The Lausanner - All fun and games

NICE TO MEET YOU

LAUSANNE: ALL FUN AND GAMES

FEATURE: THE PLAYFUL CITY

The best tips to get out and play with the family or between friends. Page 40

LAUSANNE’S BUILDINGS IN TIP-TOP SHAPE

Sébastian Strappazzon: interview on streetwear

Page 34

Escape rooms, role-playing, immersion, laser tag, playgrounds, specialised shops: our top picks

THE VAUD CAPITAL AS INSPIRATION FOR ANTONIN NICLASS

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PANORAMAS OF LAKE GENEVA Page 52

Lausanne has its game on

Want to learn about Lausanne and have fun doing it? Helvetiq’s board game Lausanne tells you all about the city in 600 questions. Since 2002, two versions of Monopoly have been set here. But the Olympic Capital is really just a big play area. Some 100 playgrounds for little ones are scattered throughout Lausanne, which UNICEF has designated a “Child-Friendly City”. Meanwhile, older kids can delight in the loads of escape rooms, game arcades and laser tag centres available. Our feature piece in this issue is dedicated to fun in the city (page 40).

With its almost 150,000 inhabitants, Lausanne plays in the big league. It serves as a starting point for launching careers, like for director Antonin Niclass, winner of a BAFTA Award in London in 2022 for Do Not Feed the Pigeons (page 30), and Sébastian Strappazzon, co-founder of Avnier, a streetwear label of international renown (page 34).

The history of Rue de Bourg, the country’s first pedestrian street, or the beginnings of Swiss television in Lausanne in 1951 remind us that the only Swiss city with a metro and the first to build a skyscraper in 1931 is constantly reinventing itself. Down to even the smallest details. Its pioneering policy of rehabilitating and converting public buildings into bars, restaurants and art galleries breathes new energy into the city (page 6).

Lausanne even made it to the New York Times 52 “Places to Go” list in 2023, hand-picked for its vibrant culture scene and ideal lakeside location with sumptuous views of the Alps. We explore these spectacular panoramas in the walk (page 52). To make the most of Lake Geneva, we also list its top beaches (page 16). Along with the tips of our Lausanners (page 32) and our list of hot spots curated for you in this edition, the game is on to have one of the best summers of your life.

Your turn to play!

ARCHIVES

Built in 1917 by architect Jacques Favarger, the Montriond kiosk was originally a newsstand before being turned into public toilets in the 1970s. In 2017, it was fully renovated and is now a café: Le Montriond (see page 10).

IMPRESSUM

The Lausanner, a tourist welcome and information magazine about life in Lausanne

Editorial: Lausanne Tourisme

Direction: Steeve Pasche and Sermena Sulejmani

Editorial production: Large Network

Graphics: Saentys

Editorial Manager: Trinidad Barleycorn, Large Network

Production:

Nathalie Roux and Marie-Laure Beausoleil

Writing: Trinidad Barleycorn, Nathalie Boissart, Stéphanie de Roguin, Erik Freudenreich, Laurent Grabet, Alexandre Lanz

Photography:

DR (p. 2, 13, 14, 26, 36, 45) – François Wavre/Lundi13 (p. 5, 24, 34, 48) –Marino Trotta/Ville de Lausanne (p. 6, 7, 9) – Florian Cella/Ville de Lausanne (p. 8) – Le Montriond (p. 10) – Nikita Thévoz (p. 12) – Arthur M. Lehmann (p. 14) – Trinidad Barleycorn (p. 15, 23) – Julien Savioz/Large Network (p. 16-17) – Musée Historique Lausanne (p. 18) – SF DRS (p. 21) –Martine Dutruit (p. 22) – Thomas Jackson/Alamy Stock Photo (p. 26) –Nina Thomas (p. 27) – Pierre Dal Corso (p. 27) – Sally Anderson/Alamy Stock Photo (p. 27) – CIO (p. 28) – Christian Meixner Fotografie (p. 29) – Andreas

Stenger Photographie (p. 29) – Yann Clu (p. 29) – David Livingston/Saentys (p. 30) – Guillaume Megevand (p.32-33) – Antoine Guilloteau (p. 38) –Aurélien Barrelet/Large Network (p. 40-51) – Thomas Delley/Keystone (p. 46) – Valentin Flauraud/Keystone (p. 46) – Christian Braut (p. 52) –LT/Blake production (p. 52, 53) – Schweiz Tourismus/Colin Frei (p. 53, 54)

© Photos Lausanne Tourisme – LT/Laurent Kaczor (p. 59, 60, 65, 69, 73, 79, 80) – LT/diapo.ch (p. 59, 60, 61, 63, 68, 69, 73, 74, 80) –

Switerland Tourism/Giglio Pasqua (p. 60) – P. Waterton (p. 60, 61, 76) –LT/Maxime Genoud (p. 61)– Christian Meixner Fotografie (61, 73) –Switzerland Tourism/Colin Frei (p. 63) – Switzerland Tourism/Andre Meier (p. 67) – CIO/Lydie Nesvadba (p. 65) – William Gammuto sarl (p. 67) – LT/Alix Besson (p. 68) – Sarah Jacquemet (p. 69) – LT/Julien Dorol (p. 71) – Swizterland Tourism/Lorenz Richard (p. 61, 73)

Image search: Sabrine Elias, Large Network

Cover: Sébastian Strappazzon photographed by François Wavre

Advertising: Michel Chevallaz +41 79 213 53 15

Printing:

Gremper SA, Basel Available in French and English

Writing, administration and announcements: Lausanne Tourisme Av. de Rhodanie 2 Case postale 975 CH-1001 Lausanne +41 21 613 73 73 www.lausanne-tourisme.ch

e-mail: direction@lausanne-tourisme.ch

With the support of

LAVAUX TOUR

A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON THE UNESCO HERITAGE

BOOKING ON CGN.CH

Take a

In a

10% bonus* +330 shops

Be loyal to Lausanne

With every purchase, accumulate Enjoys and exchange them for money loaded onto your Enjoy Lausanne card.

La carte

1 chf = 1 point for every purchase 1000 points = 10 CHF converted

Support Lausanne shop owners and get a 10% bonus at over 330 retailers *every time you reload your Enjoy Lausanne card on www.enjoylausanne.ch

CONTENTS

SUMMER/AUTUMN 2023 - N° 11

TALK OF THE TOWN

Lausanne’s small buildings bring the city to life

Page 6

LAUSANNE IN MOTION

Top new spots

Page 13

Assortment of hearty sandwiches

Page 15

Rue de Bourg, the country’s first pedestrian street

Page 18

BEHIND THE SCENES

Joao Ivo Fernandes Pereira, caring for exotic birds in Mon-Repos

Page 24

INTERVIEW

Self-taught Sébastian Strappazzon has built an international stylistic empire

Page 34

LAUSANNE AT PLAY

As the only Swiss city to hold competition-level laser tag events, as well as home to multiple playgrounds, recreation facilities and escape rooms, the Vaud capital loves to play and does it with gusto

Page 40

OUTING

The most beautiful views over Lausanne

Page 52

MUST-VISITS

Lausanne locales that are not to be missed

Page 58

LAUSANNE TAKES A NEW LOOK AT ITS HISTORIC CHARMS

From old newspaper stands to bus shelters and even public toilets, Lausanne’s smallest structures are getting a new lease of life thanks to their operators, who are using their passion for their work to highlight these architectural gems, and to a political desire for renovation. We take a look.

By Alexandre Lanz

The terrace of the charming Le Montriond café, in the Sous-Gare district, sprawls around the entrance to the Parc de Milan.

On a street corner or hidden among the trees in a tranquil park, Lausanne’s small structures add to the city’s charm. After their initial life in service of the city, the majority were abandoned over the years or used to store gardening tools. Since the 2000s, 24 of them have been given a second life, six of which are registered as part of Vaud’s architectural heritage. Most have been turned into restaurants and cafés. Others have been transformed into mini cultural sites, such as those at La Maladière 1 , (currently under construction), Place du Tunnel 2 and Rumine 3 , where local artists can present their work on a regular basis.

A CITY-CENTRE HAVEN

“The majority of these small structures date back to the late 19 th century. They usually had one of three purposes, or even all three at the same time: a shelter for tram users, public toilets, and, most often, a kiosk selling newspapers and cigarettes,” explains Martine Jaquet, an architectural historian specializing in 19th and 20th-century French-speaking Switzerland, who wrote an article on the history of these structures in the journal Monuments vaudois

Beneath the chestnut trees in Parc Mon-Repos sits la Folie Voltaire 4 , the first structure to be renovated back in 2001. In spring and summer, brunch enthusiasts and young parents who want to avoid getting in the way with their pushchairs enjoy meeting up in this place untouched by time. “The structure that is now la Folie Voltaire as well as the one at Beaulieu, which was turned into the Café Perché 5 in 2019, are more accurately referred to as pavilions, since they were once part of the gardens of manor houses in the 17th and 18th centuries,” adds Jaquet.

Delphine Veillon was manager of la Folie Voltaire for 15 years before handing the keys over to one of her waiters, Raffaele Elia, in 2016. She tells us the magical story of this historic place: “In the 18th century, the owner of the Villa Perdonnet in Parc Mon-Repos would often invite Voltaire to visit and organised short plays and concerts in the garden. In architecture, we use the word ‘folly’ for these small buildings, ‘folie’ in French, hence the name ‘Folie Voltaire’.” →

La Folie Voltaire, beneath the alley of chestnut trees in the Mon-Repos park, offers local cuisine, pancakes and home-made ice-cream.

Veillon now co-manages the Café Perché, housed in the historic pavilion on the Promenade du Bois-de-Beaulieu. “The Château de Beaulieu was very ahead of its time and built this folly in the 18th century as a place of meditation,” she adds with a note of amusement in her voice. Opened in the autumn of 2019 and originally designed as a kiosk selling take-away products, the Café Perché prioritises local distribution channels and zero waste, and now has space for nine covers. “It’s a bit small for this large, beautiful esplanade,” regrets the co-manager, who applied to the city to change the building’s status so its terrace can be expanded this year.

LAUSANNE SPREADS ITS WINGS

The Kiosque Saint-François 6 underwent refurbishment in 2012. Its spectacular renovation saw it transformed from a deserted waiting room into a café with character. “It’s a valuable piece of heritage with its ironwork and magnificent hammered brass doors. During the renovation work, the interior woodwork was also restored. Adding tables inside and out to make use of the benches is perfectly adequate in keeping with the building itself,” says Martine Jaquet.

Repeated requests to enlarge the terrace attest to the success of the café, a favourite meeting place for the people of Lausanne.

Following la Folie Voltaire and the Kiosque Saint-François, the initiative to renovate other small buildings took on new momentum with three calls for tenders launched by the city in 2014: the 1917 building housing the Montriond public toilets, on the edge of Parc Milan, which was to become the café Le Montriond 7 ; the former bus stop located at 31 Rue du Bugnon, opposite the hospital, where a few tables now invite visitors to taste the homemade dishes of Little Saigon 8 , the younger sibling of the restaurant Les Rues de Saigon, located further down the street; and the former Transports Lausannois public waiting area at Pont de Chailly, occupied since 2018 by the artisanal ice cream parlour LABO Gelateria 9 . The brand founded by Malou Zryd is known for its unusual ice cream flavours, such as black sesame. In August 2022, its Italian citrus ice cream won the first “Parcours des glaciers” competition organised by the association Lausanne à Table. →

« The Kiosque Saint-François is a valuable piece of heritage. »

Martine Jaquet, Architecture historian

Built in 1912, a century later the former waiting room became the Kiosque Saint-François, a café ideally located in the heart of the city.

A DIFFERENT WAY TO DISCOVER THE CITY

Interview by Trinidad Barleycorn

Since her election to the town council in 2016, Natacha Litzistorf, in charge of Housing, Environment and Architecture, has drawn up a public policy for Lausanne’s kiosks and other small structures. The initiative has accelerated the renovation of these unique small buildings that bring the city’s neighbourhoods to life.

Why are you interested in these small buildings?

Natacha Litzistorf: I had fallen in love with these little buildings, many of which had been abandoned. I wanted better protection for our heritage, while offering locals nice places to meet. This is in line with the current policy of upgrading Lausanne’s neighbourhoods. These buildings liven up the public space and offer a different way for people to discover the city. For example, Jetée de la Compagnie 10 has shone a light on parts of the riverbank that were previously unknown.

What has changed since this policy was introduced?

We guarantee equal treatment between establishments and our long-term aim is to

create synergies. I think that this strong political will to turn these small buildings into userfriendly places and showcases of sustainability has made Lausanne a forerunner. Other towns in the canton, in particular Nyon, Morges and Pully, have been inspired by the framework and procedures we’ve established in this area.

What are the requirements for operating from one of these buildings?

They must promote local and seasonal products, offer vegetarian options, and source their meat from farms that prioritise animal welfare. There’s also an emphasis on good waste management. Establishments also need to create social links and encourage mixing across generations, in particular by being accessible.

How do you decide what these buildings will be used for?

We define their purpose before the call for tenders. For example, we knew that the building at Rumine 3 (built in 1913 – Ed.) would be used for cultural purposes.

Renovating a heritage building for a food business, as was the case in Montriond, involves colossal amounts of work. The city does the structural work. The partners take care of the decoration and the fittings needed to carry out their business.

Are there many buildings left to be renovated?

Yes, they are everywhere! So there will still be plenty of wonderful surprises. The next ones to be renovated are La Cabane in Vidy, which will be a food business, the Le Bugnon kiosk, whose use has not yet been decided, and another in Pontaise. There is a great deal of interest among residents in using the latter to host activities organised by their local community centre.

What’s your favourite building?

The Café Perché for its view, its heritage and its food. But I regularly visit all of them. The teams do a remarkable job, like the one at Le Tunnel 2 , for example, which has an incredible group of artists.

Lakeside bar La Jetée de la Compagnie is very popular for its terrace.

All across the city, smaller, more modern buildings are also generating new buzz and have been incorporated into a policy governing these small structures, which was implemented in 2018. One such structure is that at Place de la Sallaz, home to the Marché des Tilleuls  11 , which sells local produce, and the Güttinger Fleurs flower shop 12 . Another is the La Milanette trailer 13 , at Place de Milan, which offers yoga and other recreational activities in the summer. Then there’s Jetée de la Compagnie 10 and Le Minimum 14 , which are home to bar-restaurants whose waterfront terraces are very popular among locals. And lastly, the Vidy kiosk has been the starting point for an unforgettable journey for children on the P’tit Train 15 since the Expo 64 national exhibition.

“Previously, there was no single approach. Each department had its own way of doing things and there was no shared vision,” says Julie Wuerfel, head of Lausanne’s sustainability and participation unit. “When Natacha Litzistorf (see her interview on page 9) was elected to the town council in 2016, she wanted to establish a public policy that established strategic guidelines and offered comparable conditions for all kiosk managers and operators.”

« Le Montriond acts as a village square: its role is very much a social and crossgenerational one. »

Giliane Braunschweig, manager

The former public transport waiting room at Pont de Chailly was renovated in 2014. Since 2018, visitors have been able to enjoy the exceptional ice cream of LABO Gelateria.

