN has thus become an integral part of our heritage."
Speaking on behalf of CERN, the Director of Finance and Human Resources, André Naudi, thanked the Swiss and French local authorities for their welcome and support throughout the Laboratory's history. He remarked that CERN's unique geographical position on the frontier between France and Switzerland is highly symbolic for a Laboratory which, since the day it was founded, has striven to promote science without frontiers. The speeches were followed by a series of live addresses by teleconference link from the CERN Director-General, Robert Aymar, who was attending the CHEP 2004 conference in Interlaken, and from two of his predecessors Luciano Maiani and Chris Llewellyn Smith. Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the Web, also made an appearance by video link to wish CERN many happy returns. People born in 1954 were then invited to blow out the candles on the anniversary cake.
At 8 o'clock a samba percussion band led the hundreds of guests and spectators up to a viewing point next to the Crozet cable-car station to watch the illuminations.
This event presents a great opportunity to thank the local councils in both France and Switzerland as well as the Canton of Geneva for all their contributions to CERN's fiftieth anniversary celebrations. Numerous events, exhibitions and shows have been organised in the region to mark the occasion.
The full programme of events being organised in the region can be found on CERN's Fiftieth Anniversary Website:
