Plaine de Plainpalais, Public square in Geneva, Switzerland

Plaine de Plainpalais is a large open square in central Geneva with a distinctive diamond-shaped layout. A modern skatepark shares the space with areas reserved for markets, circus performances, and seasonal events throughout the year.

The name comes from the Latin term 'plana palus', reflecting the area's origins as marshland. Over time, it transformed into Geneva's central gathering place for public life and events.

The flea market, held since 1970, is Switzerland's largest and takes place on Wednesdays and Saturdays, not Sundays. A fruit and vegetable market runs on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The square is also the starting point of the women's strike of 14 June, and the northern tip, cut by rue Harry-Marc, was renamed Parc du 14-Juin on 20 May 2024, marking the date equality between men and women entered the Swiss Constitution in 1981.

The diamond-shaped esplanade runs 640 metres north-south between avenue du Mail and avenue Henri-Dunant, with place du Cirque at the north end and place des Vingt-Trois-Cantons at the south. Trams 12, 15, 17 and 18 serve it, and underground parking lies beneath the surface. Pedestrian paths cross the lawns and asphalt, and the Parc du 14-juin with its fountain occupies the northern tip beyond rue Harry-Marc.

The red mineral surface, called "ghorr du beaujolais", was tested from 1998 during the first phase of refurbishment, not in the 2000s; the central part and the ends were finished in 2015. A statue of Dr. Frankenstein's creature by the collective KLAT, installed in 2014 near the skatepark, faces south toward Chamonix, where the creature fled in Mary Shelley's novel.