NEI GHBOURHOOD LIFE, THE BEATING HEART OF LAUSANNE

Giliane Braunschweig is a restaurant owner. In 2015, she and her two partners were selected among the many other candidates and won the call for tenders for the Montriond project 7 . Today, she runs the establishment by herself, which is not always an easy task. Despite what one might think when enjoying the wonderful terrace, Le Montriond is not a seasonal restaurant: its 18 indoor covers are managed from March to December. From the very beginning, the social aspect of the initiative has been one of Giliane’s top priorities: “This place acts as a village square: its role is very much a social and cross-generational one. This year, the Montriond is collaborating with new suppliers to vary the pleasures of the menu, which includes dishes from the takeaway Yomi, vegetarian kebabs from Alles Gut! and dumplings from Madame Sum.”

The social aspect of these structures is also what appeals to customers. An architect, town planner and artist at Baraki, Jeanne Wéry shares this vision. In addition to its nostalgic charm, she appreciates the fact that the Kiosque Saint-François 6 offers coffee at a reduced price for bus drivers.

“I think this is important. It shows that the original purpose of the bus waiting area is still being fulfilled and that it has evolved. The customers can enjoy a coffee and the bus drivers can mix with the regulars.”

Urban oases and extraordinary meeting places sheltered from the stresses of everyday life, these small buildings have enabled Lausanne to become a leading example in the redevelopment of public spaces in French-speaking Switzerland. ■

& MORE...

16 Les Arches

17 La Terrasse des Grandes-Roches

18 Polli St-François (underground)

19 Au Monopole

20 Le Carrousel Burger

21 La Terrasse d’Ouchy

22 Kebab Ouchy

23 Le Cassecroûte de Vidy

24 Édicule des Falaises

For

LAUSANNE IN MOTION

ENJOYING CULTURE OUTDOORS

In Lausanne, there are many opportunities to get a taste of culture while also enjoying the mild summer evenings.

Every summer, Lausanne and the surrounding area start to burst with cultural and musical festivities of all kinds (see non-exhaustive list below). The number of events is constantly increasing, as notes Michael Kinzer, head of the Lausanne culture department: “There was a time when we were worried the pandemic would put people off organising events, but we’re actually seeing the opposite. The crisis revealed financial struggles and a fragile cultural sector, yet, despite this, there has been a great drive to offer new things.”

While audiences are returning to well-established events, such as the Festival de la Cité (which will be holding its 51st edition this year) and the unmissable Fête de la Musique, newer festivals will have to be bolder and more imaginative to carve themselves a place in the Lausanne line-up this summer.

A trend towards attracting new audiences has emerged – for example, there is the family-oriented Lausanne Garden Parties (five free weekends of music, dance and performing arts held in five parks around the city), and the La Matrice Festival aimed at teenagers and young adults with a focus on hip-hop.

And the public are clearly interested: “Last summer, we noticed that people were incredibly enthusiastic about meeting up again and enjoying cultural experiences together,” explains Michael Kinzer. This very noticeable trend from 2022 is expected to continue this year.

Lavaux Classic

13 to 25 June lavauxclassic.ch

Fête de la Musique

21 June

fetemusiquelausanne.ch (free)

Festival de la Cité

4 to 9 July festivalcite.ch (free)

Garden-Parties de Lausanne

14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29 July and 4, 5, 11, 12 August in various parks gardenpartieslausanne.ch (free)

Lausanne Afro Fusion Festival

30 August to 3 September lausaff.org (free after-parties from 10pm)

La Matrice Festival 15 to 17 September lamatricefestival.ch (free)

Hummus and Wine several dates up to the end of September, Lausanne and surrounding region, hummusandwine.ch

The 51st edition of the Festival de la Cité will bring the old town to life in July.

This Summerʼs main events

A FAMILY AFFAIR

More than thirteen years after launching in Geneva, the Chloé Rose brand has chosen Lausanne as the home of its fourth jewellery shop. Named after the two daughters of the Geneva couple who founded this family business, Chloé Rose offers a wide variety of refined, creative jewellery. The range features necklaces, rings, bracelets and earrings for men, women and children, available in silver, stainless steel, and brass gilded with a 3-micron gold plating, and prices rarely exceed CHF 100. Another special touch offered by the brand is its line of personalisable jewellery.

Chloé Rose

Rue Saint-Laurent 18, Lausanne chloerosegeneve.ch

INVITATION TO TRAVEL

Azar (meaning “root” in Berber) offers a vast selection of home décor, including tableware, lighting, baskets, cushions, candles, mirrors, jewellery and more... every item tells a story. Owner Sara Cottier loves her home country of Morocco. Keen to showcase the traditional craftsmanship of the medina, she offers hand-made items in the welcoming cocoon of her shop, decorated in calming colours, which blend harmoniously with intoxicating fragrances.

Azar Concept Store

Galerie St-François, Lausanne azarinterieur.ch

Sara Cottier has been welcoming customers to the warm tones of her Moroccan interior design store since the end of 2022.

A PARADE OF DELIGHTS

Le merveilleux (the marvellous), l’incroyable (the incredible), l’excentrique (the eccentric), l’impensable (the inconceivable), le magnifique (the magnificent) and the sans-culotte: Parisian Frédéric Vaucamps’s “merveilleux” – speciality gateaux made with alternate layers of meringue and whipped cream – come in a range of flavours as original as their names. His refined, baroque shop, located in the Sous-Gare district, is the latest member of the chain, which already has a presence in nine countries. Customers can watch the treats being prepared in the workshop, which opens out onto the shop itself. The brand is also known for its delicious brioches, called “cramiques”, which come in various flavours: plain, sugar, chocolate chip, and raisin. It also offers pastries, waffles and sandwiches.

Aux Merveilleux de Fred Boulevard de Grancy 20, Lausanne auxmerveilleux.com

LATIN VIBES

In late 2022, Lausanne-Moudon, a long-standing café in the Tunnel district, was taken over by La Parada. Run by four friends (including Jasmine Gfeller, co-founder of the nearby restaurant Un Po’ di Più), this bar and restaurant has kept the magnificent mouldings of the building, which dates back to 1896, as well as the wooden parquet floors. The walls, however, have been given a fresh look with hand-painted frescos. The menu offered by Swiss-Mexican chef Walter Roth explores all kinds of Latin American dishes. Rare spices, mescals and tequilas come from Mexico, and the fresh products are local. The perfect spot to come and taste tacos, quesadillas, ceviche and dulce de leche and wash them down with a cocktail, then dance it all off from 10pm.

A VERY RELAXED DINING EXPERIENCE

At the end of March, L’Appart opened its doors on Rue de Bourg, replacing the iconic pizzeria Il Corso, which closed in 2022 after almost 60 years. This new gourmet restaurant, headed by Nicolas Bernier and chef Luis Zuzarte, who trained at the Beau-Rivage Palace, is a welcoming and down-to-earth establishment where customers can feel at home. Reflecting this spirit, the kitchen is open onto the dining rooms. A single CHF 130 menu is available each day based on seasonal produce delivered by local farmers and producers.

L’Appart

Rue de Bourg 29, 1st floor, Lausanne appart-lausanne.ch

La Parada Bar & Cocina

Rue du Tunnel 20, Lausanne laparada.ch

THE SANDWICH, STAR OF GOURMET LUNCH BREAKS

Practical and perfect on the go or at a table, sandwiches offer the chance for impressive flavours and originality. And in the Vaud capital, there’s no shortage of places to enjoy them. Four Lausanners share their favourites.

Samuel Ramos, 32, double bass player at the Lausanne Sinfonietta

“I try to go to Ajò at least once a week. A friend introduced me to this place almost a year and a half ago. Before, I was always surprised to see people queuing up outside. Now that I’ve tried their sandwiches (made with schiacciata, a traditional Tuscan bread - Ed.), I understand why it’s so popular! I love their schiacciate with mortadella, stracciatella and pistachio cream and the one with coppa and scamorza cheese. The place is also very beautifully decorated and conveniently located next to the station. You get an excellent welcome and the prices are very reasonable.”

Ajò Café –

Rue du Simplon 13, Lausanne

Milad

“I’ve been a customer of Le Monopole for about ten years. I come two or three times a month. I really like the staff and the owner, Fratel (the owner’s real name is Rosario Varricchione - Ed.). He used to work a lot on the hip hop scene – that’s how I met him. All his sandwiches are excellent! My favourite is the chicken sandwich, but I also often have the lamb with two sauces, the beef with two sauces or the porchetta. For 10 francs, you get a delicious hot sandwich made with fresh products that you can eat on a nice little terrace on Place Chauderon.”

Mathilde

“I happened upon Deli Social at the end of February. Since then, I’ve been coming two or three times a week, often during my lunch break, to try all the chef’s sandwiches and dishes, which are really excellent! Today, I had a crispy bun with seasoned chicken, roasted onions, and lemon and black lemon emulsion, along with a cappuccino, and a kouign-amann for dessert. They use mainly local products, which is very important to me. I also really like the place itself, I think it’s very attractive and it helps make the Place du Tunnel a nicer and more welcoming location.”

Mathieu Schmid, 49, chemist

“Almost since it opened in 2015, I’ve been coming to My Sandwiches for Vietnamese at least once a week during my lunch break. I also often come on Saturdays with my family. The sandwiches are amazing. Personally, I really like the ‘Charlot’, with Char Siu pork, and the ‘Bellie’, with beef and lemongrass. I also get the soups, which are excellent. Everything is delicious, prepared with a lot of care, and fresh. I also like this place because it has a really nice atmosphere and it’s very welcoming. Even when I’m alone, I feel like I’m eating with my family!”

My Sandwiches – my-sandwiches.ch

Rue Saint-Martin 9 and Ruelle du Grand-Pont 6, Lausanne

@ajo.cafe

Yildirim, 34, environmental sciences graduate

Le Monopole – @monopolelausanne Place Chauderon 8, Lausanne

Simon, 36, planning and mobility project manager

Deli Social – deli.social Place du Tunnel 11, Lausanne

BEACH FUN IN THE SUN

For the city and its surroundings, the kilometres of lakeside access create the ideal setting for enjoying long summer days to the fullest. Ranging from small, quiet coves to vast, lively open spaces, the region’s beaches attract bathers and offer a variety of water activities. Here are a few to try.

Plage

The largest beach on Lake Geneva, along with Parc Bourget, forms the biggest green space along the lake’s shores. It includes restaurants, sports fields, a sailing school and a Vita course. Boats, paddle boats and paddle boards are available for rent.

RENENS

Plage du Laviau

Large sand and pebble beach near the grassy area in Parc Laviau, in Saint-Sulpice. A kitesurfing area is open from 1 September to 15 June.

WC Showers Restaurants

Outdoor barbecue allowed Barbecues available

AND ALSO...

SAINT-SULPICE

Plage de Préverenges

With its shallow waters stretching out for 50 metres, this large sandy beach is located next to the Buvette de l’Oued snack bar and the restaurant La Plage.

Parc and plage du Pélican

This pebble beach is close to the restaurant L’Abordage, with its gorgeous shaded terrace. Further east is the park and plage des Pierrettes.

Plage

This long sandy beach, kept as natural as possible, is located near a running trail and the UNIL-EPFL sports centre.

de Dorigny

de Vidy

Bellerive-Plage

The premises has two large outdoor pools, diving boards, an aquatic park and a paddling pool next to a sandy beach. Ping pong tables are available, with aqua gym and scuba diving lessons are also available.

THE NOVELTY

Having gone without a beach for one century, Ouchy now has swimming spots.

7

Jetée de la Compagnie Deck opposite the Jetée de la Compagnie terraces and the Minimum near Bellerive’s swimming pool. Yoga classes are available every morning.

8

11

Plage de Curtinaux

Lovely beach of grass and pebbles in Lutry, featuring a spectacular view of the Lavaux vineyards. A playground and a charming snack bar are available. You can also rent paddle boards and kayaks.

Vieux-Port swimming area

Access to the water near the Veneta ice cream shop. You can rent boats and paddle boats and practise water sports nearby.

9

Piscine de Pully-Plage

The complex offers two large outdoor pools, a wading pool with a slide, ping pong tables, a beach volleyball court and a snack bar with a terrace.

10

Plage de la Pierre Ronde

This small, family-friendly pebble and grass beach in Paudex features a diving board into the lake, a ping pong table and children’s swings.

12

Plage de Moratel

In the heart of Lavaux, you can laze about on the grass, rocks, pebbles or nestle up in a cove near the terrace of La Cambuse or the campground.

THE RUE DE BOURG –A SWISS PIONEER

In

The cobblestoned Rue de Bourg, sloping between Place Saint-François and Rue Saint-Pierre, is one of Lausanne’s main shopping streets. Louis Vuitton, Lacoste, Swarovski, Longchamp and Victorinox sit alongside numerous restaurants, including the oldest pizzeria in the city, Chez Mario, which is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year. Rue de Bourg, which features in the Swiss version of Monopoly, is also the best-known street abroad. What’s less well known is that, on 30 July 1962, its lower section, along with its extension into Rue Saint-François, became the very first pedestrian street in Switzerland.

This innovation was down to Olivier Keller, who had been appointed by the authorities to reduce traffic in the city centre ahead of the 1964 National Expo. After training as an engineer in Canada, then at Yale, where he qualified as a traffic engineer, the Vaud native joined the Lausanne police as a traffic commissioner in May 1962. A true pioneer of soft mobility, Keller, who died in 2017, was also behind the creation of parkand-ride facilities on the outskirts of the city.

The gateway to Lausanne

Traffic on Rue de Bourg had been a concern since the Middle Ages: all goods en route from Italy passed along this thoroughfare, the entry point to the city and the only street then entitled to have inns – the oldest of which, the Lion d’Or, was famous for its illustrious guests including Goethe and Emperor Joseph II.

“The street was inhabited by the bourgeoisie, who built the most beautiful residences of the time on its south side, with internal courtyards, gardens and a view of the lake,” explains Gilles Prod’hom, assistant lecturer in architectural history and heritage at UNIL and former editor of the Monuments Vaudois review. Among them is no. 26, the former Maison Vullyamoz, also known as Maison Constant: “Rebuilt around 1667, it has retained part of its 17th-century facade with Mannerist and Baroque forms.” The internal courtyard at no. 10 now provides access to the Aoi Japanese Concept Store. A beam from 1254 is still visible in the current McDonald’s. The Cos boutique, meanwhile, has retained its 17th-century staircase.

“In the 1830s, the Pichard Belt project, designed to divert traffic from Rue de Bourg and the centre onto a ring-road around the city, led to the construction of the Grand-Pont and Avenue Benjamin-Constant,” explains Prod’hom. “Rue de Bourg became a prestigious shopping street in the second half of the 19 th century, when Place Saint-François became the economic centre of the city with the arrival of the banks.”

Development continued with Henri-FrançoisLouis Manuel’s founding of the Maison Manuel at no. 9 in 1845. The Manuel confectionery firm, now run by the sixth generation, is still at no. 28. In 1859, the Blondel chocolate factory moved from Saint-François to no. 5 Rue de Bourg,

1962, Lausanne became the first city in the country to close a street to traffic.

where it can still be found today. The building of the Lion d’Or ironmonger’s (now the Douglas perfume store) dates back to 1911. The facades of the Bonnard department store (taken over by Bon Génie in 1974) retain inscriptions from the early 20th century. Over the street, no. 1 was built by the local Payot family in 1912-1913 and was home to their bookshop for many years. It now houses Bucherer.

Three miles just for pedestrians

To facilitate the dense pedestrian traffic on the narrow street, the Galeries SaintFrançois were opened in 1907, Rue de la Paix the following year and Rue du Lion-d’Or in 1914. In 1961, the very popular Christmas shopping streets of Rue de Bourg and Rue Saint-François were closed to cars on December afternoons. When a police statement announced their permanent pedestrianisation in the summer of 1962, the Tribune de Lausanne welcomed “a decision long desired” by the people of Lausanne. Place Saint-François said goodbye to vehicles in 1981 and the top of Rue de Bourg followed suit in 1998.

Lausanne is now a pedestrian paradise, with over three miles of streets reserved just for them. Others will soon follow.

THE TREATY OF LAUSANNE, 100 YEARS ON

The document that established the borders of modern-day Turkey is at the heart of an exhibition at the Musée Historique Lausanne.

24 July 1923: “pax” ( peace) is displayed on the façade of the Palais de Rumine on Place de la Riponne, and Cathedral and church bells ring out. After eight months of negotiations, the Treaty of Lausanne, marking the birth of modern-day Turkey, is signed by Turkey itself, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Japan, Greece and Romania. “This peace conference was held in Lausanne because a very large Turkish nationalist diaspora lived here and Lausanne-Blécherette airport was well connected to many international destinations, unlike Geneva,” explains Laurent Golay, director of the Musée Historique Lausanne (MHL).

To mark the centenary of the peace treaty, the only one signed at the end of the First World War that is still in force today, MHL presents “Frontières. Le Traité de Lausanne, 1923 – 2023”. “The exhibition retraces the origins of this agreement, which aimed to stabilise Europe in the wake of the fall of four empires and the massacre of various populations, mainly Armenian. But it also looks at its consequences. While the 1920 Treaty of Sèvres set out territories for the Kurds and Armenians, the Treaty of Lausanne that replaced it did not, which still causes problems to this day, in particular for the 35 million Kurds.” Alongside the exhibition, MHL is also holding meetings, conferences and round tables.

Frontières. Le Traité de Lausanne, 1923 – 2023, French and English, until 8 October 2023.

Programme →

The Rue de Bourg in 1949 when pedestrians and cars still had to cohabit.

VAUD WINES

YOUR WINE ON DEMAND

PERSONALIZED

LOCAL FRESH

NEW

CHOOSE FROM OVER 200 ARTISAN WINES

FREE DELIVERY

thelausanner23

Your coupon code on vaudvins.ch

THE TIME SWISS TELEVISION WAS BORN IN LAUSANNE

Nicolas Bouvier’s little-known book “La boîte à images”, which retraces the beginnings of television in Frenchspeaking Switzerland, has just been republished. It’s full of period photos and surprising anecdotes.

In 1979, writer and traveller Nicolas Bouvier published La boîte à images, a book commissioned by Télévision Suisse Romande (TSR, since renamed RTS) for its 25th anniversary. The book recounts both the technological challenges and the amazing human adventures that led to the creation of this new medium.

Héros-Limite’s republication of this littleknown work by the writer, who died in 1998, is an opportunity to remind the public that the very first test transmission of a Swiss television channel took place in... Lausanne. This was in 1951, almost two years before the creation of Swiss television in Zurich and three years before the official founding of TSR in Geneva.

Director Jean-Jacques Lagrange was one of the pioneers who contributed to the development of TSR: “It was a real adventure,” he recalls. “The strangest part was that we’d set ourselves up in a profession that didn’t exist at the time, even though it was much talked about – often inaccurately – in the press.”

For the country’s first television test, TSR received a loan of CHF 50,000 and equipment supplied by Philips. It also had access to a small studio three times a week, lent by Lausanne radio, to produce plays, “dramas” and “regional shows in conditions that could be described as trying”, wrote Nicolas Bouvier.

In all, nearly a hundred programmes were produced in the Vaud capital over a period of four months. The audience turned out to be limited: at the time, only the mayor of Lausanne, Jean Peitrequin, and Charles Gilliéron, a member of the Management Committee of the SSR (Swiss Broadcasting Corporation), had their own private sets. As such, they were exclusive programmes, to which a few public broadcasts were later added. As Nicolas Bouvier pointed out when concluding his account of this chapter in Lausanne’s history: “We must not forget this trial run, but perhaps it was attempted too soon”.

La boîte à images (in French), Nicolas Bouvier,

published by Héros-Limite

Did you know that the building at 5-7 Chemin Messidor and the tower of the old silo in Renens were the work of Jean Tschumi? That a 24-metre-high footbridge links the Vaud School of Medicine (HESAV) to the hospital district? That the La Rozavère nursing home in Chailly has a renowned restaurant open to the public at lunchtime? Or that in September 1766, a ten-year-old Mozart gave two concerts at La Palud?

The guide 111 lieux à Lausanne à ne pas manquer (111 must-see places in Lausanne), co-authored by architect Ulrich Doepper and journalists Pierre Thomas and Michel Zendali, and illustrated by photographer Martine Dutruit, brilliantly mixes the small moments in history with the great. This mine of unusual information, combining historical and miscellaneous facts with cultural and gastronomic anecdotes, offers readers an original way to discover all the charms of the Vaud capital.

LAUSANNE’S SECRETS REVEALED

“This book is a love letter to Lausanne,” says Michel Zendali. “I love everything about this city. It was boring for quite a while, but it gained new energy in the 2000s. Today, it is a dynamic and very young city thanks to the quality of its schools, which attract students from all over the world, and it’s also cosmopolitan with a phenomenal cultural offering.”

And if he had to just choose three of his 111 picks? “The market stairs, because they lead to Le Barbare. This recently reopened restaurant reminds me of my youth. Lake Geneva, which has a constant presence and which, in my opinion, makes us a little indolent and wistful, making Lausanne more relaxed than Geneva. And generally, I really like the parks; Lausanne is a very green city.”

111 lieux à Lausanne à ne pas manquer (in French), collection 111, published by Emons, 240 pages.

A guide offers readers an unusual look at the city, narrating its history through its most interesting and often unknown anecdotes.

The footbridge linking the Haute École de Santé to Avenue de Beaumont and the hospital district.

THE CHALLENGE OF UNEARTHING GOOD FINDS

In each issue, The Lausanner introduces you to a different stall at the Lausanne market. This time, we met up with Ahmed Wahba, who sells second-hand goods on Place de la Riponne.

Interview by Stéphanie de Roguin

His stand is like an open-air Aladdin’s cave full of crockery, stuffed animal heads, butterflies in frames, audio equipment, a magnificent old cash register, World War II helmets, road signs, pins, wooden smoking pipes, and lots more. For eleven years, Ahmed Wahba has been giving a second life to old objects, much to the joy of collectors and passers-by at the Riponne market. He spares no effort in seeking out what they are looking for. As a side business, he sells crepes, churros and drinks on Mondays and Thursdays at a stall on Place Bel-Air.

You sell a wide variety of objects, how did you manage to find them all?

Ahmed Wahba: Many of them come from acquaintances, collectors in particular. I often go to flea markets too. I travel a lot. For example, I regularly go to Lyon and other places in France, where there are big markets with better prices than in Switzerland. Generally speaking, I try to offer many items and a lot of variety: my aim is to have something for everyone on my stall.

How did you get into the second-hand goods business?

I worked for several years in cleaning companies, then in flat clearance. I started to store the objects that interested me, and then when I was able to get a stall at the market eleven years ago, it was easier to sell all these finds!

On the stall, you advertise that you buy objects from individuals at a good price. Do people often contact you?

Yes. Sometimes I’m contacted by people who have to empty a deceased relative’s flat and don’t know what to do with certain items. Today, a lady whose mother is due to move into a nursing home contacted me to see if I was interested in her collections of porcelain thimbles and painted spoons. I’ll go and have a look soon.

Do your customers come with a specific request, or do they just wander around and stop when something catches their eye? A bit of both. I don’t always have something in that fits a specific request. In those cases, I take the customer’s details and contact them when I’ve found the item in question. I also put advertisements in newspapers to find silverware, antique branded watches and old toys, for example. People who have these items contact me and I go and take a look.

What areas do you travel to?

All over Switzerland. You have to be willing to travel quite far sometimes to find interesting things.

What was the last thing you sold today?

Six old black and white postcards of Swiss cities. A lot of people are curious about the cities they know and enjoy seeing images of them back when everything was different.

You have whole bins full of pin collections! Is there much demand for them?

Yes, definitely. A lot of people, of all ages, collect them. Sometimes children start a pin collection because their father did it before them.

At the market:

Place de la Riponne

Tuesdays and Fridays, 7 am to 5 pm

Ahmed Wahba, in front of the stand he has run at La Riponne for 11 years.

“SEEING AND HEARING OUR BIRDS IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL”

Joao Ivo Fernandes Pereira is in charge of the aviaries in Parc Mon-Repos. Read on for a guided tour…

Interview by Erik Freudenreich

Parc Mon-Repos has several attractions that are well worth a visit. In the northern part of the park, the Belvedere Tower looks like something out of a fairy tale. Going down into the park, after passing the imposing building of the Supreme Court, you come across a mansion dating from the mid-18th century, which was the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee from 1922 to 1968. A few steps away are the estate’s former stables, in front of which there is a small pond and two aviaries housing a variety of birds. Joao Ivo Fernandes Pereira, 41, reveals what goes on behind the scenes of this facility, which attracts many visitors, young and old alike.

Tell me about your aviaries and their residents.

Joao Ivo Fernandes Pereira: We are a bit like a retirement home for birds. Most of them were rescued by the Vaud canton’s Society for the Protection of Animals (SPA). We have about twenty different species, totalling approximately 290 birds. There are also a few Swiss chickens, taken in through a partnership with the ProSpecieRara association, which works to protect indigenous animals and plants. The different species get on well – for example we have an Amazon parrot that spends all its time with a budgerigar.

How did you come to look after these birds at Parc Mon-Repos?

I joined the Lausanne city parks and estates department in 2007. I work in a team that takes care of several parks, including Mon-Repos. I applied for the position when my predecessor, who I replaced, retired. It was a logical decision since I already had a good deal of the required knowledge and, above all, a strong attachment to these animals. It’s a real pleasure to work in this role, which I have been doing part-time since February 2022.

What is your favourite part of the job?

The contact with the animals, being able to get close to them and play with them. You get attached very quickly. Some come and sit on my shoulder, while others love to fly by and grab the peanuts I hold up as a treat.

What does a typical workday look like for you?

I start at around 7am, when I check to make sure there weren’t any problems overnight. Then I clean the aviaries, feed the birds and give them a little loving care, such as filing the beaks and claws of the older birds. I finish around 11 o’clock, when I join my colleagues for the rest of my workday.

What do your birds eat?

We make sure that they have a varied diet, including vegetables (carrots, cabbage, etc.), seeds, and some fruit. Some of their food comes from our own vegetable garden. Their favourite foods are grapes, melons and watermelons, which go very quickly! However, we’re careful not to give them too much sweet fruit, as they are less active than in the wild.

What can you tell me about maintaining the aviaries?

The aviaries were completely refurbished in 2018. The heated interior has been enlarged, although our exotic birds still like to go outside even in winter. We also regularly make changes to the space by adding ladders, ropes or branches.

Do you have any anecdotes to share?

There is a lady who comes quite often with her mobile phone and a toothbrush to play music and brush the beak of one of our cockatoos. He seems to like it, as he comes and clings to the mesh as soon as she arrives. There are people who come here a lot – I think seeing and hearing our birds is good for the soul. We also have a mascot, an African grey parrot, who attracts a lot of attention because of his behaviour: he often talks and whistles, and clings to the mesh to ask for treats, even though he’s not allowed any. The visitors have nicknamed him Cacahuète (French for “Peanut” – Ed.), but his real name is Tico!

LAUSANNE – A HOME FROM HOME

The celebrities passing through in recent months have felt quite at home in Vaud’s capital.

PETER DOHERTY

The English singer, in socks, on the turntables at a private after-party in Lausanne?

The unusual scene took place on Sunday 11 December at the Café des Artisans, on Rue Centrale. “For years, I’d dreamed of introducing him to our restaurant,” says Amaya Rodriguez, who runs the business with her brother Ignacio Rodriguez.

An early fan, Lausanne native Amaya first met the Libertines and Babyshambles frontman and former partner of Amy Winehouse and Kate Moss 16 years ago thanks to the original gifts she regularly threw to him on stage. Since then, she’s seen him frequently. “Peter is a really cool person, very sensitive and approachable.”

When he was due to perform on 11 December at the Octogone in Pully, just a few minutes away from Lausanne, Amaya wrote to his management to invite him to the Café des Artisans. But the musician’s busy schedule appeared to make the dream impossible. “Before the concert, I bumped into him and his dog Zeus outside the Octogone. He invited me to walk with them and I took the opportunity to ask him directly.” Success! At 11.30pm, the tour bus dropped off Doherty, his wife Katia de Vidas, the musician Frédéric Lo and Amaya at the restaurant, where Ignacio was waiting for them with a few employees and friends. “Peter immediately felt at ease, slipped off his shoes and asked us lots of questions about ourselves and our families.”

While his pregnant wife enjoyed a homemade iced tea, Doherty drank gin and tonic and had fun putting on records and singing with Ignacio. “Peter said he had such a great time that he’d like to come back and give an acoustic concert at the restaurant,” says Amaya, who has since stayed in contact with the team.

Peter Doherty (left) at the Café des Artisans, with owners Ignacio and Amaya Rodriguez.

JEREMY IRONS WE’RE GOING TO MAKE WAVES

The British actor, as guest of honour at the Rencontres 7 e Art Lausanne in March, who travelled to Switzerland with his wife, seems to have appreciated the peace and quiet of Vaud’s capital, removed from the excitement of the film festival: “What a wonderful concept Switzerland is, where tranquillity is always such a strong force…,” he told 24 Heures, looking out over Lake Geneva from the terrace of the Beau-Rivage Palace where he was staying. The sixth edition of Rencontres, created by Vincent Perez, was once again full of prestigious guests, who took the opportunity to explore the city between screenings. These included director Cédric Klapisch, visiting the Platform 10 museum centre, and Sabine Azéma, visiting the Olympic Museum. The actresses Léa Seydoux and Maud Wyler took a stroll in the old town.

Inspired by the process of photosynthesis, the team of chemists led by Prof. Kevin Sivula at EPFL has succeeded in creating an artificial leaf capable of capturing water vapour in the air to make hydrogen fuel. This transparent, porous electrode – powered entirely by solar energy – is simple to manufacture and produce on a large scale. The results of this promising renewable energy research were published in the scientific journal Advanced Materials

The French singer, who came second in The Voice France in 2015 and went on to win the anniversary edition of The Voice All Stars in 2021, performed on 15 December at the Métropole hall in Lausanne – a city she already knew well, as she explained to 20 Minutes: “My dad lives not far from Lausanne. I’m going to take the time to visit him and go for a walk near your lake. I’m even more delighted as this is my favourite season. It’s cold, it’s raining, everyone hates it... but I love it.”

The winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize for Literature and her son, director David Ernaux-Briot, came to introduce their film, The Super 8 Years, to a packed house at the CityClub Pully cinema on 28 March. The first episode of Conversations du CityClub, the podcast hosted by the theatre’s two programmers, Anne Delseth and Julie Henoch, was devoted to this discussion. That same morning, Annie Ernaux met fans at a conference organised at the Maison de l’Écriture in Montricher, hosted by Lausanne filmmaker Lionel Baier.

QUICK-FIRE Q&A

How many roses can you see in the Valley of Youth?

Three thousand five hundred roses of more than 150 varieties, spread over 160 organic beds, can be enjoyed from the end of May until the first frosts, although mid-June is the best time to admire them. They include the unmissable Lausanne specialities Expo 64, Bicolette and Rouge de Plaisir. And you can also see two other favourites of Thierry Porchet, rose garden manager with the parks and estates department: “Nostalgie and Jubilé Papa Meilland roses, from May to October, for their fragrance and colour.”

ANNE SILA

ANNIE ERNAUX

FESTIVITIES ABOUND IN LAUSANNE

This year, Lausanne is commemorating the 300th anniversary of the death of Major Davel, who was beheaded after attempting to claim the canton of Vaud’s independence from Bernese rule. 2023 is also an important milestone for many institutions. In January, the Prix de Lausanne marked half a century of excellence in dance. For its 30th anniversary, the Olympic Museum is holding a big day of festivities open to all on 24 June. With free admission, the event will be packed with sports and musical activities, an escape room and other games. In the evening, a giant dance competition will let people show off their skill with choreographies by artists from the past three decades. “Since it opened, the Olympic Museum has welcomed about 6 million visitors. More than 50% of them came from Switzerland. Its local involvement shows why the museum has always been very much a part of its community and popular with the regional population and beyond,” says Aline Méan, the museum’s promotion manager.

In 30 years, the Olympic Museum, which boasts the most complete collection of Olympic objects and stories in the world, has not aged a bit. It has even become younger. “In addition to creating children’s workshops and special family tours, the museum is developing a game in which the visitor is the hero.”

ANNIVERSARIES TO CELEBRATE IN 2023:

The Lausanne Marathon will hold its 30th race on 29 October and the Olympic Museum is dedicating an exhibition to it until 12 November. Starting out in 1993 with 700 runners, the event welcomed over 9,100 marathoners in 2022.

Also launched in 1993, the Musée romain de Lausanne-Vidy is hosting a new exhibition, “Retour vers le futur antérieur” (Back to the future anterior), until the end of September. It imagines what archaeologists in 4023 will understand about our era.

For its 150th anniversary, the Compagnie Générale de Navigation (CGN) is releasing an album of 12 songs, performed by artists such as Marc Aymon, Jérémie Kisling and Aliose, all in honour of Lake Geneva. Two 700-seat hybrid boats were planned to launch operations this year, but the occasion has been postponed until 2024. These vessels will expand the fleet, that includes five Belle Époque boats and two boats dating from 1907 and 1908, which have been equipped with an electric motor.

The Olympic Museum celebrates its anniversary with the public.

HONOURED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES

The only Swiss city to feature in the 2023 list of 52 must-see destinations published by the US newspaper, Lausanne was listed due to its “sublime Lake Geneva location and dramatic mountain views” and the fact that it has been “adding architectural and artistic beauty to its repertoire” with the recent Platform 10 museum hub. And there’s a special mention for the new centre housing Photo Élysée and the Cantonal Museum of Design and Contemporary Applied Arts (mudac): “a bold new building that resembles an artfully cracked block of white stone.”

SPOTLIGHT ON THE GRAND-PONT

Thirty-three 4.5m-high double-column lampposts have adorned the Grand-Pont since its reopening in December 2022, following 46 weeks of remedial work. The new cast iron lampposts, which are both modern and in keeping with the bridge, first constructed in 1844, are the work of Parisian designer Marc Aurel and were produced in the canton of Bern. Not only are they elegant, but they also have a strong environmental ambition, as they consume just over a quarter of the energy of their predecessors and their variable intensity means they can be dimmed at night.

ELEVEN DAYS OF LAUGHTER IN BEAULIEU

The largest theatre in Switzerland is hosting the largest French-speaking comedy festival: for two years the Montreux Comedy Festival is coming to Lausanne’s Théâtre de Beaulieu while renovation work is carried out on the 2m2c Montreux Music & Convention Centre. Big names in comedy, rising stars and up-and-coming talents will take to the stage from 8 to 18 November 2023 as part of the 34th edition. Last year, the event drew a record 20,800 spectators. Tickets are now on sale. The programme will be unveiled in September.

montreuxcomedy.com

LAUSANNE EXPRESS

Claudio Cortese, current Director of Artistic Production at the Opéra de Strasbourg, has been appointed Director of the Opéra de Lausanne. He will succeed Eric Vigié on 1 July 2024.

This year’s Swiss Grand Prix of Design, awarded by the Federal Office of Culture, went to Lausanne residents Chantal Prod’Hom, art historian and former director of mudac, and illustrator Étienne Delessert.

Organised every five years, in summer 2024 the Lausanne Jardins exhibition will be held by the lake for the first time. Based around the theme of “Between the Water and Us”, the ephemeral gardens of this seventh edition will invite us to rethink our relationship with water.

The Lausanne residents Stéphanie Chuat and Véronique Reymond, best known for their film Petite Sœur, directed four of the seven episodes of the Netflix series Transatlantic , released on the platform in April.

The Repair Cafés, launched 10 years ago in Frenchspeaking Switzerland by the Fédération Romande des Consommateurs (FRC), are continuing to be a success. During these workshops promoting the circular economy, volunteers help owners of faulty objects to repair them free of charge. The initiative has expanded even further in Lausanne this year, since the FRC has teamed up with the city’s libraries to organise events.

Director Antonin Niclass, who won a Bafta in London last year, is back in the Vaud capital, where the animated film industry is thriving.

Interview by Laurent Grabet

At just 30 years old, Antonin Niclass won the Bafta for Best British Short Animation in 2022. He received this award – the highest British distinction in film and television – for his graduation film Do Not Feed the Pigeons. Since then, the prodigy has continued to make his way with great efficiency, sometimes even from his bathroom in Lausanne! Read our interview below.

How did your passion for animated films come about?

Antonin Niclass: My dad is a set designer and I get my curiosity about other people from my mother, a former radio host. I found their passion for their professions inspiring. As a child, I was given a three-pixel camera that Steven Spielberg had

IS A GREAT SOURCE OF INSPIRATION”

invented for Lego. It came with a little movie set. That’s how I discovered animation. At the age of 10, I was already making films about food that cooked itself (laughs). Then, for my graduation project at secondary school, Gymnase du Bugnon, I did a short film. The expert that helped me was director Pierre-Yves Borgeaud from Lausanne. I loved filming what was happening around me. I also made a kind of documentary about our graduation trip to India.

Why did you move to Belgium and then to England to study filmmaking?

I couldn’t find anything that suited me in Switzerland at the time, even though the Lausanne University of Art and Design (ECAL) was already offering cinema courses. I also wanted to follow my own path, out of my parents’ shadow (laughs). I spent seven years in Belgium where I studied at the Institute of Broadcasting Arts (IAD) in Louvain-la-Neuve.

At the same time, I was making video clips for Tataki, a programme on RTS. It was an excellent way to learn and get experience. Then I went on to study for two years at the National Film and Television School in London, one of the very few places in Europe that teaches stop-motion animation. This technique consists of creating a film with photos of physical objects or characters photographed at at least 12 frames per second. I particularly like it because it requires creativity but also an artisanal, hands-on touch. One of the places I do it is in my bathroom, where I’ve set up a little studio.

Has winning a Bafta boosted your career?

It’s given me confidence in my ability to tell the stories I want to tell, and I’ve received a lot of media coverage as a result of the award. This meant that our film Do Not Feed the Pigeons was able to tour some 60 festivals. It even ended up being bought by The New Yorker.

“LAUSANNE

Sadly, it didn’t lead to any commissions for other films. At the moment I’m working on an animated short. It will be about my grandmother’s vision of the world, through the prism of the sometimes funny, sometimes distressing news that the press feeds us.

It would seem Lausanne is becoming a great city for animation...

I came back to live here in January 2022 and was surprised to discover that

a small animation scene was flourishing. I work for Hélium Films, a production company based in the Montelly district, where I work alongside cofounder Claude Barras, whose film My Life as a Courgette was a huge international box office hit in 2015, and Elie Chapuis, who has collaborated with Wes Anderson.

What’s your relationship with Lausanne like?

I like the quality of life here and the city is very dynamic,

ANTONIN’S TOP SPOTS

CINÉMA CITYCLUB PULLY

Avenue de Lavaux 36, Pully cityclubpully.ch

CINEMA

RESTAURANT

DAISUKI

Avenue de France 38, Lausanne @daisuki_goodfood

DELI SOCIAL

Place du Tunnel 11, Lausanne deli.social

RESTAURANT

LE BUREAU CULTUREL VAUD

Place de la Riponne 10, Lausanne lebureauculturel.ch

especially culturally. For example, there’s the Lausanne Underground Film and Music Festival (LUFF), the BDFIL comic book festival, the Festival de la Cité, and the Festival Cinéma Jeune Public, where I did some stop-motion demos for schoolchildren. Lausanne is also a great source of inspiration. I love to wander around and catch bits of people’s conversations (sometimes trivial, sometimes not) on the metro, at the market or by the lake.

CULTURE

“Just like the Bellevaux cinema, it offers a varied programme, so you can discover some really great films. A lot of premieres are held there. It’s somewhere I go quite often – it’s just a 10-minute bus ride from my flat in the Sous-Gare district!”

“I love this Japanese and Korean restaurant! The owner is very nice and the food is so good that I take all my friends who come to visit there. It’s a cosy neighbourhood restaurant with a soul.”

“The British couple who run this place are constantly on the lookout for new culinary delights and rework their menu every week. You can get luxury sandwiches for 5 to 10 francs. There’s always something new and the setting is simple yet surprising.”

“This is a great place for artists of all kinds to meet and create. It offers cheap access to useful tools, and it holds introductory courses on a regular basis. For example, I attended one given by photographer Mehdi Benkler, who has photographed many of the stars at the Montreux Jazz Festival.”

YOUR LOCAL GUIDE TO LAUSANNE

Keen to live like a local and get to know their favourite spots? Then you need the Lausanners – visit thelausanner.ch for the inside scoop.

The locals that make up the Lausanners community come from all sorts of different backgrounds. Throughout the year, they share their top tips to help you enjoy city life to the full. In this issue, we meet up with Alix Besson, an entrepreneur in digital marketing and photography, and Ratana Un Navitel, a legal expert and mother.

Interviews by Nathalie Boissart

Why did you join the Lausanners?

I wanted to be able to share these wonderful fleeting moments of poetry in Lausanne with as many people as possible, especially those related to nature, as this is something that’s particularly special to me.

Where do you buy your flowers?

On market days, I really like the stall run by Pierre and Chantal Visinand, located on Rue de la Madeleine. They have really beautiful bouquets and the prices are affordable. The botanical shop Flora also has a lot of beautiful arrangements. Another place I often go to is the seed library in Montriond Library, where you can take or swap seeds for free and then plant them at home. It’s the best way to help promote local biodiversity.

As a photographer, where in the city do you recommend people should go to take the best photos?

If I had to choose just one place, I’d say Parc Hermitage. I really love it as a setting, especially with its flowers and the view over the Cathedral, lake and mountains.

As well as photography, what else do you like to do in your free time?

Alix, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m originally from the French town of Grasse, the perfume capital of the world. I grew up next to a field of cabbage roses, which probably explains my passion for flowers. I’ve been living in Switzerland for 10 years. I first worked in marketing for the watchmaking sector in Geneva and then, three years ago, I moved to Lausanne, where I am now an entrepreneur in digital marketing and photography.

What do you love most about Lausanne?

I love the slow pace of life, the intimate setting, the nature that’s all around, and the views that are like nowhere else. I also really enjoy seeing the cherry trees, magnolias, rhododendrons and wisteria come into bloom. This wonderful act of nature only happens for a short period in the year: every day counts!

I do pottery at the ceramic studio Atelier Céramique de la Harpe. I’m also passionate about botany and creating herbariums with dried flowers from Lausanne, and I make my own soap. Also, it’s not a hobby, but I love chocolate! I recommend the ‘Marta’ hot chocolate at Le Barbare café, and the slabs of chocolate at Blondel.

Fleurs Visinand

At the market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, Rue de la Madeleine, Lausanne

Boutique Flora

Av. des Alpes 10, Lausanne

Grainothèque Montriond Library, Av. de la Harpe 2, Lausanne

Atelier Céramique de la Harpe

Av. de la Harpe 15, Lausanne

Le Barbare Escaliers du Marché 27, Lausanne

Blondel Rue de Bourg 5, Lausanne

ALIX: FLOWER POWER

RATANA, ONE CHIC MAMA

western entrance to the park - Ed.), Parc Mon-Repos with its exotic birds, Parc Valency... I could go on! We also like walking around Sauvabelin lake and saying hello to the little rabbits in the animal park. In the summer, we enjoy swimming in the outdoor pool at Bellerive-Plage, or we go to Vidy beach for barbecues and canoeing or paddleboarding.

As someone who enjoys shopping, what are your favourite spots?

It’s true, I love clothes, jewellery, stationery and interior décor. I highly recommend KéTaLa, which sells jewellery, leather goods and decorative homeware. I always find some great things in there. I love second-hand shops too, like Ateapic. I’m also a big fan of pop-up stores that are there one minute then gone the next.

Ratana, can you tell us about yourself?

I was born in Fribourg after my parents fled the Cambodian genocide. I did all my schooling in Fribourg, then moved to Lausanne after meeting my true love there. I’m married with two children, and my life is very, very busy. Outside my jobs as an environmental lawyer and a mother, I spend my time exploring and finding good deals that I share on my blog and social media under the pseudonym “The Madame Wife”.

What do you like most about Lausanne that you’ve never found elsewhere?

It’s a city where there’s always something to do, whatever you’re interested in. For someone like me who’s constantly on the go, it’s heaven on Earth. It’s a very dynamic place and there’s a sort of electric energy in the air that I can’t really explain: it’s hard to be bored here. And I couldn’t live without the lake.

What activities do you recommend for people with children?

Go to a park, no matter what time of year it is. Our favourites are Parc Milan, “Frog Park” (the nickname given to Promenade DerrièreBourg because of the frog-shaped fountain, designed by Ignazio Bettua, which sits at the

What are your favourite restaurants for a meal out with the family?

The Lacustre for its pizzas, its chilled atmosphere, the stunning view over the lake and the ferry terminal, the table football and the pinball machine. We also love the burgers at The Green Van Company. The Italian restaurant Luigia is also a favourite: the waiters are really good with children, and it even has a small cinema to keep them occupied. For couples and friends, I recommend the restaurant Maison 66 for its gourmet food, including some of the chefʼs Ukrainian specialities.

KéTaLa Av. de Béthusy 4, Lausanne

Ateapic Rue des Terreaux 12 and Rue des Côtesde-Montbenon 14, Lausanne

The Lacustre Quai Jean-Pascal Delamuraz 1, Lausanne

The Green Van Company Rue du Port-Franc 8, Lausanne

Luigia Rue Saint-Pierre 3, Lausanne

Maison 66 Rue de Genève 66, Lausanne

“I developed through my mistakes”

Starting from nothing in Lausanne, Sébastian Strappazzon has made a name for himself in fashion through streetwear. At 43, the recognition he has gained with the Avnier brand, alongside Orelsan, is international.

Interview by Alexandre Lanz

In high demand for collaborations, Sébastian Strappazzon now heads a cutting-edge stylistic empire. The Avnier brand – which he co-founded with French rapper Orelsan –has earned an international following and last year he designed a highly successful clothing collection for Migros Vaud. But nothing marked out this former plasterer for such an adventure. We meet a man who taught himself everything through sheer force of will...

How was the Avnier brand born?

Sébastian Strappazzon: Orelsan and I have become very good friends since we met in 2009. When I invited him to do a collaboration, Orelsan x Alias One, with my first brand, he replied: “No, let’s make a brand together, it’ll be more fun.”

In 2014, Avnier was born. Avnier is a contraction of “avant-dernier ” (penultimate). We thought it was funny to have such an unflattering label! We entrusted our logo design to the Lausanne graphic designer Philippe Cuendet, who now works for Nike’s Jordan line in Portland, Oregon (see his interview in Lausanner 06 – ed.). We wanted it to be simple and cerebral, brutal and timeless. This is the logo that people know today. For two years, we’ve been working on positioning ourselves as an equipment supplier to the audiovisual industry, a world we’re fully immersed in. To research design considerations, we’ve asked technicians and artists like Quentin Dupieux (Mr Oizo – ed.) what their needs are on set. The first products will be released at the end of 2023. Our idea is to be the Patagonia of audiovisual.

How did you meet Orelsan?

One day, a friend played me one of his songs on the internet. It was totally unlike anything else. I immediately wanted to see him wear my t-shirts. After a few attempts to make contact, someone close to him sent him some of my pieces. A week later, the record company called me to say: “Watch Canal+ tonight – there’ll be a little surprise for you.” It was Orelsan wearing an Alias One t-shirt on the set of Le Grand Journal. I had goosebumps. After a promo day in Lausanne, his producer Ablaye then invited me to join the team at the hotel. They were all wearing Alias One! Orel and I immediately got each other. We saw each other whenever he came to Switzerland.

Von Dutch, Saint James, Solomon and so many others: Avnier has made collaborations its speciality. Orel’s reputation makes collaborations easy. We receive a lot of proposals from brands. I always want to do things differently to other people. Over 10 years ago, when everyone was wearing Nike, I wore Salomon. Today, Salomon is one of the most hyped brands. This collaboration has opened doors for us internationally. →

“Avnier is a contraction of ʻavant-dernierʼ (penultimate).

We thought it was funny to have such an unflattering label!”

How important has Lausanne been in your career?

Lausanne is the starting point. A lot of very talented people have inspired me in this city, such as Philippe Cuendet, who I admire, Basile Amacher, the owner of the 242 store, which specialises in skates, and the tattoo artist Maxime Plescia-Büchi, founder of the Sang Bleu tattoo studios and the magazine of the same name, who collaborates with brands like Hublot. They’re driving forces for me. And in Lausanne, everything is close at hand, which makes a story like mine possible.

Do you consider yourself an autodidact?

I’ve been making things since I was a kid. When I wanted to create t-shirts, I didn’t know how to go about it, so I asked people for help so I could learn. I was given guidance, often down the wrong track. I’ve learned the hard way. When I released my first real t-shirt, I felt so proud at having mastered a product from A to Z.

It all began with the discovery of BMX…

Yes. In the Italian neighbourhood where I grew up in Delémont, I was the little blond kid. I wasn’t respected. Without any concept of charisma, I could see that some of the other kids had something I didn’t. I dreamed of becoming a stuntman. One day, I discovered a BMX in the cellar of the lady who looked after me. I got people to notice me by doing skids and I had this thirst for life. When I was 10, we moved to Lausanne, to 25 Avenue de Beaulieu. The BMX didn’t come with me... Again, I was the little blond kid, surrounded by charismatic break dancers or football players.

“We receive a lot of proposals from brands. I always want to do things differently to other people.”

French rapper Orelsan (left) and Sébastian Strappazzon founded their brand almost 10 years ago.

Where has your quest for recognition led you?

When we moved to Morges three years later, I got back into BMX by joining the BMX Club in Échichens, where I had to register to buy the BMX my mother had spotted. I hadn’t yet learned to assert myself, but I felt the passion rising in me. I trained every day to become the club’s number one as well as Switzerland’s number two. From then on, everyone respected me... Thanks to BMX, I moved to New York at 17, which helped shape me as a person.

Do you still feel that passion today?

Compliments tend to put me to sleep. But when people express doubts about what I’m doing, something begins to boil up inside me to prove that I’m right. I never did anything because it was fashionable – I wasn’t trying to be cool. When I listened to rap at 15, it’s because everyone was listening to rock.

As a teenager, what did you want to become?

I never studied design, but at 16, I was constantly drawing t-shirts and flyers for friends who were organising parties. I wanted to become a graphic designer, so my career advisor steered me towards an apprenticeship as a plasterer and painter. What a joke! All my meagre apprentice salary went into making screen-printed t-shirts. T-shirts are the cheapest items to produce.

How was your Alias One brand born in 1999?

It was born after a lot of toing and froing with my screen-printer in Morges! I had to learn what scanning and vectorising meant to create a printable file. Then, the manager of the Kings boutique, a hip-hop store in Lausanne, offered to sell my t-shirts. I made about 20 of them for 200 francs, which he bought from me for 400 francs. That was when it all clicked into place. I started to pass guys I didn’t know in the street who were wearing my designs.

BRIEF BIO

1980

Born in Jura

1990

Moved to Lausanne

1993

Moved to Morges, about 10 minutes by train from Lausanne

1994

Joined the BMX Club in Échichens

1996

Started an apprenticeship as a plasterer and painter in Lausanne

1999

Founded his first brand, Alias One

2009

Met Orelsan

2014

Founded the Avnier brand

2022

Migros Vaud x Strappazzon collaboration

What was the next step?

When I was 21, I went to see an acquaintance, who was rumoured to be a billionaire. In reality, he had 6,000 francs to his name. He invested it in Alias One on the condition of being a 50% partner. We complemented each other really well: I was the creative while he looked after the books.

How did you magnify your brand awareness?

I began “seeding”, which means having strategic people wear your clothes. Today we would call them influencers. Yves Enderli, the creator of the Lausanne brand All Access, gave my sweaters to Shurik’n from the Marseille group IAM, one of the biggest stars at the time! I started to dress people outside Lausanne, including Ekoué from hip-hop group La Rumeur and Casey, one of the leading artists in French rap. When they came to Lausanne, French rappers would drop into our studio on Chemin de Boston. That’s where I designed and stored my clothes. We also made mix-tapes there. →

Then you discovered the world of art. What I discovered was a more peaceful world, one that was less hostile than rap. I felt the desire to steer my brand in that direction and we collaborated with Thomas Koenig, Louisa Gagliardi and Maxime PlesciaBüchi. Alias One began its transformation towards a “love on your street” philosophy, but I lost all my customers in the process. We had to start from scratch in our own shop, Délicieux, which was located on the Escalier du Grand-Pont from 2004 to 2014.

What lessons have you learned from your journey? Today, I can talk about my successes, but actually I developed through my mistakes. Bad investments, miscalculations, the flatterers who cheat you – all of that shapes you! ■

HIS TOP SPOTS

SHOP

242 Avenue de Beaulieu 15, Lausanne 242shop.ch

MEMORIES STORE

Rue de Genève 21, Lausanne memoriestore.ch

“I really like this shop. Its founder Basile Amacher is a childhood friend from Morges. He was one of the first to sell my Alias One brand.”

SHOP

MAURO TRAITEUR

Rue de l’Ancienne-Douane 4, Lausanne mauro-traiteur.ch

“This is next-generation streetwear. They’ve just moved from La Riponne to Le Flon. They have drive and I think it’s important to talk about it.”

“I don’t go to bars much, but I always drop in at Italian deli Mauro. They’ve got a great selection to choose from and, most importantly, it’s good!”

The Avnier brand is also positioning itself as an equipment supplier for audiovisual professionals.

“Playing a game means being totally in the here and now, leaving behind hopes and expectations to grasp reality, keeping us alert and sharpening our sense of creation and group fun.” Philosopher Alexandre Jollien, author of the bestseller In Praise of Weakness, also likes to praise the power and beauty of play. Given its topography and the diversity of its neighbourhoods and population, Lausanne, his adopted city, has no shortage of excellent excuses or places to have fun with friends, family or alone. This piece takes a look at some of them.

LAUSANNE, A CITY OF FUN

The people of Lausanne like to have fun, and they certainly don’t miss out: all over the city, playgrounds, escape rooms and leisure rooms offer the young and old multiple opportunities to play and laugh.

Lausanne has all sorts of games, for people of all ages. It even has its own festival, “Lausanne Joue”, which will take place for the eighth time in February 2024 at the Montbenon Casino.

From escape rooms to speciality shops, role-playing games and clubs offering introductions to a range of activities, not forgetting the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) centre where video games are designed, games are brought to life, reinvented and transformed. It certainly is a city of fun. And it’s no coincidence that

it’s the only Swiss city to have a competitive laser tag team (two even!), or that it’s home to the headquarters of the International Chess Federation. Nor is it simply chance that for more than ten years, it’s been labelled by UNICEF a “childfriendly city”, with no fewer than a hundred playgrounds – and more under development.

Piece by Laurent Grabet

Illustrations: Aurélien Barrelet

Lausanne, a pioneer of escape games in French-speaking

Switzerland

In 2015, The Door, five minutes from the Cathedral, was the first escape room in French-speaking Switzerland. In life-size sets, designed and built by a film expert, you can pit your wits against three tricky scenarios. One of them, called 300 m under Lake Geneva, invites you to “reveal the lake’s best kept secret”! In this fictional scenario, participants find themselves trapped in a shipwrecked submarine that has been stranded at the bottom of the lake since a major scientific mission carried out in 1864.

At Evade Game on Rue de Genève, you can combine escape games, scavenger hunts and augmented reality in exciting adventures that can be enjoyed either indoors or outdoors. Evade Game also offers remote escape games, to be played via video conference.

Near Lausanne, in Renens, fans of this type of immersive game will find the largest centre in French-speaking Switzerland: Try to Escape. Here, they can put their ingenuity to the test and try to escape – in 60 minutes or less – from one of the nine exclusive rooms, to be booked in groups. Thirteen scenarios are available, four of which have been designed for children. All of them are heavily inspired by the worlds of thriller, fantasy, horror, disaster or adventure films.

Escape room 5 minutes from the Cathedral: thedoorgame.com

Escape game with augmented reality, on Rue de Genève: evadegame.com

The largest immersion game centre in French-speaking Switzerland, in Renens: trytoescape.ch

Surprising shops

Where can you buy quality, original toys in Lausanne?

La Marelle claims to be “the land where all toys are wonderful” and, as soon as you enter, you’ll understand why! Since 1984, the owner has been offering a fine selection of quality, often wooden, timeless toys.

On Rue du Midi, Au Paradis du Jeu is a real haven for board and card games. The shop has more than 2,000 items and holds free games nights on Fridays.

Another must-see is the Franz Carl Weber shop in La Palud, where you can find a vast selection of board games, building games, puzzles and soft toys. Children also love this shop for its large “caterpillar” slide linking the second floor to the first.

Since 1985, Jouets Davidson has been selling games and toys for all ages, as is immediately apparent from the beautiful window display, which is arranged on two levels so that it can also be admired by little ones. Upon opening the door, visitors are always surprised by the vast range of products spread over three abundantly supplied floors, earning the shop the nickname “Aladdin’s cave”.

Another noteworthy location is Vivishop, at the foot of the Cathedral, which has been the go-to place for original and

educational toys for children aged 6 months to 10 years for over half a century.

Board games, card games and role-playing games also take pride of place at Mighty Games. Since 1999, La Guilde has specialised in miniature wargames and the card game “Magic: The Gathering”.

Original, timeless wooden toys, a few minutes from Lausanne Cathedral: marelle-lausanne.ch

More than 2,000 board games and accessories on Rue du Midi and free game nights, across from the train station: auparadisdujeu.ch

486 square metres of games, toys, puzzles and plush toys on Place de la Palud: fcw.ch

Vast array of games and toys for all ages, spanning three storeys in the city centre: jouetsdavidson.ch

Original, educational toys for children age 6 months to 10 years, near the Cathedral: vivishop.ch

Specialist in board games, roleplaying games and Warhammer, on Rue de Bourg: mightygames.ch

Store specialised in miniature wargames and the card game

“Magic: The Gathering”, on Avenue César-Roux: la-guilde.ch

Georges Bertola, a former high-level Swiss chess player, continues to spread the good word of the “king of games” from Lausanne.

“ Lausanne holds an important place in the chess world”

Is chess a game or is more than that?

Georges Bertola: It’s a discipline that was born in the 6th century in India and which arrived in the West four centuries later. It’s not really a game because luck plays no part in it. It’s not a science either, despite its complexity. It is said to be the “king of games and the game of kings” because it is ultimately about strategy. Today, it’s almost more of a sport. Thanks to developments in computing, you can no longer adjourn a game, so some can last 7 hours!

How did you become a specialist in this field?

A friend introduced me to chess when I was 13. His father, a maths teacher, had set out to make him a good player. It was a revelation. Nowadays, 13 is already too old to hope to become a master. The best players were already playing 8 hours a day in their pre-teen

years! Despite this, in my prime, I reached a good level in Switzerland with 2,200 Elo points (an international rating system for chess players similar to ATP rankings for tennis - Ed). The best players in the world are now at 2,800 points and computers at 150 more.

How did you come to be a chess writer?

In 1972, the World Championship in Iceland saw the American challenger Bobby Fischer face off against the title holder, the Russian Boris Spassky. From this quasi-geopolitical event onwards, the Swiss press was interested in chess. But since there were no journalists who were true experts on the subject, I was called in. At my home in Bussigny, I now have one of the largest libraries on chess, with 15,000 books.

What place does Lausanne have in the chess world?

An important place, because it is the home of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), which will celebrate its centenary in 2024. The Lausanne Young Masters also held six competitions in the early 2000s. Ten of the best players

in the world today took part! In 1998, the Russian Anatoli Karpov became world champion in Lausanne when he beat the Indian Vishi Anand. And in 2020, the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix attracted the world’s best female players to the Vaud capital. Our mayor, Grégoire Junod, also plays chess.

What are the current trends in chess?

The game has gravitated toward Asia. There are excellent players in India, China and even Uzbekistan. Sadly, another trend is cheating, which has become much more commonplace with the use of computers and the help of accomplices. Unfortunately, people nowadays often play online rather than face to face, but this doesn’t make some clubs, such as the one in Échallens, any less dynamic. Also, the level of women’s chess has soared. Judit, the eldest of the Hungarian Polgar sisters, for example, was once in the world top 10. The Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit has increased the game’s popularity, although we are still far from the boom that followed the legendary Fischer-Spassky duel.

GEORGES’S TOP SPOTS

OLYMPIC MUSEUM Quai d’Ouchy 1, Lausanne

“All the great international chess players who come to see me ask to visit it. It’s a must-see. This unexpected popularity shows that chess is seen by many as a sport.”

LA CROIX D’OUCHY Avenue d’Ouchy 43, Lausanne

“I like the brasserie atmosphere and the food at this great Lausanne restaurant. It’s ideally located between the city centre and the lake.”

LE STADE DE LA PONTAISE Route des Plaines-duLoup 7, Lausanne

“The Athletissima meet remains a key event. Its founder, Jacky Delapierre, has an incredible network, to which he gave me access for chess events. The chess world in French-speaking Switzerland sorely lacks an equivalent figure.”

In someone else’s shoes

This type of game, which involves taking on the role of a real or imaginary character in a fictional environment, has been promoted since 1997 by Space Fridge. Several times a month, this association offers afternoon or evening events dedicated to a specific game.

“At EPFL, for the past ten years, JDR Poly has also been hosting regular introductory evenings, which are very popular and open to all,” says Yannick Schaufelberger, who’s on the committee of the student association. Their other main events are the “role-playing weekends”, where participants can meet for four days to play board, card and role-playing games. Another annual highlight for enthusiasts or the simply curious is the Orc’idée convention. Held at EPFL, this two-day

event offers full immersion in role-playing games. Murder Mystery evenings are a similar game genre that also offer an immersive experience. Organised in restaurants, hotels, castles or even on board a CGN boat or a belle époque carriage of the Montreux-Oberland-Bernois (MOB) train, these dinner events invite guests to investigate a murder during a plot acted out by performers who mingle with the participants. Dedicated to the promotion of Japanese culture, the Japan Impact Convention, held every February at EPFL, brings together fans of cosplay (in which participants interact with one another while dressed as a fictional character) and video games.

Due to the renovation of the 2m2c Montreux Music &

Convention Centre, which has been hosting it since 2013, Polymanga will return next year to Lausanne, where it was born in 2005. The event dedicated to video games, pop culture and manga will be held at the Palais de Beaulieu from 29 March to 1 April 2024.

Club offering afternoon and evening role-playing events on Rue de la Borde: kgibi.net

Club offering introductions to role-playing games and role-play weekend events at EPFL: jdrpoly.ch

Annual role-playing convention held on the EPFL campus: orcidee.ch

Dinner events with investigation: meurtresetmysteres.com

Annual convention to promote Japanese culture organised at EPFL: japan-impact.ch

Event dedicated to video games, pop culture and mangas: polymanga.com

Two passionate people from Lausanne tell us about the subtleties of the little-known activity of laser tag.

Tiary, 31, is senior physician in gynaecology at the Rennaz hospital. Laura, 27, is an occupational psychologist. Under their pseudonyms “Yugen” and “Loulounette”, this couple play side by side in Jedi Helvetia, the first of two official laser tag teams in Lausanne.

How did you get into laser tag?

T.R: I started playing with friends for fun at first, around 2007-2008, then began playing competitively in 2012 when the first centre opened in Lausanne just a stone’s throw from my parents’ house. That’s when I joined the Swiss team. I introduced Laura, who was just a friend at the time, to the sport in 2013 and that brought us closer. In 2014, we started a competitive team.

L.V: Laser tag is extremely addictive. It’s kind of a sport for geeky gamer guys, but really anyone can enjoy it. Playing the game gives you a real rush of adrenaline and dopamine. Plunged into semi-darkness in a maze-like setting with epic action music in your ears, time flies by because it’s so intense! At the end, we come out in high spirits, drenched in sweat, and free of all stress.

The laser tag scene in Lausanne seems particularly dynamic...

T.R: Yes. Both of Switzerland’s competitive teams are from Lausanne! We play in the Eastern league of the French championship, which is the highest level that exists. We train 3 hours a week, and 4 to 6 times a year,

LASER GAME

“At the end, we come out in high spirits, drenched in sweat, and stress-free”

we compete in tournaments against other teams in the league, each time hosted by one of the teams.

L.V: An official match lasts 15 minutes. Each team has five players. The objective is to shoot, or tag, the opposing team as many times as possible within the allotted time. When a player is out, their vest is deactivated for eight seconds, during which time they must leave the area. The game is supervised by referees and there are a few rules to follow, such as no physical contact, for example.

T.R: It’s a game, a sport even, that’s extremely strategic. There are several typical player profiles, such as “snipers” who are static and positioned pretty high up. They have to be very accurate. Then there are “raptors”, the fastest and most offensive players who move around a lot. In between, there are “middles”, who are

mainly focused on strategic positioning and communication. Laura and I are raptors.

What do you enjoy about it?

L.V: It helps you to completely disconnect from the problems of everyday life, there’s a definite release of tension and it’s also physically challenging due to the amount of movement and speed involved.

T.R: You’re immersed in a very intense sport that offers pure action, beyond time and space. We’ve developed a great bond with our teammates and have created some unforgettable memories with them. Our passion also sparks curiosity, which is cool because we’re always looking for new players.

THEIR TOP SPOTS

FLEUR DE JASMIN THAI MASSAGE Rue de Langallerie 1, Lausanne

“After an intense physical effort like a laser tag competition or a long bike ride, we like to relax with a Thai massage.”

RESTAURANT DOKI DOKI Avenue du TribunalFédéral 4, Lausanne

“We regularly eat here; the ramen dishes are delicious!”

CHOCOLATERIE DURIG Avenue d’Ouchy 1, Lausanne

“The chocolates are high quality, organic and fair trade. We love going there to get gifts for friends and family, or ourselves.”

Adrenaline guaranteed! “Adrenaline, stress release, team spirit, thrills: laser tag has it all, and can be played with friends, colleagues or family, with no age limit. It’s addictive!” explains Jean-Pierre Collomb. The manager of Laser Game Evolution, the first laser game in Lausanne, which opened in 2012 in the Sébeillon district, runs three adjacent rooms covering 800 m2. In this dark and confusing environment, participants battle each other with an ultra-precise laser system, without mixing with other groups.

Another original game, this time at LaseRed in Le Flon, allows gamers to face off in an immersive environment where they also have to crack “the secret of the manor”. It’s the first example of this Swissborn concept combining laser tag and an escape room.

Paintball fans will find what they’re looking for at Cobalt Project, in La Croix-sur-Lutry. Inspired by paintball games in staged settings, their unique concept sits at the crossroads of video games, real action

and sport. Play takes place in teams in an ultra-realistic environment across 28,000 m2 of land. The scenarios sharpen players’ tactical skills, team spirit and initiative. It’s no coincidence that there are just as many corporate team-building outings as there are games among friends.

Laser games: lausanne.lasergame-evolution.fr lasered.ch

Paintball: cobaltproject.com

Gaming left, right, and centre

“Lausanne has a very dynamic video game scene!” says Lausanner Nastasia Civitillo, an e-sports psychologist and co-presenter of the Twitch e-sports channel WhispHer. She was a semi-pro gamer for Lausanne Esports, which remains one of Switzerland’s best teams and has won several national titles. “It has a brandnew gaming room on Chemin du Trabandan. The Bellerive Hotel has also recently opened a public gaming room.”

At 42 Lausanne, a free peer-to-peer learning school for developers, there is also an esports organisation. For video game fans in Lausanne, there’s the FestiGames, the first edition of which took place in 2022 at La Tuilière stadium and attracted more than 250 gamers. “And let’s not forget the Game Lab, a study group at the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and EPFL, which takes an academic approach to analysing the gaming industry, which is now worth more than the film industry,” adds Civitillo.

At the EPFL’s Musée Bolo, which is dedicated to the preservation of computer hardware, there is a fine collection of software and consoles. The Vaud capital is also the birthplace of many games, especially at the Team KwaKwa Studio, which produced

Helvetii, a fighting game inspired by Celtic and Gallic legends. Another Lausanne creation, Lausanne 1830, a free online educational game designed by UNIL and EPFL students, allows gamers to immerse themselves in 19th-century Lausanne.

E-sports club based in Lausanne with a gaming room on Chemin du Trabandan: els.team

Gaming room at Hôtel Bellerive, on Avenue de Cour: hotelbellerive.ch

Computer programming school in Renens: 42lausanne.ch

Video game festival held in November at Stade de la Tuilière: festigames.ch

Study group focusing on video games at University of Lausanne and EPFL: wp.unil.ch

Swiss Museum of Computer Science, Digital Culture and Video Games, at EPFL: museebolo.ch

Video game design studio: team-kwakwa.com

VIDEO GAMES

Other opportunities for fun in Lausanne

The Swiss Museum of Games in La Tour-de-Peilz

The Swiss Museum of Games in La Tour-de-Peilz, about twenty minutes from Lausanne, with numerous activities, as well as clubs where people of all ages can learn Mahjong and Go. There is also a free game trail in the castle gardens.

Playgrounds

With around a hundred playgrounds to choose from, here are a few suggestions

1 Vallée de la Jeunesse

2 Place de Milan

3 Vidy

Bowland Bowling, billiards, table football, darts and arcade games

5 Flon

6 Vidy

Aquatic park

Twenty ping-pong tables and inflatable games at the water park in Bellerive

7 Bellerive-Plage

Playing outside

Giant outdoor chess boards, mini golf and pétanque in Ouchy

3 Vidy

8 Ouchy

With its steep hills rising up to 500m over the backdrop of the lake, the Vaud capital can be admired from every angle. We take a walk in search of the most beautiful views over the city and Lake Geneva...

By Trinidad Barleycorn

“In my career as a panoramic photographer, capturing this view of Lausanne has been my greatest experience, my greatest adventure.” French photographer Christian Braut’s passion is evident as he looks back at his 2019 panoramic view of Lausanne, immortalised from the Cathedral belfry, in which the city lays out its beauty in the sun, alongside Lake Geneva and set off by the snow-capped peaks of the Alps. The shot, superimposing hundreds of images to obtain the sharpest and most detailed precision, is also striking for featuring all four seasons. It took two years of work. But when you’re in love, you don’t count the cost: “Lausanne’s colours and lights give it a somewhat magical atmosphere and the lake with these mountains fascinates me. It’s one of my favourite photography spots,” confides the Yvelines-based photographer.

With 500 metres in elevation between its highest and lowest points, the city offers breath-taking views wherever you go. For those seeking to immortalise them, it offers some fantastic and free vantage points – tower, belvedere and esplanade – all along the slope. Our walk explores some of them.

It begins at Lac de Sauvabelin, about 12 minutes by bus (no. 16) from the centre. There, at 700m above sea level, in the heart of the forest, an artificial lake borders the largest playground in Lausanne. The terrace of La Pinte du Lac de Sauvabelin restaurant offers the first opportunity to stop at the water’s edge. We then carry on to the Tour de Sauvabelin 1 , a tower celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

Built entirely from locally felled trees and rising 35m into the sky, it is the highest vantage point in the city. You still have to climb the 151 steps of its double-helix staircase to reach its platform with a 360° viewpoint.

We then take a path leading us to the Signal de Sauvabelin 2 , at 643.8m. We are welcomed by the sunny terrace of the restaurant Le Chalet Suisse. Originally erected as the Swiss pavilion for the 1958 Universal Exhibition in Brussels, it was then moved to the Signal for the National Expo of 1964.

The Signal esplanade offers uninterrupted views of the Cathedral standing out against a blue background. An orientation table names each Alpine summit on the skyline before us. A small chapel plays a big role in local life, as it houses the cannon used each 24 January to fire the shots commemorating the Pays de Vaud’s independence.

A path through the forest leads to the Hermitage Foundation, which will celebrate 40 years of exhibitions next year. To our right lies the tranquil terrace of the foundation’s restaurant, L’esquisse, where you can enjoy a leisurely weekend brunch. Don’t miss a walk through the landscaped gardens around the Hermitage 3 to discover its rare and ancient trees. Its slopes offer breath-taking views. A bench at its centre seems to have been put there for us to lose ourselves in the view, with the lake as our only companion.

There are then two options for reaching La Cité hill, crowned by the Château Saint-Maire 4 , completed in 1430: either by following Route du Signal, Avenue Louis-Vulliemin and Chemin du Petit-Château, or by following the trail through the forest, which is quicker but steeper. Against the side of the castle stands a statue, erected in 1898, of Major Davel, a Vaud hero who tried to liberate the canton from Bern power and paid for it with his life 300 years ago almost to the day. A short flight of steps leads down to an esplanade. The view from there is more urban, marked by the Tour Bel-Air, Switzerland’s first skyscraper, built in 1931. On our left, we see a facade with a stepped gable: “This is the old Academy, built in the last quarter of the 16th century by the Bernese,” explains Valentine Chaudet, an archaeologist and historian of monuments. The institution was founded in 1537 to train pastors in the new Protestant faith.

We stop again in front of the headquarters of the Vaudois Grand Council, which was rebuilt between 2014 and 2016. Its restaurant has been open to the public since February on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday lunchtimes. This is our opportunity to enter the building housing the oldest private civil architectural remains in the city: the Maison Charbon, named after its 13th-century owners. “It was built between 1140 and 1175.

The first window was discovered in 1919, revealing the presence of an old facade in one of the adjoining walls. Major work in 1967-1968 exposed large sections of medieval masonry. But it was only during the most recent work that the old facade was revealed in the monumental entrance to the Parliament building,” Chaudet explains.

On the Cathedral’s esplanade 5 , the view opens up across the roofs of the city centre. To capture the vista immortalised by photographer Christian Braut, you have to climb the 224 steps to the belfry. “I created this image for a friend who lives in Place du Tunnel,” he explains. “As he doesn’t have a view of the lake, he asked me to create one on wallpaper.” This unique work has since been used to cover a 10m wall of his apartment. You can learn about each stage of its development on lausanne.gigapixels.fr.

To reach Place de la Riponne, we take Rue Pierre-Viret, where the Les Jardins pop-up bar draws a crowd on sunny days. “This street was laid out in 1911, at the same time as construction of the Pont Bessières,” says Chaudet. →

This panoramic gigapixel photo by Christian Braut superimposes hundreds of shots taken in the four seasons.

And this gives rise to an unusual feature visible above the Café Le Barbare: “The current facade includes two Gothic bays belonging to an interior wall.”

We then cross the pedestrian centre to reach the Le Flon footbridge 6 . On the left, the view of the Cathedral very clearly reveals the different levels of the city. To the right, the modern Le Flon district is full of restaurants, clubs and terraces.

We reach the Parc de Montbenon 7 . Built as a balcony overlooking Lake Geneva, it is divided into three esplanades. The first two were acquired by the city authorities in the 14th century as a place for celebrations and military exercises. The third serves as the roof for the first public car park in Lausanne, opened in 1961. Very popular during the day and the setting for various festivals, the Parc de Montbenon is also home to the Myō Sushi Bar, rated 15 out of 20 by Gault & Millau, the Cinémathèque Suisse and the Brasserie de Montbenon.

The bridge over the railway line leads to Chemin du Languedoc. It’s a view that gives walkers a sudden sense of being outside the city. Calm reigns supreme on the Languedoc hill 9 , where there are two exceptional spots to admire the landscape: an esplanade adjoining the city’s vineyard and, further down, a small viewing platform in the shade of a 260-year-old lime tree.

