Interviews with singers Nnavy and Louise Knobil, pictured here in front of the new Les
The Vaud capital has something for lovers of any style of music. Our top spots. Page 40
Stress, Silance, elie zoé, Arma Jackson, The Two, and more: artists putting the city on the map CELEBRATING GYMNASTICS IN THE OLYMPIC CAPITAL Page 6 EXPLORING
Lausanne’s music scene is like a beating heart in the city centre. Its abundant musical offerings give the town the feel of a big city. All styles come together in an almost universal language to tell the story of Lausanne and its 160 nationalities with a single voice. The city is home to talented artists such as Louise Knobil and Nnavy, who have gained praise far beyond Switzerland’s borders.
The forthcoming addition of two music venues under the Grand-Pont, following shortly after the opening of Les Jumeaux Jazz Club, will bring an important line to this score – the focus of our Feature (page 40).
The dense range of cultural opportunities make Lausanne an exciting place to be: ”It can be filmed like a big city,” says Lausanne native film director Lionel Baier, who teaches at La Fémis film school in Paris (page 34).
The Olympic Capital has always dared to break out of the mould, and the 77 th Federal Gymnastics Festival to be held in the city in June 2025 will once again highlight this bold character. Switzerland’s biggest sporting event is returning to Vaud’s soil for the first time since 1951. For the occasion, the organising committee has decided to bring the public and athletes together in the city centre, rather than on the outskirts as has been done for nearly half a century (page 6).
And then, as in all music, there is the silence, the pauses where you take the time to feel. In this 14th edition of Lausanner, these pauses take the form of a stroll in the company of comedian Thomas Wiesel, a tasting of La Sobrerie’s non-alcoholic drinks, and time spent in some of the Vaud capital’s original shops, as well as its art galleries, restaurants, cheese shops and bakeries, or at Aux Spécialités de la Palud, whose flavours from around the world have been delighting residents since 1932.
We invite you to explore the melody of this city, humming with activity... It will always be music to your ears.
ARCHIVES
6 May 1989, Palais de Beaulieu, Lausanne: The 34th edition of Eurovision, presented by former Miss Switzerland Lolita Morena (left) and journalist Jacques Deschenaux, hosted Céline Dion (right). After winning the song contest for Switzerland the previous year with “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi”, the 21-year-old Quebec native performed her first single in English, “Where Does My Heart Beat Now”, which went on to become a planetary hit.
Back in 1956, Switzerland welcomed the inaugural edition and ended up winning with Lys Assia in Lugano. Nemo’s victory this year will make Switzerland host of the competition for the third time, in May 2025 in Basel.
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, Carole Berset, Julien Crevoisier, Stéphanie de Roguin, Erik Freudenreich, Laurent Grabet, Alexandre Lanz, Audrey Magat, Leandra Patané, Anne-Catherine Renaud
Photography: Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum / ASL (p. 2) – François Wavre/Lundi13 (p. 5, 24, 34, 43) – Jonathan Viey (p. 6) – GymVaud (p. 9) – Jonathan Viey (p. 10) – Thomas Ditzler (p. 11) – Photo Fabienne Levy/Œuvre Norbert Bisky Riot Game, 2020/Oil on canvas, 150 x 120 cm (p. 12) – La Vaudaire (p. 13) – Haiku x Smache (p. 13) – Zleep Hotel (p. 14) – Food Halle 15 (p. 14) –La Paddysserie (p. 14) – Trinidad Barleycorn (p. 15, 23) – Aurélien Barrelet (p. 16-17) – AKG-IMAGES/André Held/Keystone (p. 18) – Colin Jollien/OTV (p. 19) – Aux Spécialités de la Palud (p. 21) – Thea Moser (p. 26) – Librairie Mollat (p. 26) – Pierre-Yves Massot/Cinémathèque suisse (p. 27) – DR (p. 27) – Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone (p. 27) – Patrick B. Kraemer/ Keystone (p. 28) – Lea Sblandano (p. 29) – Khashayar Javanmardi/Photo Elysée (p. 29) – Luana Schoch (p. 29) – Cécile Gretsch/Saentys (p. 30) –Jordi Ruiz Cirera (p. 32-33) – BANDE À PART FILMS/Photo Véronique Kolber (p. 38) – David Stettler (p. 40-51) – Enzo Lucia (p. 45) – Thomas Ebert (p. 46) – Valentin Flauraud/Keystone (p. 52) – Laurent Kaczor/LT (p. 53) –Maud Guye-Vuillème (p. 53) – Le Java (p. 54) – Alberto Moya/LT (p. 54)
© Photos Lausanne Tourisme – Swizterland Tourism/Nico Schaerer (p. 5) – Caroline Vuagniaux (p. 7) – Swizterland Tourism/Lorenz Richard (p. 8, 61, 73) – Jordi Ruiz Cirera (p. 32-33) – Marino Trotta (p. 38) – Blake Production (p. 42-43) – LT/Laurent Kaczor (p. 59, 60, 65, 69, 73, 79) –LT/diapo.ch (p. 59, 60, 61, 63, 68, 69, 73, 79) – Switerland Tourism/Giglio Pasqua (p. 60, 43) – P. Waterton (p. 60, 61) – LT/Maxime Genoud (p. 61) –
Christian Meixner Fotografie (61, 73) – Switzerland Tourism/Colin Frei (p. 63) –CIO/Lydie Nesvadba (p. 65) – Switzerland Tourism/Andre Meier (p. 67) –William Gammuto sarl (p. 67) – LT/Alix Besson (p. 68) – Sarah Jacquemet (p. 69) – Nuno Acacio (p. 71)
Image search: Sabrine Elias, Large Network
Cover:
Nnavy and Louise Knobil photographed by François Wavre/Lundi13
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
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THE TALK OF THE TOWN
The Olympic Capital is excited to host the Federal Gymnastics Festival, Switzerland’s biggest sporting event
Page 6
LAUSANNE IN MOTION
Top new spots
Page 13
Unique shops in the spotlight
Page 15
The Cathedral at its best for its 750th anniversary
Page 18
BEHIND THE SCENES
WINTER 2024/SPRING 2025 - N° 14
Co-director of the filmmaking department at the renowned film school La Fémis in Paris, Lionel Baier is releasing his eighth feature film, La cache, starring Michel Blanc
Page 34
Night correspondent, Nora Bongard, works in prevention and de-escalation of conflicts
Page 24
LAUSANNE IN PERFECT PITCH
Packed with live music venues, great local artists and a wide range of classical music offerings, the city is centre stage on the music scene
Page 40
Comedian Thomas Wiesel’s favourite spots
Page 52
In June 2025, Lausanne will host Switzerland’s biggest sporting event for the first time since 1951. Switzerland’s Federal Gymnastics Festival is a must for tens of thousands of fans. Next year, the gathering will be held in the heart of the city, inviting the general public to take part in the festivities.
Julien Crevoisier
“The buzzing of thousands of people celebrating together under the tents, the colours of the hundreds of company flags hanging from the ceilings – it all makes a lasting impression on you,” says the twotime Swiss men’s pair gymnastics champion Damien Bidlingmeyer. Now 37, he has not missed a single edition of the Federal Gymnastics Festival since he was entranced as a child by the sheer scale of the event, which brings together athletes from all over the country. From 12 to 22 June 2025, he will be competing in the 77th edition, to be held in Lausanne. Also a coach, the Vaud native has not ruled out the possibility of his athletes aiming for the famous trophy awarded to champions of performance sports, known in French as the “Federal Crown”.
For his father, Claude Bidlingmeyer, 64, the federal championships always bring with them unforgettable memories. He has taken part in every edition since 1978, except for one missed due to illness. Organised every six years for almost two centuries, the country’s biggest sporting event represents a rare opportunity for him to compete against opponents of all ages from all linguistic communities, but also (and above all) to live out his enthusiasm through encounters that transcend linguistic and cultural barriers. “In all these years, I’ve never seen an argument break out among participants. It’s shared passion expressing itself, no matter what language you speak,” says the gymnastics veteran, who has been practising multiple disciplines since a young age and now coaches juniors at the Rolle gymnastics society (Vaud). →
For the first time since Geneva in 1978, Lausanne is preparing to host the unforgettable celebration right in its city centre, instead of in the outskirts. In addition to gymnastics buffs, the organising committee aims to attract locals to the event, where an exciting, friendly atmosphere will reign over competition and performance. “Gymnastics is the most widely practised sport in Switzerland. It’s designed to bring people together, to be inclusive and driven by a spirit of communion. By inviting the whole population to celebrate sport alongside the athletes, this edition will also reflect this goal to bring people together,” says Gaël Lasserre, head of the Lausanne 2025 organising association.
“Gymnastics is designed to bring people together, to be inclusive and driven by a spirit of communion.”
Gaël Lasserre, head of the Lausanne 2025 organising association
The organisers have set the bar high: nearly 300,000 spectators are expected, along with 70,000 participants in 22 disciplines, from aerobics to apparatus, trampoline and athletics. “The figures are mind-boggling. A huge and wonderful challenge awaits us,” says Émilie Moeschler, the vice-mayor in charge of sports and social cohesion. “These major events help to strengthen Lausanne’s image as a city of sport and Olympic Capital. It’s a fantastic showcase.” The programme includes more than 140 competitions, a procession, opening and closing ceremonies, and continuous festivities, all spread over predefined “districts”: City, Lake and the Festival district, on the lakeside.
This is the fifth time in its history that the Federal Gymnastics Festival has come to the canton of Vaud, in Lausanne. The last time was in 1951. This is also the first time since 1978 that it has been held in Latin Switzerland, with the exception of a stopover in bilingual Biel/Bienne (Bern). “It’s an opportunity to show all of Switzerland that linguistic minorities also play a central role in the practice and celebration of Swiss gymnastics,” emphasises Gaël Lasserre. We have solid expertise in organising major sporting events. The success of the World Gymnaestrada in 2011 and the Youth Olympic Games in 2020 demonstrated that the city’s facilities and capacity are perfectly calibrated for large-scale events, and that the people of Lausanne are very enthusiastic about the idea of hosting them.”
The tradition of the Federal Festival has endured since it was first held in Aarau in 1832. In its early days, it only received a few hundred participants. “At the time, it was the annual meeting of fairly elitist gymnastics societies,” says Jean-François Martin, a retired history teacher who was commissioned by Lausanne 2025 to retrace the event’s past.
In the decades that followed, the development of the railway enabled athletes from all over the country to come together to compete.
“After World War II, the Federal Festivals began to take on their current size.” The 1951 event in Lausanne was attended by almost 20,000 people and ended with great fanfare at La Blécherette airfield. The Bern festival, held in 1996, cleared the 70,000 mark for the first time.
From a solemn, patriotic celebration for men, the event has gradually evolved into a huge, popular gathering of gymnasts of all levels, regardless of age, gender, origin or language. →
In Lausanne in 1951, the women’s events took place as a prelude to the main festival. The man and women festivals merged in the 1996 edition in Bern. In 2025, most of the gymnasts will be women.
First Federal Gymnastics Festival in Aarau
hosted the event in 1855, 1880, 1909 and 1951
Lausanne 2025 will be the first edition since 1978 held in a city
300,000 spectators and 70,000 participants are expected in the Vaud capital, which has a metropolitan area of 443,445 people.
To bring this gigantic gathering to life, the organisers plan to recruit more than 4,000 volunteers
70% of whom will come from participating companies and 30% from the general public.
Today, the athletes no longer march in step, but they are proud to wear the colours of their company and their canton. “Certain traditions are still very much alive, but the attachment to patriotic, manly values has significantly subsided,” Jean-François Martin notes.
As the sports gathering will be held in an urban environment for the first time in decades, organisers took the opportunity to broaden the range of sports represented. For the first time, Lausanne 2025 will be hosting parkour, a sport that involves performing improvised tricks by making skilful and creative use of the various obstacles scattered throughout the urban environment. And the results can be impressive.
Among the team games, curious spectators can discover “Swiss basketball”, a six-on-six game in which teams try to put the ball into the opponents’ basket, but on grass and without a frame above the nets. But the most typically Swiss activities are undoubtedly the national games, a sort of Swiss decathlon in which athletes perform a floor exercise, a combined jump, stone lifting and stone throwing, before competing in freestyle wrestling and Swiss wrestling matches. “In the 19 th century, the national games helped to make Federal Gymnastics Festival more popular and accessible to the general public.
These typically Swiss games set Swiss gymnastics apart from their German counterparts, with which they shared many disciplines,” Jean-François Martin says.
The Lausanne authorities intend to capitalise on this extraordinary event to promote physical activity for the whole population. “With its wide range of disciplines, gymnastics is accessible to all ages. It’s an excellent opportunity to offer introductory courses and encourage as many people as possible to take up regular exercise, for example by joining local clubs. In Lausanne, gymnastics is the most popular sport, with 16 clubs and over 1,650 members,” Émilie Moeschler says.
The City is also pleased that the Swiss Gymnastics Federation is testing new inclusive classifications, particularly for the high jump and shot put. “All athletes, including those with disabilities, will be ranked in the same tables. We hope that this choice will encourage other sporting events to be more inclusive.”
The Festival will kick off in the early afternoon of 12 June 2025 on the Montbenon esplanade, where the opening will be held. On Saturday 21 June, the gymnasts’ parade will leave from the same spot and march to Place de la Navigation in Ouchy.
“It’s an excellent opportunity to offer introductory courses and encourage as many people as possible to take up regular exercise.”
Émilie Moeschler, the vice-mayor in charge of sports and social cohesion
Throughout the event, the public can watch the athletes’ performances and the festivities free of charge. The competitions will take place not only at the main venues,
“We have made sustainability central to our planning. All strategic decisions take into account not only the financial aspect, but also environmental and social issues,” says Lauriane Ryser, sustainability director of Lausanne 2025.
To limit the environmental footprint, the association is focusing on several pillars, including low-carbon mobility, responsible food, and resource management. “The Lausanne 2025 participation ticket includes the public transport journey from the individual’s home.” Dozens of special trains are expected to be chartered to bring people from all over Switzerland to Lausanne. In addition, the ecological approach also applies to the food offering. “The aim is to have a variety of vegetarian dishes on top of the meat and fish dishes on the menus of the temporary food service establishments that will be set up to cater to the sporting event,” Lauriane Ryser adds.
such as the Olympic Stadium, the Montbenon esplanade and the Palais de Beaulieu, but also throughout the city’s school gymnasiums, squares and parks. The more festive activities will be focused around the lakeshore: around the Place de la Navigation and the Place Bellerive. In addition, during the Festival, some 30 smart lockers will be set up throughout the city where residents and visitors can borrow table tennis, football and fitness equipment free of charge. ■
lausanne2025.ch
Gymotion, the major Swiss gymnastics competition held every two years, is moving outside Zurich’s Hallenstadion for the first time. The event will take place in Lausanne on 11 January 2025, as if to launch the countdown to the Federal Gymnastics Festival five months later. On that day, some 450 participants will present high-level performances against a backdrop of music and a spectacular light show. Gymotion
11 January – Vaudoise aréna Performances at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m gymotion.ch
v
As the liaison between artists and collectors, Lausanne’s galleries are adapting to keep up with the size of the market. Examples include Fabienne Levy and Antoine Reszler.
Around 30 galleries, including exhibition spaces such as Tunnel Tunnel and La Placette, curate diversified programming to bring the Lausanne art scene to life. As Antoine Reszler, head of the Heinzer Reszler Gallery in Le Flon since 2011, points out, “In a medium-sized city, we aim for a vast offering without limiting ourselves to a single practice.”
Unlike galleries in major cities, which tend to over-specialise, Lausanne-based gallery owners need to branch out to keep their smaller audience engaged. They are forced to tailor their events to the city. This diversity keeps it interesting.
In 2017, Lausanne launched its own art exhibition, Art Fair, at the Palais de Beaulieu, which takes place in the autumn. The event caters to a broader cross-section of the population
than the big shows by showcasing works in all price ranges.
Opened in 2019, Fabienne Levy Gallery, on Avenue Ruchonnet, has contributed to this effervescence.
The founder, who has since opened a second gallery in Geneva, wanted to create a springboard for artists near the Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts, which opened the same year at Plateforme 10. Her gallery is a natural fit with this new arts district, which is also home to mudac and Photo Élysée as of 2022.
Fabienne Levy is the daughter of collectors and the sister of Dominique Levy – one of New York’s leading art dealers. She knows the ins and outs of the international art circuit, which she now brings through her home town. “I wanted to open up a space to both well-known and emerging foreign artists, but not the ones you find at art exhibitions.” Between her five annual
exhibitions, her Space Invasion programme, which scouts out young talent from art schools, and her artist residency project, the gallery owner is brimming with ideas.
Like her, Antoine Reszler has set a mission for his gallery to act as a springboard for newcomers. But he focuses on local artists, while sometimes venturing into German-speaking Switzerland and Europe. “We only present the work of people trained at art schools. That’s something we want to reward artists for.”
He has been exhibiting at Art Genève for 10 years and always follows his heart: “I wouldn’t be able to sell anything I don’t like. I only show pieces that I could have in my home.”
Fabienne Levy Gallery
fabiennelevy.com
Avenue Louis-Ruchonnet 6, Lausanne
Heinzer Reszler Gallery heinzer-reszler.com
Rue du Port-Franc 9, Lausanne
This emblematic eatery in Vidy is named after a wind that blows across Lake Geneva. After years of being closed, the venue came back to life in early June. With its two large terraces, La Vaudaire has been tastefully redecorated to celebrate the lake. “I wanted it to feel like a North American fish market,” says Swiss-Canadian founder Jasmine Gfeller. This entrepreneur is already well-known to the people of Lausanne through the restaurant Un Po’ Di Più opened in the city centre. The chef at La Vaudaire, Sébastien Rauch, prepares perch fillets, crayfish bisque, Lake Geneva fish sauerkraut and, in winter, Japanese meat or fish fondues. He has kept all palates in mind, rounding out his menu with his other trademark dish, roast chicken, as well as two vegetarian creations.
La Vaudaire – lavaudaire.com
Chemin du Camping 7, Lausanne
Have you always dreamt of being a contestant on a television game show but without the stress of the cameras? Now you can, at the Quiz Room, which opened in April 2024. Its two rooms are fully equipped with podiums and buzzers to accommodate 36 participants at once. You don’t have to be a Trivial Pursuit champion to win. The questions were developed by the team from Burger Quiz, the cult TV show created by French comedian Alain Chabat. What you get is a game full of offbeat humour that sometimes edges into absurdity. “The idea is that everyone can have a chance to win,” says manager Gwen Ducraux. “We also offer a quiz for children and a name-that-song game.”
Quiz Room – quiz-room.ch
Chemin du Rionzi 57, 1052 Le Mont-sur-Lausanne
Booking recommended
Serving an original blend of Asian and North American cuisine, the restaurant Haiku x Smache is the place to enjoy baos, sushi and dishes featuring satay sauce made by the chefs of the Haiku restaurants (in Saint-Sulpice and Nyon), as well as juicy smash burgers and their secret sauces, made with the recipe from the former Smache food truck, which toured Lausanne’s streets between 2023 and 2024. “The idea behind the partnership is to offer a diverse range of dishes to suit all diets, with vegetarian and gluten-free options” says Smache co-founder Mathieu Michael.
Haiku x Smache – haiku-smashe.marketplace.dood.com
Rue du Flon 8, Lausanne
Sleek furniture, walls decorated with thin strips of light-coloured wood or painted slate grey, finishings in black metal: the Zleep Hotel proudly displays Scandinavian design. Better yet, all that comes at affordable prices. The Danish hotel chain opened its first establishment in French-speaking Switzerland, in a brand-new 120-room building in June 2024. Located in Chavannes-près-Renens, not far from the university campus and the m1 metro line (about 20 minutes from the centre of Lausanne), the hotel is the ideal base for lecturers visiting the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).
Zleep Hotel – zleep.com
Rue Centrale 39, 1022 Chavannes-près-Renens
Inspired by Spanish mercados and their gourmet food stands where you can also grab a bite to eat, Food Halle 15 unites flavours from around the world in one room. The market boasts two terraces and can seat up to 400, with indoor tables surrounded by six restaurants and a bar. Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Iranian, Italian and Belgian styles of cuisine bring this Lausanne food court to life seven days a week. “We want to invite people to come together in the same friendly space, even if they don’t all have the same tastes,” says director Sean Valenti.
Food Halle 15 – foodhalle15.ch
Avenue de Sévelin 15, Lausanne
With its neon sign, candy pink walls, and window of mouthwatering cakes, you can’t miss La Paddysserie, which opened in September 2024. The original name was inspired by founder Maguy Abbadie’s dog Paddy, whose likeness can be found in the logo. A baker and pastry chef, she offers artisanal concoctions with original flavours. “The most emblematic is probably the choux pastry with its orange blossom cream and pistachio praline. This creation combines all the flavours of my childhood,” says the Franco-Lebanese chef, who has lived in Lausanne for the past 10 years. On the savoury side, the sandwiches, salads, quiches and focaccias are also made with fresh seasonal produce.
La Paddysserie – lapaddysserie.ch
Rue du Midi 16, Lausanne
Artisan crafts, indie brands and second-hand goods: three small business enthusiasts share about their favourite places to pick up unusual items for treating themselves and others.
Claire
Sauthier,
geotechnical engineer
“I’ve been coming to KéTaLa about every two months since it opened 10 years ago. I sometimes stop by even when it’s closed, to see the window display. There’s always something new. I also like the way the shop is laid out, how things are artfully displayed. I come here regularly to buy second-hand clothes. Sometimes I buy jewellery, personalised spoons, etc. The items here have been carefully chosen, often made by local artisans, which means a lot to me. I also really appreciate the warm welcome. Iwona and Blandine are very close to their customers.”
KéTaLa Boutique – @ketalaboutique
Avenue de Béthusy 4, Lausanne
David Espada, nurse
“I’ve been a customer of the Les Gens shop for several years. My wife especially loves this place, so I occasionally shop here on my own to buy her a gift. Today, I chose an original key ring for her, made from a small spoon, and some earrings. What I like here is that the creations are made by local artisans, and objects are reused to make art, instead of being thrown away. The shop’s atmosphere is also lovely, and the people who work there are always really nice.”
Les Gens – lesgens.ch
Rue du Valentin 28, Lausanne
Kal, model
“I stumbled upon Nono’s World a year ago. Since then, when I’m in Switzerland, I come in about twice a week, to shop or have a cup of tea, but also often just to say hello to Noëlle, the owner, who is so warm and friendly. I love anything out of the ordinary, and the best thing about this shop is that, whatever your style, you’ll always unearth some little treasure. And the prices are very affordable. There are new and second-hand shoes and clothes, accessories, vintage decorative items, and more. If you like originality, this is the perfect place to come.”
Nono’s World – nonosworld.ch
Rue Centrale 21, Lausanne
Held since 2015, Lausanne’s popular Bô Noël Christmas market infuses several of the city’s squares with holiday spirit. Attracting nearly 400,000 visitors, the event showcases local products and crafts. Its Creators’ Boutique focuses on the work of local artisans. “We have around 40 stalls in the Boutique this year, with a lot of new faces,” says Olivier Gallandat, head of communications for Bô Noël. “You’ll find home decorations, clothing, jewellery, local and natural cosmetics, design objects, and lots of items for children, like cuddly toys, pyjamas and games.”
Bô Noël Creators’ Boutique bo-noel.ch/boutique-des-createurs/ Place des Pionnières, Lausanne From 20 November to 31 December
Whether mild or powerful, tangy or woody, Vaud wines and cheeses are the pride of the canton. Here we present a selection of happy pairings.
The grape varieties were identified by an oenologist. The Vaud Wine Office (VaudVins) then selected the corresponding wine bottles. Red wine White wine
SOFT CHEESE IN SPRUCE BARK
HARD CHEESE
• Sold in pieces of 350 g to 3 kg
• Can be eaten raw or melted in the oven
• Sale only authorised from October to April
Pinot Gris Speciality
Cave de Bonvillars Bonvillars
Source : Fromage Suisse, vaudvins.ch
• Strict cheesemaking process: the milk must be heated over an open wood fire in a copper cauldron
• Produced only from May to October, at some 100 Alpine pastures in Vaud
Chasselas Côte d’Or Domaine Ruchonnet Rivaz
SOFT CHEESE
• Flatter, softer tomme vaudoise
• Raw milk flavour
• Made with milk from Alpine pasture cows
• Aged for around 10 days
Cuvée d’Entreroche Château d’Éclépens Éclépens
SEMI-HARD CHEESE
• Creamy with a flavourful, spicy taste
• Homemade by the Rapin family with milk from 13 farms in the region
• Aged for four months and often coated with herbs
Gamay from Verschiez Wines by René Dubois Ollon
SEMI-HARD CHEESE, RIND AGED WITH RAISINÉE
SOFT CHEESE WITH FLOWER RIND
• The rind is rubbed by hand with raisinée –a thick syrup made from apple must
• It takes its name from the old robbers in the local forests
Pinot Blanc Tradition Château de Crans Crans
• Creamy and mild taste
• Can be eaten raw or breaded
• Also available flavoured with cumin, truffle, wild garlic, etc.
Chasselas Les Echelettes
Domaine Pascal Dance Aran
SELECTION OF CHEESE MERCHANTS:
Macheret Fromage
Rue Pré-du-Marché 3 1004 Lausanne
La Ferme Vaudoise Place de la Palud 5 1003 Lausanne
Les Petites Fromagères
At the market: Place SaintFrançois Wednesday/ Saturday mornings, and La Sallaz Thursday afternoons
Au Paradis du Fromage Rue du Simplon 25 1006 Lausanne
2025 will be a year of festivities shining a spotlight on Lausanne’s Cathedral of Notre Dame. Enjoy one of the official ceremonies or concerts and learn about the work of the artisans restoring the monument.
Stéphanie de Roguin
Lausanne Cathedral is one of the most visited sites in Switzerland, attracting more than 400,000 visitors a year. Some are pilgrims but most of them are tourists who come to admire its architecture. Two of its most eye-catching features are the 13th-century rose window, whose stained glass remains almost entirely intact, and the painted portal, a unique set of polychrome sculptures from the same period. One distinctive aspect of the cathedral visible from afar is that one of its two towers –a hallmark of Gothic architecture – was never finished. From the bell tower, the view of the city and lake is spectacular. This is also where the night watchman calls out the hour every hour from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., 365 nights a year.
Lausanne is one of the last seven cities in Europe to have preserved this tradition, which dates back to the Middle Ages.
Consecrated in 1275 in the presence of Pope Gregory X, the Bishop of Lausanne and Emperor Rudolf of Habsburg, the Cathedral will be celebrating 750 years of existence. But actually, Notre Dame is a little older than that. The Cathedral was completed in 1230, after 60 years of construction. Work resumed, however, in 1235 to repair extensive damage caused by a fire.
Jubilee events include concerts, mostly classical music – which the Cathedral regularly hosts –as well as variety shows and talks on its history and the artisanal techniques involved in its restoration.
“The Cathedral’s golden age was primarily in the 12th and 13th centuries,” explains Laurent Golay, Director of the Musée Historique Lausanne.
“It was a popular pilgrimage site in the Europe of Christendom.”
Guided tours will be available to explore the monument and its components, including the stained-glass windows, bells and organs. The organs, renovated in 2003, were the first in the world to be created by a designer. Some parts of the building, usually closed to the public, will also open from time to time.
New cloak of lights
Two official events should not be missed: the opening ceremony of the festivities, on 28 February, with the inauguration of the new interior lighting, and the anniversary of the Consecration, on 20 October. The new exterior lighting will also be unveiled during the year.
The French firm in charge of the project, L’Acte Lumière, designed a lighting plan that targets the building while minimising light pollution, with shades that vary with the time of day.
These moments of celebration and (re) discovery of the monument are aimed at locals and tourists alike: “Lausanne Cathedral is already well known outside our borders. Some activities are planned in several languages,” says Vincent Grandjean, President of the 750th Anniversary Association.
Salée au sucre is a must in the canton’s bakeries.
The most delicious of Vaud desserts is made of sweet yeast dough and a delicious rich cream and sugar filling, sometimes with butter or eggs added. Nothing about the preparation is savoury. So its name in French is an oxymoron: the “salée au sucre” (savoury with sugar).
Its name comes from the Vaudois dialect. First noted as early as 1660, the term salée, or sallaye, simply referred to a round cake. The filling varied, but generally consisted of beaten eggs or cheese. After sugar became readily accessible to the general population in the 19th century, the cream version of the dish became the most popular. Specific variations developed in different locations, such as the taillé de Goumoëns or the salée ormonanche. The Inventory of Swiss Culinary Heritage notes that the cream tart is a speciality mainly from the canton of Vaud but is also known in the surrounding areas. For example in Fribourg, you can enjoy the Gâteau du Vully with double cream.