We then take Chemin des Croix-Rouges, which appears to plunge into the lake. Two colleges face one another: the Red Cross college, built in 1938, and Belvédère college 8 , which opened in 1956 and was designed by architect Marc Piccard, who was also responsible for the Piscine de Bellerive. It lives up to its name: built to showcase the panorama, its promenade offers students a spectacular view.

We continue our journey to the Parc de Milan, where the Botanical Gardens, at the top of Montriond hill 10 , offer a further opportunity to be astonished. Designed in 1946 by Alphonse Laverrière, to whom we owe the Bel-Air tower in particular, it is home to nearly 4,000 plants, including the largest collection of carnivorous species in Switzerland. We then continue along the Avenue de Cour to the Hôtel Royal Savoy. What better way to end our walk than to recharge our batteries on the panoramic terrace of its SkyLounge restaurant, from which we can once again look out over Lausanne in all its splendour. ■

For more information and interactive map

7 SALLES D’OPÉRATION à la pointe de la technologie

PLUS DE 560 MÉDECINS accrédités indépendants

QUELQUE 600 COLLABORATEURS à votre service

PLUS DE 105’000 PATIENTS

nous font con ance chaque année

LA SOURCE, PARTENAIRE DE VOTRE SANTÉ TOUT AU LONG DE VOTRE VIE.

BARS, CAFES & RESTAURANTS

1 Ajò Café Rue du Simplon 13

1006 Lausanne

2 Brasserie de Montbenon Allée Ernest-Ansermet 3 1003 Lausanne

3 Daisuki Avenue de France 38 1004 Lausanne

4 Deli Social Place du Tunnel 11 1005 Lausanne

5 Doki Doki Avenue du Tribunal-Fédéral 4 1005 Lausanne

6 L’Appart Rue de Bourg 29, 1st floor 1003 Lausanne

7 L’esquisse (Fondation de l’Hermitage) Route du Signal 2 1018 Lausanne

8 La Buvette Vaudoise (Grand Council Restaurant) Rue Cité-Devant 13 1014 Lausanne

9 La Croix d’Ouchy Avenue d’Ouchy 43

1006 Lausanne

10 La Folie Voltaire Mon-Repos park 1005 Lausanne

11 La Jetée de la Compagnie Jetée de la Compagnie 1007 Lausanne

12 La Parada Bar & Cocina Rue du Tunnel 20 1005 Lausanne

13 Le Barbare Escaliers du Marché 27 1003 Lausanne

14 Le Café des Artisans Rue Centrale 16 1003 Lausanne

15 Le Café Perché Promenade du Bois-de-Beaulieu 1018 Lausanne

16 Le Chalet Suisse Route du Signal 40 1018 Lausanne

17 Le Kiosque Saint-François Place Saint-François 13

1003 Lausanne

18 Le Minimum Jetée de la Compagnie

1007 Lausanne

19 Le Monopole Place Chauderon 8

1003 Lausanne

20 Le Montriond Avenue Édouard-Dapples 25

1006 Lausanne

21 Le SkyLounge –Hôtel Royal Savoy Avenue d’Ouchy 40

1006 Lausanne

22 Les Escapades gourmandes (La Rozavère public restaurant) Chemin de Rovéréaz 23

1012 Lausanne

23 Les Jardins Rue Pierre-Viret 6 1003 Lausanne

24 Little Saigon Rue du Bugnon 31 1005 Lausanne

25 Luigia Rue Saint-Pierre 3 1003 Lausanne

26 Maison 66 Rue de Genève 66 1004 Lausanne

27 My Sandwiches Rue Saint-Martin 9 and Rue du Grand-Pont 6 1003 Lausanne

28 Myō Sushi Bar Allée Ernest-Ansermet 1 1003 Lausanne

29 Pinte du lac de Sauvabelin Chemin des Celtes 1 1018 Lausanne

30 The Green Van Company Rue du Port-Franc 8 1003 Lausanne

31 The Lacustre Quai Jean-Pascal Delamuraz 1 1006 Lausanne

BAKERIES,

45 Fleurs Visinand At the market : Rue de la Madeleine 1003 Lausanne

46 Franz Carl Weber Place de la Palud 16-18 1003 Lausanne

47 Grainothèque Montriond Library Avenue de la Harpe 2 1007 Lausanne

48 Güttinger Fleurs Place de la Sallaz 6 1010 Lausanne

49 Jouets Davidson Rue Grand-Saint-Jean 20 1003 Lausanne

50 KéTaLa Avenue de Béthusy 4 1005 Lausanne

51 La Guilde Rue Dr César-Roux 26 1005 Lausanne

52 La Marelle Rue Mercerie 5 1003 Lausanne

53 Marché Paysan Place de la Sallaz 6 1010 Lausanne

54 Memories Store Rue de Genève 21 1003 Lausanne

55 Mighty Games Rue de Bourg 43 1003 Lausanne

56 Vivishop Rue Louis-Curtat 8 1005 Lausanne

MASSAGE

57 Massage Thaï Fleur de Jasmin Rue de Langallerie 1 1003 Lausanne

LEISURE, GAMES, GALLERIES

58 Cobalt Project Route de la Claieaux-Moines 324 1090 Lutry (La Croix)

59 Evade Game Rue de Genève 77B 1004 Lausanne

60 Gaming room Hôtel Bellerive Avenue de Cour 99 1007 Lausanne

61 Lausanne Esports Center Chemin du Trabandan 51 1006 Lausanne

62 La Milanette Place de Milan 1007 Lausanne

66 Édicule de Rumine Avenue du Léman 24 1005 Lausanne

67 The Door Rue Dr César-Roux 28 1005 Lausanne

68 Try to Escape Avenue des Baumettes 15 1020 Renens

69 Édicule du Tunnel Place du Tunnel 24 1005 Lausanne

MUSEUMS, VENUES, PARKS

70 Cinéma CityClub Pully Avenue de Lavaux 36 1009 Pully

71 Cinémathèque suisse Allée Ernest-Ansermet 3 1003 Lausanne

72 Jardin botanique Av. de Cour 14bis 1007 Lausanne

73 Le Musée Olympique Quai d’Ouchy 1 1006 Lausanne

74 Musée Bolo EPFL – INF building, station 14 1015 Lausanne

75 Musée Historique Lausanne Place de la Cathédrale 4 1005 Lausanne

76 Musée romain de Lausanne-Vidy Chemin du Bois-de-Vaux 24 1007 Lausanne

77 Plateforme 10 Place de la Gare 16-17 1003 Lausanne

78 Théâtre de Beaulieu Avenue des Bergières 10 1004 Lausanne

10 1003 Lausanne

42 Azar Concept Store Galerie Saint-François 1003 Lausanne

43 Flora Avenue des Alpes 10 1006 Lausanne

44 Chloé Rose Rue Saint-Laurent 18 1003 Lausanne

63 Laser Game Evolution Rue de Genève 88 1004 Lausanne

64 LaseRed Rue du Flon 12 1003 Lausanne

65 Le kiosque de Vidy (P’tit train) Place Emile-HenriJaques-Dalcroze 1007 Lausanne

UNMISSABLE PLACES

The essentials on www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/highlights

Pop, rock, rap, hip-hop, electro, metal, and more; there’s something for everyone at Docks

more on docks.ch

lausanne live music

DISTRICTS CITÉ/MON-REPOS

It is around the Cité hill, sculpted by the Flon and Louve rivers, that the medieval town grew.

Its cobble-stoned pedestrian streets as well as its monuments bear witness to this. Then, as soon as you cross the Bessières Bridge, the scenery changes completely. The Caroline district possesses a shopping mall, many bars, restaurants and boutiques. A bit further to the east, the Mon-Repos Park offers a green and tranquil haven, interrupted from time to time by the twittering of birds in its aviary.

PLACES YOU MUST VISIT

LAUSANNE CATHEDRAL MUSÉE HISTORIQUE LAUSANNE

The Cathedral, considered one of the most beautiful Gothic buildings in Switzerland, was consecrated in 1275. Don’t miss the rose window, the painted portal, the 13th-century choir stalls, the ancient and modern stained glass windows and the great organs. The bravest will admire the panoramic view from the belfry (entrance fee) after climbing the 224 stairs. Open tours of the Cathedral and free guided tours during the summer.

Within the walls of the Old Bishop’s Palace, this Lausanne historical museum speaks of the town’s rich past and features a famous model that offers an exceptional view of the 17th-century Cité. Temporary exhibitions, inspired by the research conducted on its collections, explore the thousand years of this heritage. A novel approach to the town’s history: smart multimedia!

ESCALIERS DU MARCHÉ

A direct but abrupt route between the Cathedral and the town centre, this wooden stairway first mentioned during the 13th century exists in its present form since the beginning of the 18th century:

MON-REPOS PARK

Open to the public, it’s one of the most popular parks for Lausanne inhabitants of all ages, with its huge lawns, aviaries of exotic birds, playgrounds and ephemeral sculptures.

DISTRICT TOWN CENTRE

This is where the city’s energy is most animated both by day and night.

From ancient buildings to trendy new districts, tread the cobblestones and broad avenues to make the most of shopping amongst major brands and local designers. It’s also the axis of nightlife with concert halls and an opera, plus bars and clubs that will keep you awake until the early hours of the morning.

roofed and winding, with a very steep cobbled street running alongside. An integral part of Lausanne’s popular iconography, it is lined on the west with a picturesque row of boutiques and cafés.

Stroll down its various alleys to catch a glimpse of an orangery as well as a neo-Gothic tower overlooking a cave and a waterfall.

PLACES YOU MUST VISIT

PLACE SAINT-FRANÇOIS & CHURCH

Lausanne’s residents like to meet up in this central square dominated by a mediaeval church that has become a hub for music and dialogue with contemporary art in all its guises. The square welcomes every Wednesday and Saturday morning the famous market stands of Lausanne.

RÔTILLON NEIGHBOURHOOD PLACE DE LA PALUD

In the intertwining lanes of one of Lausanne’s oldest neighbourhoods that was recently renovated, works of art, a Titeuf fresco, small, original shops and bohemian cafés now attract the trendy crowds. One of the trendy new neighbourhoods in Lausanne, the Rôtillon feels like a corner of Italy in the heart of the town.

A polychrome statue, symbolising justice, stands imposingly on the Renaissance fountain in the centre of this pedestrian square, where the Town Hall is also located. Opposite, tourists and children wait, every hour on the hour from 9 am to 7 pm, for the ballet of animated figures to the sound of the carillon.

FLON DISTRICT

It’s the town’s architectural success: this district of former warehouses that begins at the Place de l’Europe was rehabilitated as a living area with a wide array of restaurants, bars, clubs, boutiques, cinemas and exhibition spaces. A must is to enjoy a drink on one of the rooftop terraces.

MONTBENON ESPLANADE

Making the most of one of the town’s most beautiful openings on Lake Geneva and the Alps, you can lounge on the lawns in front of the District Court, where there is a statue of William Tell, Switzerland’s mythical hero.

Built at the end of the 19 th century on Place de la Riponne, this Italianatestyle edifice houses a host of treasures in its various science museums, such as the largest taxidermied great white shark in the world.

PALAIS DE RUMINE COLLECTION DE L’ART BRUT

The town created this museum, unique in the world, in 1976 in exchange for the legacy of 5,000 works of outsider art belonging to artist Jean Dubuffet. Located opposite the Beaulieu Palace, this institution today owns over 70,000 works, 700 of which are displayed permanently, and exports its exhibitions all over the world.

DISTRICTS TRAIN STATION/OUCHY

The neighbourhoods located between the Ouchy quays, by the lakeside, and the Lausanne train station are perfect for a revitalising stroll.

They unveil several green oases, elegant Belle Époque dwellings bordering broad avenues and four internationally renowned museums. Since 2008, the rubber-tired m2 metro has replaced the “Ficelle” (the “String”), which was, in 1877, one of the first metropolitan railways in the world.

PLACES YOU MUST VISIT

CRÊT DE MONTRIOND & PLACE DE MILAN

Inagurated at the end of the 19 th century, this square’s vast lawns, football fields, playgrounds, fountain and shady alley draw in families in all seasons. Reach the Crêt de Montriond by a winding path to discover a 360° panorama of the Lavaux vineyards, Lake Geneva and Alps.

BOTANICAL GARDEN

This magnificent place, overflowing with flowers and great trees, is located at the foot of the Montriond Hill, a stone’s throw from Milan Park. You can admire close to 4,000 plant species from all over the world. Alpine, medicinal, carnivorous and tropical plants have been brought together in this haven of greenery in the heart of town. The Vaud Museum of Natural Sciences organises science exhibitions during the year.

© Laia Abril courtoisie Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire

OLYMPIC MUSEUM & PARK

Unique in the world, the Olympic Museum forms Lausanne’s main cultural attraction. Each of its three levels is dedicated to a particular aspect of modern Olympism, largely featuring new interactive communication media. You may need several visits to explore everything. In any case, a pause at the TOM Café is welcome, with its terrace on the uppermost floor that offers a splendid view of Lake Geneva and the Alps. In the park, admire the collection of sculptures and test your speed on a proper running track. Strolling through the landscaped terraces, you’ll reach the monument on the shores of the lake.

DENANTOU PARK

Initially privately held, until opened to the public in 1928, this park was laid out during the 19 th century in the English fashion by a banker. Allow your children to caper about in the wild meadows surrounded by copses, flower bed displays and statues, or to play with the water from the pond. Since 2007, a Thai pavilion with a golden roof adorns this green area; it was given to the town by His Majesty the late King of Thailand in gratitude for the years he spent in Lausanne between 1933 and 1951.

CRUISES ON A BELLE ÉPOQUE BOAT

For a romantic or gourmet cruise, or simply to cross Lake Geneva, the steamships of the Compagnie Générale de Navigation (CGN) are a must do during your holidays in western Switzerland. Step aboard in Lausanne-Ouchy and sail for instance to Chillon Castle or admire the terraced vineyards of Lavaux, always with the Alps as a backdrop.

OUCHY QUAYS

On foot, on a bike or on roller-skates, follow the shores of Lake Geneva from the Old Port to the Haldimand Tower. You’ll discover no less than three major Lausanne parks along your way: the Élysée, the Olympic Park and Park Denantou, as well as the Place du Général Guisan’s rose garden that contains more than 130 different varieties of roses.

PLATEFORME 10

This new arts quarter, one of its kind in Switzerland, is located right next to the train station and is home to three internationally renowned museums: the MCBA, Photo Élysée and the mudac.

This new cultural platform brings together fine arts, photography, contemporary arts and design complemented by the presence of the Toms Pauli and Félix Vallotton Foundations. A welcoming and relaxing venue with catering facilities, its architectural design and the quarter’s atmosphere create a unique urban, modern and lively space.

Inaugurated in 1841, the MCBA is one of the oldest museums in Switzerland to be dedicated exclusively to art. Ducros, Gleyre, Steinlen, Vallotton and Soutter are all Vaud painters who have established the reputation of the Vaud Museum of Fine Arts, both nationally and internationally. The Canton of Vaud’s artistic legacy is a fixture in the museum with nearly 200 works of art on display dating from the 18th century right up to today. The brick building with its monolithic shape pays tribute to the history of the site, which housed the old locomotives’ depot.