A throwback to childhood
What makes the salée au sucre so emblematic? Romano Hasenauer, president of the organisation Lausanne à Table and owner of the Auberge du Chalet des Enfants and the Auberge de l’Abbaye de Montheron, recalls the emotional connection to the tarts his grandmother used to make. “It’s a delicious traditional tart that takes us back to our childhood memories. Unlike carac, made with a more codified recipe, people often make it at home.” In 2023, Lausanne à Table invited the public to choose the best salée au sucre from among those made by 10 Lausanne bakeries. Chez Séverine et Luca, on Avenue de la Gare 2, emerged as the winner. Their secret? “Our salée is very generous in cream, very tasty and slightly caramelised,” says baker Luca Cossettini, who also won the competition for the city’s best ramequin au fromage (cheese ramequin) the following year.
Since 1932, the emblematic shop Aux spécialités de la Palud has been delighting lovers of foreign food with specialities that can be hard to find elsewhere.
The shop is a historic landmark that any visitor to the heart of Lausanne should not miss! For nearly a century, Aux spécialités de la Palud has been attracting gourmets in search of quality foreign foods. Spanish, Greek, Moroccan and even Peruvian products now line the walls of this unusual store, a sort of tube 3 metres wide by 15 metres long that runs through a protected historic 18th-century building, a few steps from the Hôtel de Ville on Place de la Palud.
The shop was opened in 1932 by the Fischers, a Lausanne family who ran a fishmonger’s on Place de la Louve, on the other side of the building. Initially, Aux spécialités de la Palud sold spices and aromatic herbs from the family’s garden, but they soon diversified their offering and became pioneers in importing products from the Mediterranean region that were unknown in Lausanne at the time. Their shop was especially well known for its Greek and Lebanese delights. Already back then, people could try the children’s favourite, gnon bars with dried nuts.
“These days, when you can get almost anything from almost anywhere, it’s hard to imagine how exotic these products were back then,” says Élise Rabaey, the City’s Head of Gastronomy. “This was long before globalisation, when there was no other choice than short distribution channels. They were the norm, as they were cheaper”, adds Yvan Schneider, a nutritional education teacher.
In the 1960s, the business was handed over to the Chatelans. As butchers from Brétigny in the canton of Vaud, the couple began selling meats, but also with a Spanish flavour, adding chorizo and morcillas (blood sausages) to the selection. In the 1970s, they began selling artisanal merguez sausages, which still have the reputation for being “the best in Lausanne”.
In 1998, Pascal Dubois from Vaud and his Peruvian wife Eliana Valdivia took over the store and the secret merguez recipe. They expanded their range with products from South and Central America, such as dried chillies and tortillas. More recently, they have added Polish and Hungarian specialties. “And every year, we sell more and more merguez,” boasts Pascal Dubois, who sold over 4 tonnes of his famous sausages in 2023.
mixfood.party
As a teacher of French as a foreign language, Lausanne native Kimberley Perrenoud has created a workbook to learn the language of French-speaking Switzerland. It has been a huge success.
Do you know what a foehn is? A panosse? A cornet ? These words are only used in Frenchspeaking Switzerland. They mean hairdryer, mop and shopping bag, respectively, but those arenot the words taught in “standard” French.
During her training as a teacher of French as a foreign language, Kimberley Perrenoud identified a problem: the majority of learning methods used in French-speaking Switzerland come from France. As a result, non-French speakers cannot learn these typically Swiss terms, despite their use in everyday life. “When Swiss and French people talk about these differences, they laugh. But for a foreigner who has just arrived in the country, it can be really confusing,” the author says.
With that in mind, she created Parlons Suisse (Let’s Speak Swiss), a workbook for learning French that is specific to French-speaking Switzerland. The 50 or so activities in the book are designed to make learning fun, which is emphasised in the illustrations by Swiss artist Adrienne Barman. One exercise is a crossword puzzle with a map of the country’s main towns, conjugation exercises on civic rights and responsibilities, and a game
on waste sorting as practised in Switzerland. “Typical vocabulary and expressions from French-speaking Switzerland are only part of the difference in the language between Switzerland and France. The political system and the cultural and economic context are also completely different,” Kimberley Perrenoud explains.
Since its publication in the spring of 2023, the book has already sold over 2,500 copies. That is quite an achievement for an educational book. Even natives of French-speaking Switzerland are interested, curious to learn about little known aspects of their own culture. The publication has since been supplemented by an online platform featuring French-language activities revolving around song lyrics and interviews with Swiss artists, including the Lausanne-based musicians Silance, Maryne, Bastian Baker, and Stress (see also page 40).
Kimberley Perrenoud, Parlons Suisse LEP, 2023, CHF 15
In each edition, The Lausanner introduces you to a different stall at the Lausanne market. We met up with Amélie Dumont, founder of La Sobrerie, which offers a masterful selection of alternatives to alcoholic beverages on Rue Centrale.
Interview by Carole Berset
Deliciously surprising. That is how customers describe the non-alcoholic beverages from Amélie Dumont’s stand. The thirty-something young woman invites people to rediscover the art of food-drink pairing with her assortment of complex, amazingly flavourful still and sparkling wines, aperitifs, gourmet drinks and non-alcoholic beers.
How did La Sobrerie come into being?
Amélie Dumont: As a lover of gourmet food, I often felt frustrated that the only choice I had to accompany my meals was water or sugary, industrial sodas. Then I realised I wasn’t the only one who found it unfortunate that the range of non-alcoholic drinks on offer was so limited. I’ve always kept a close eye on market developments in Europe and English-speaking countries, with the idea of starting my own business one day. Covid was an opportunity for lots of people to take a long, hard look at their relationship with alcohol and reduce their social and festive consumption of it. From that, new producers began to emerge that make truly high-quality beverages. That’s what drove me to set up La Sobrerie in May 2023, to import these products to Switzerland for the first time.
How do you select your products?
With my partner, Thomas Ferran, who works with me, we only choose drinks that we like. We aim for a certain aromatic complexity so that we can pair them with fine food. The composition also has to be clean, with no chemical colourings or preservatives,
and contain very little sugar. For now, we only work with European producers and sell about a hundred different products on our website.
What are customers looking for when they come to your stand?
Most of them come to taste our drinks and find out more about the products. Are they sweet? Where are they from? Do they taste like wine? Which drinks go best with fondue or fish? Just like wine merchants, we believe in the importance of advising our customers, and we also offer a telephone service.
What specifically do you like at the market?
The interaction with other merchants and our customers. We love being in direct contact with them and building a long-term relationship. It’s also moving to see the reaction of new customers. They’re amazed at the rich taste and new flavours of these beverages, most of which are not at all created to imitate the flavours of alcoholic beverages. It’s also satisfying to note that almost all the passers-by who taste our products love them and decide to take the leap into alcohol-free drinking.
At the market
Rue Centrale, opposite Globus
Every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
“MOST CONFLICTS CAN BE RESOLVED THROUGH DIALOGUE”
Nora Bongard works as a night correspondent in Lausanne. Her role is to focus on prevention of harassment and substance abuse, as well as to de-escalate conflicts on the streets at night.
Interview by Audrey Magat
Night correspondents are mediators who reach out to young people to prevent misconduct and help to keep the streets safe. Created in 2015 by the City of Lausanne, the unit now has 13 professionals, or 9.6 full-time equivalents. The multi-disciplinary teams are guardians of urban peace while addressing safety, health and social issues. Nora Bongard, 28, has been working for two years to bring a sense of calm to Lausanne’s nightlife.
What do night correspondents do?
Nora Bongard: We do outreach in the evenings in different neighbourhoods in Lausanne to work on prevention. For example, we go out and talk to groups of young people, usually at some sort of party, about the dangers of using alcohol and drugs. We explain that excessive consumption can be a threat to their safety and the safety of others. We also teach people about street harassment. We hand out cards with a QR code that links directly to a City website, where they can report incidents, either as a victim or bystander. Our work also involves defusing conflict, reducing noise for local residents and preventing depredation in the public space. Lots of problems can be resolved through dialogue.
How does one become a night correspondent?
When the unit was set up in 2015, correspondents had training in psychology, sociology, medicine or security. But they’ve opened up the selection criteria in the last two years. For example, I started out in hairdressing. I changed jobs because I wanted to help. Correspondents attend regular in-house training courses on first aid, mediation and de-escalation methods, street harassment prevention and addiction risks. We always work in pairs, sometimes trios, to make sure we form a solid group and can adapt to needs. For example, a young woman might rather talk to a female correspondent, or some men might prefer to work with my male colleagues to settle their conflicts.
What do you like about your job?
The new people I meet, the discussions, the problems I have to deal with... No two evenings are the same! I especially like talking to young people. We don’t have any authority to punish or arrest, which makes it easier to talk things through.
What makes a good night correspondent?
You need to know Lausanne’s urban environment well. I think you should also be able to handle tension and have good communication skills, while maintaining a neutral and impartial stance.
What’s a typical evening like?
On Thursdays, we work from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., on Fridays and Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., and on Wednesdays and Sundays from 4 p.m. to midnight. At weekends, we generally start our rounds in districts such as Le Flon and Place de l’Europe and in summer, along the lake shore. For the second half of the evening, we stay around the nightclubs. We stop at 2 a.m. because after such a late hour, people are no longer as receptive to prevention.
What situations do you encounter?
We regularly see young men who are alone and disorientated, often intoxicated. We assess their situation and make sure they get home safely. We do not take people home but contact their friends or a taxi, or even an ambulance if their health is threatened. We also often calm things down at the beginning of a conflict, before they turn into fights.
Have you ever been in danger?
Working in a uniform in the street, especially at night, inevitably involves a degree of risk, but we are trained in self-defence. I’ve never felt in danger, because our mission is one of prevention and mediation. We don’t get involved in situations that are beyond our remit.
The unit will also potentially be deployed during the day. What do you think about that?
I think it’s an excellent idea! Doing outreach during the day would bring us into contact with other audiences that are not as young and not in a festive atmosphere. Prevention is just as important for the rest of the population.
Coming from all walks of life – music, cinema, television and even forensic medicine, celebrities who have visited Lausanne in recent months each attracted large crowds.
Two photos on the shores of Lake Geneva and selfies with the audience at the Vaudoise aréna: the American musician shared a few moments from his time in Lausanne on Instagram. The concert in the Vaud capital on 25 September, which marked the final date of his Play 25 European Tour, was the culmination of a rare event – his first tour in 10 years! As he admitted on his podcast, leaving the comfort of his home for life on the road is not something that Moby enjoys. “What convinced me to go back on tour was the idea of donating all the proceeds to animal rights associations,” the artist said, a long-time vegan known for his staunch support for animal rights.
Travelling with his four dogs in tow, Moby selected local and international charities at each stage of the tour. The organisations were also invited to present their work in the concert venue. In Lausanne, the proceeds went to the Jane Goodall Institute, EarthPercent and three Swiss charities, Tier im Recht, Tier im Fokus and Swiss Animal Protection.
On 16 October, the big event in Lausanne was the presence of Belgian forensic pathologist and social media star Philippe Boxho. On tour to promote his third bestselling book, La Mort en Face (Death in the Face), he gave a talk about his work to an audience of 500 people. Organised by FNAC, the free event was initially scheduled to take place at a smaller venue. Due to overwhelming demand, it was ultimately held at the Pathé Flon cinema. In his interview with RTS, the man who has performed some 3,000 autopsies spoke about his success, “I can’t take three steps without being recognised in Belgium. In Switzerland, it’s fine, I can still walk around. I’m happy.”
On 21 August, the world pole vault champion broke his own record by jumping over a bar 6.25 metres off the ground at City Event, a pole vaulting competition held on Place de la Navigation. (Four days later he cleared 6.26 metres in Poland). It was a second victory for Armand “Mondo” Duplantis at this popular competition, organised the day before Lausanne’s Athletissima athletics meeting. Free and open to all, City Event drew an enthusiastic crowd to the lakeshore. Earlier in the day, the Meet the Stars event gave children and teenagers age 8 to 15 the chance to chat with Athletissima’s star athletes.