Photo Elysée is one of the major museums entirely dedicated to the photographic medium. It addresses the medium’s constant reinvention through the great figures that have left their mark on its history by imagining new ways of seeing or being seen, while revealing emerging photography in a privileged manner. The museum is also the custodian of a unique collection and of several photographic funds, among which those of Charlie Chaplin, Sabine Weiss and Jan Groover.

Resolutely contemporary, the mudac is interested in all forms of design and loves to build bridges between styles. Design, graphics, fashion: the museum challenges accepted notions and casts a fresh eye on art. In its permanent space, it presents the most important collection of contemporary glass art in Switzerland and Europe. As for the temporary exhibitions, they always go where we least expect them to, highlighting in turn ceramics, furniture, as well as media and jewellery.

MCBA – CANTONAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

PHOTO ÉLYSÉE –CANTONAL MUSEUM FOR PHOTOGRAPHY

mudac – MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY DESIGN AND APPLIED ARTS

DISTRICTS VIDY/UNIVERSITIES

The western part of Lausanne is dominated by the university campus that includes the University and the Federal Institute of Technology.

A location close to the lakeside loved by the 28,000 students who can take part in a broad array of nautical sports.

PLACES YOU MUST VISIT

BELLERIVE SWIMMING POOL & MINI GOLF

This outdoor swimming pool is equipped with large pools, up to 10-metre diving boards and fun paddling pools for children. Would you rather chill out? Lounge on the large lawns or on the (supervised) beach with direct access to the lake. Restaurants and refreshment stalls on the spot. Next to the pool, the Bellerive crazy golf is an invitation to playful relaxation ideal for families or friends.

Between shoreline forest and meadows, the Louis-Bourget Park is a nature park that hosts a bird sanctuary, a pond bordered with fireflies, a fitness trail and a large playground. It’s also an ideal destination for hot summer evenings: come and use the barbecues and grills set on the lawns before enjoying a game of football or relaxing on Vidy beach! You’ll also meet many walkers strolling on the pleasant path that runs along the lakeside.

PARC LOUIS-BOURGET & PLAGE DE VIDY

OLYMPIC HOUSE ESPACE DES INVENTIONS

With its shape inspired by the movement of an athlete, Olympic House is one of the most sustainable buildings in the world. Designed to reflect the IOC’s overarching mission to make the world a better place through sport, it brings together the entire staff of the IOC – that is 500 employees –under one roof. (Closed to the public.)

ROMAN MUSEUM & GALLO-ROMAN RUINS

The Lausanne-Vidy Roman Museum offers a presentation of the Gallo-Roman Lousonna (Lausanne), as well as various temporary exhibitions. In a bucolic setting that blends greenery, a body of water and ruins, don’t miss the walk around the remains of the Lousonna vicus (village) dating from 15 BC, one of the largest in Switzerland.

Are your children budding scientists? The Invention Space is a place for them! Housed in a strange building with a concave roof dating from the National Exhibition, its vocation is to arouse young people’s interest in science and technique thanks to interactive and entertaining exhibitions that are regularly renewed.

UNIVERSITY CAMPUS & ROLEX LEARNING CENTER

The university campus includes the Lausanne Federal Institute of Technology and Lausanne University, the first buildings of which were erected in the 1970s. Since then, the site has rapidly expanded and integrated buildings, the architecture of which is admired beyond Swiss borders. It’s the case of the Rolex Learning Center’s gentle undulations, created by the Japanese architecture firm SANAA, that serves as a place of learning, meeting and exchanges, and includes a library housing more than 500,000 volumes.

UNMISSABLE PLACES

DISTRICTS SAUVABELIN/CHALET-À-GOBET

North of the town, vast expanses of forest, representing 40% of the municipal surface area, offer many opportunities for walks and outdoor sports activities.

At an altitude of 873 m, Le Chalet-à-Gobet is the culminating point of the Lausanne urban area, 500 m above Lake Geneva. Sauvabelin’s bucolic setting, with its lake, park and tower, will delight you.

PLACES YOU MUST VISIT

AQUATIS AQUARIUM-VIVARIUM

This innovative architectural complex, easily reached by metro, integrates the largest freshwater aquarium in Europe and the Lausanne Vivarium.

Follow

the discovery trail that includes 50 tanks displaying about 20 aquatic ecosystems from across the five continents.

Head to the top of the Royal Savoy and let the magical scenery of Lake Geneva, the menu and the cocktails amaze

royalsavoylausanne com

CHALET-À-GOBET & MAUVERNAY SPORTS CENTRE

This village includes a hotel school, a ski slope, an equestrian centre as well as a golf course. Its sports centre offers running and mountainbike trails (changing showers available).

HERMITAGE COUNTRY ESTATE & FOUNDATION

In the centre of the Hermitage Estate sits an imposing mansion built around 1850 and which today houses a famous museum of paintings. In the English-style gardens populated with majestic trees, benches invite you to contemplate a unique panorama of the old town, the lake and the mountains.

Created in 1888 in the heart of an oak forest, the Sauvabelin lake rapidly became a soughtafter strolling area for Lausanne people. You can rent a small boat during the summer or walk along its shores. The surrounding park is very popular with children, who discover unusual animals such as woolly pigs, grey cows, booted goats and mirror sheep.

This tower built of solid, local wood in a spirit of environmental respect is one of the many destinations for a hike above the town since 2003. Enjoy the 360° view from a height of 35 metres after climbing the 151 steps of its double spiral staircase. Free access.

SAUVABELIN PARK & LAKE

SAUVABELIN TOWER

(RE)DISCOVER THE ADDRESSES OF LAUSANNE TOURISME

TOURIST INFORMATION

Two Tourist Office information and welcome centres are at your service at the CFF train station ans the Cathedral. You will find a host of services at your disposal there – public transport passes, maps, recommended routes and excursions from Lausanne, various brochures, lists of hotels, help and emergency services, etc. – as well as culture and leisure news.

TOURIST INFORMATION OF LAUSANNE TOURISME:

TOURIST INFORMATION CENTER Av. Louis-Ruchonnet 1

Near the station

TOURIST INFORMATION POINT Lausanne Cathedral

Find out the opening hours of the two information offices on: www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/en/ tourism-offices/

LAUSANNE CONVENTION BUREAU

Administration

Av. de Rhodanie 2 Case postale 975 CH-1001 Lausanne

+41 21 613 73 73

www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/en/ info@lausanne-tourisme.ch

TOWN OF LAUSANNE – INFO CITÉ

Information point for the town of Lausanne, the “info cité” office’s mission is to inform, orient and guide Lausanne people and passing guests. Place de la Palud 2 1002 Lausanne

Monday to Friday: 8 am → 5 pm +41 21 315 25 55

www.lausanne.ch/infocite infocite@lausanne.ch

PRACTICAL LAUSANNE

Here are useful contact details to keep at hand and make your stay easier. You have access to all the necessary information at our two information offices at the CFF train station and the Cathedral.

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS

112 International number for emergency calls

117 Police (crimes and theft, emergencies only)

118 Fire brigade

140 Roadside assistance service

144 Ambulance

USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS

+41 21 314 11 11 CHUV (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois)

+41 848 133 133 Centre for on-call doctors

1811 Directory enquiry services

162 Swiss weather forecast

163 Road traffic information

LOST PROPERTY OFFICE

LAUSANNE POLICE STATION

Rue du Petit-Chêne 36

+41 21 315 33 85

Information by telephone only in the morning

Monday to Friday: 1 pm → 4 pm

www.lausanne.ch/en

USEFUL MOBILE APPLICATIONS

Find

CURRENCY

Swiss franc (CHF)

1 euro = 1 Swiss Franc (indicative rate)

EXCHANGE OFFICE

Lausanne train station

Monday to Friday: 8 am → 6.30 pm;

Saturday: 9 am → 6 pm;

Sunday: 10 am → 6 pm

POST OFFICES

IN THE TOWN CENTRE

Pl. Saint-François 15 +41 848 888 888

Monday to Friday: 8 am → 6.30 pm;

Saturday: 8 am → 11.30 am

AT THE TRAIN STATION

Pl. de la Gare 1/Av. de la Gare 43 bis +41 848 888 888

Monday to Friday: 8 am → 6.30 pm;

Saturday: 8am → 4 pm; Sunday: 15.30 pm → 18.30 pm

www.poste.ch/en

MORE INFORMATION AT: www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/en/mobile-apps

here the applications that are useful for your stay in Lausanne.

Calendar, hotels, self-service bike rentals, public transport and much more!

LAUSANNE, AT THE HEART OF THE LAKE GENEVA REGION

Situated in the heart of Europe, the Olympic Capital is also the ideal departure point for exploring the charming lake, mountains, countryside, vineyards and forests of the surrounding area.

MOVE IN LAUSANNE

You can reach Lausanne across land, air or even water. This model town for sustainable development possesses a network of public transport that makes it ideal to set off from and explore.

A CARD THAT OFFERS YOU TRANSPORT AND DISCOUNTS!

PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN THE LAUSANNE REGION

The “ tl_live” application lets you purchase your ticket, look up itineraries and real-time schedules (in French only).

FLON CUSTOMER CENTRE

Pl. de l’Europe 5b +41 21 621 01 11

Monday to Friday: 7 am → 7 pm; Saturday: 9 am → 6 pm www.t-l.ch/en

Don’t forget to ask the establishment providing your lodging for your personal Lausanne Transport Card (LTC)! You can use public transport (bus, train, metro) as you please during your whole stay (maximum 15 days) in Lausanne and its surroundings. But that’s not all! Thanks to our partners, you benefit from exceptional discounts and advantages from many museums, shops and other leisure activity providers.

“GRAND LAUSANNE” MOBILIS DAY PASS

Full fare: CHF 9.30; reduced fare: CHF 6.90. This pass entitles you to whole-day-use of all the public transport companies belonging to the Vaud tariff community present in the Grand Lausanne perimeter (i.e. Lausanne and its immediate surroundings). Available from ticket dispensers or points of sale. For more information, see: www.mobilis-vaud.ch

MORE INFORMATION AT: www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/en/ lausanne-transport-card-and-more

USEFUL INFORMATION

CHEMINS DE FER FÉDÉRAUX (CFF)

Consulting the timetables for national or international connections from or to Lausanne, preparing your trip and buying tickets to travel in Switzerland becomes child’s play with “ Mobile CFF ” application.

CFF information – Passenger service:

Pl. de la Gare 5a +41 848 44 66 88 (within Switzerland) www.sbb.ch/en

COMPAGNIE GÉNÉRALE DE NAVIGATION (CGN)

From the simple lake crossing to go to France to a gourmet cruise on a Belle Époque paddle-wheel vessel, every experience on the Lake Geneva waters becomes an unforgettable memory.

Av. de Rhodanie 17 +41 848 811 848

www.cgn.ch/en

LEB RAILWAY

Would you like to spend a day in the countryside? Embark on the Lausanne – Echallens – Bercher train that departs from the Flon. Bikes and pushchairs are welcome on board.

Gare Lausanne-Chauderon +41 21 621 01 11

www.leb.ch

GENEVA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Second in Switzerland after Zurich, Geneva Airport is a 45-minute train ride from Lausanne. It benefits from a network serving 142 direct destinations, 23 of which are intercontinental.

Rte. de l’Aéroport 21, Grand-Saconnex +41 848 19 20 20 (information about departures and arrivals) www.gva.ch/en

LA BLÉCHERETTE LAUSANNE AIRPORT

This aeronautical facility – that celebrated its hundredth year in 2016 – is located nearby Lausanne’s town centre. First flights and air-taxis. Av. du Grey 117 +41 21 646 15 51 www.lausanne-airport.ch

PUBLIBIKE – SELF-SERVICE BIKE RENTALS

You will find all the information on the offers and the networks to Lausanne-Morges on the PubliBike site. +41 32 501 40 16 www.publibike.ch/en/publibike

www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/en/getting-around-in-lausanne

FIND ACCOMMODATION IN LAUSANNE

Would you like to stay at a centrally located, low-priced establishment after enjoying Lausanne’s nightlife, or do you dream of spending the night in a 5-star hotel overlooking the lake? Do you need a comfortable room near the EPFL congress centre?

How about a hotel with seminar rooms and high-tech facilities? Or do you imagine a romantic weekend in a boutique hotel? With more than 7,000 beds from 1- to 5-star superior spread over 60 or so establishments, the city of Lausanne allows all its guests to be put up in the best conditions, whether they are here on business or for leisure.

MORE INFORMATION AT:

www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/hotels

(for hotel bookings)

MASTER THE MOMENT ORDINARY USES, EXTRAORDINARY QUALITY

Solve everyday challenges with a pocket knife that’s both essential and indispensable. Backed by 139 years of Swiss craftsmanship, the Huntsman’s fi t-in-your-pocket functionality and exceptional quality enable total mastery of every moment.

FROM THE MAKERS OF THE ORIGINAL SWISS ARMY KNIFE ™

ESTABLISHED 1884

Ouroffersspecial

Foody tours

Walk through the doors of our Lausanne artisan chocolatiers or restaurateurs for a unique culinary experience

Treasure hunt

Solve riddles to discover the city in an original way with family or friends

Lausanne City Pass

Discover the highlights in Lausanne and the area at an unbeatable price

Guided tours

Walk the streets of the town to discover its historical or wine-growing heritage

Around wine

Spend a moment out of time at Lavaux, a UNESCO World Heritage site

A TRAVEL JOURNAL FOR YOUR FAMILY VISIT TO LAUSANNE

To entertain your children while you visit the town, Lausanne Tourisme offers them a Travel Journal packed with fun and creative activities.

Come and pick up a Travel Journal for each of your children aged 5 to 12 in one of our tourist information offices.

www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/en/travel-journal

Tourist information: Train station, Cathedral +41 21 613 73 73 info@lausanne-tourisme.ch

VISIT LAUSANNE...

Discover the diversity of Lausanne and its surrounding area in the company of experienced and multilingual guides. Benefit from their knowledge as you enjoy a fun and enriching visit of the city. Many activities and guided tours.

In partnership with:

www.visitelausanne.ch/en

ACTIVITIES FOR THOSE ON TIGHT BUDGETS

A leisure offer accessible to all

The City of Lausanne puts on various activities for those on a modest budget. Here are a few examples of outings to be enjoyed as a family or among friends.

FREE OF CHARGE

• Vidy Bowl for skaters

• Many multi-coloured birds at the Mon-Repos Park aviary

• Free entry to most museums on the first Saturday of the month

• Mountain biking at Chalet-à-Gobet

• Climbing the Sauvabelin Tower

BETWEEN CHF 0 AND CHF 8.50

• Climbing the Cathedral tower (from CHF 1 to CHF 5)

• Flon bowling alley (between CHF 5.50 and CHF 9 per person)

• Bellerive minigolf (free up to age 4, CHF 6 until age 16, then CHF 8)

• Vidy miniature train (CHF 3 per journey)

AUTHENTICATED BY EXPERTS TWO-YEAR GUARANTEE BUY, SELL & TRADE

Bucherer Lausanne – Rue de Bourg 1, Lausanne