On 12 September, the fragrance department at Manor department store was all abuzz. The stylist and famous host on the French TV channel M6 was there to present her vegan cosmetics brand Magnifaïk. Just as charismatic as she is on TV, the Brazilian native warmly welcomed her audience, posing for photos and guiding customers through the products with two professional make-up artists. She also shared her excitement on Instagram with lots of stories, from her arrival at the Lausanne train station to her visit at Manor department store, not to mention when she first saw her room at the Lausanne Palace, with its breathtaking view of the lake and a cushion embroidered with her initials.
The muse of Pedro Almodóvar was a guest at the Cinémathèque suisse at the Capitole cinema on 17 October for a retrospective on the works of Swiss director Daniel Schmid, who died in 2006. After visiting the Switzerland cinematheque’s archive centre in Penthaz (Vaud) in the afternoon, the Spanish actress presented the 1992 film Hors Saison (Off Season), in which she played Sarah Bernhardt, to a packed house. She spoke touchingly about the close friendship she had had with Daniel Schmid since making that film, “I loved him, I love him and I will love him. And I hope you will always love him too.” During her stay in Lausanne, Marisa Paredes also took the opportunity to visit the Musée de l’immigration with her husband.
Specialised in exoskeletons that make it possible for paralysed people to walk again, the Vaud-based startup Twiice is preparing to take on the US market, where its Medicare healthcare system now reimburses patients about CHF 95,000 for exoskeletons. “Currently, 160,000 people in the United States are waiting for a walking assistance system at this level of reimbursement,” Twiice co-founder Jemina Fasola told the Swiss newspaper 24 heures . The company, a spin-off of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), stands out from its competitors with its lightweight, easyto-operate exoskeletons.
How many stairs does the Escaliers du Marché have?
This stairway has 177 wooden stairs that connect Place de la Palud to the Cathedral. The oldest records of the structure date from the 13th century. The roof was added in the 18th century, and in 1911, some of the steps were removed to build Rue Pierre-Viret, partially destroying the square where the market was held until the 14th century.
“I’VE RECEIVED SO MANY MESSAGES OF SUPPORT”
Zoé Claessens won the bronze medal in BMX Racing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, making her the tenth medallist from the canton of Vaud in the history of the Summer Olympics.
On 2 August, Zoé Claessens of the BMX Club in Échichens took third place on the BMX Racing podium at the Olympic Games in Paris. In doing so, the Villars-sous-Yens resident gave the canton of Vaud its only medal for this edition of the event.
“These Games have put me in the spotlight in an incredible way. Several people from my club and from the World Cycling Centre in Aigle, where I trained to compete in the Games, even travelled to Paris to cheer me on. Plus, I’ve received so many messages of support,” the athlete says. To prepare her physically, one of the places she went to was the MotionLab sports medicine centre in Le Mont-sur-Lausanne.
Since first discovering her favourite sport at the age of 7, the three-time European champion, two-time world runner-up and four-time Swiss champion has
also become the tenth medallist from Vaud in the history of the Summer Olympics. Before her was tennis player Timea Bacsinszky, from Lausanne, who won the silver in Rio in 2016.
Breaking records in Switzerland
In all, the 132 athletes representing Switzerland at the Paris Olympics won eight medals and 32 diplomas (awarded to competitors finishing between fourth and eighth place). That is a record for Switzerland at the Summer Games! Five of the diploma winners were from Vaud: Maud Jayet (fourth in sailing, ILCA 6 category), Raphaël Ahumada (fourth in rowing, in a team with Jan Schäuble), Mélody Johner (fifth in equestrian), Cathia Schär (seventh in triathlon) and Arno de Planta (eighth in sailing, in a team with Sébastien Schneiter).
With 16 athletes taking part – and an equal number of men and women – Vaud was also the third most represented canton in the Swiss delegation. However, no one from Vaud competed in the Paralympic Games.
Sport and streetwear go hand in hand. FC Lausanne-Sport (LS) has proved this holds true by choosing designer Sébastian Strappazzon (see his interview in Lausanner 11) to create a limited collection, in the club’s colours, dubbed LS X Strappazzon. “It was an honour for me to have the opportunity to design clothes for the club in the city where I spent a good part of my youth, even though I’m not really a big football fan,” admits the artistic director of Avnier, the streetwear brand he co-founded with rapper Orelsan. “But LS is much more than that. It’s also an iconic symbol in Lausanne’s collective unconscious.” Local company YE-Texprod produced the clothing, and the campaign was designed by Lea Sblandano. lausanne-sport.ch strappazzon.ch
Appointed President of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) by the Federal Council, Anna Fontcuberta i Morral will take office on 1 January 2025 for a renewable four-year term. Specialising in materials science and a professor at EPFL since 2014, she will be the first woman to head the prestigious school, which was founded 172 years ago.
After Berlin and London, the must-see retrospective on Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama will be coming to Lausanne. The work of the prolific 86-year-old artist, regarded as one of Japan’s greatest photographers, can be seen until 23 February 2025 at Photo Élysée, in the Plateforme 10 arts district. Inspired by Andy Warhol and William Klein, Daido Moriyama captured the clash between Japanese tradition and the fast-pace westernisation of his country after World War II. elysee.ch
Published in October, the very first Delicious Guide, which is free and also available online, highlights about a hundred spots – delicatessens, guinguettes, cellars, cafés, markets and Michelin-starred restaurants – where you can savour the culinary treasures of Lausanne and the surrounding area. The selection was prepared by a team of independent food journalists and bloggers. The guide will be updated with a new edition every year. guidedelicieux.com
Six new streets have been renamed after women who made their mark on Lausanne. Among them is Promenade Lucienne-Schnegg opposite the Capitole cinema, named in honour of the long-time director who ran the place from 1955 until her death, at age 90, in 2015.
Sarah Benahmed, host of the dining area at the two-star restaurant La Table du Lausanne Palace, won the Service Award for her professionalism at the Michelin Guide Ceremony held in October at the EHL Hospitality Business School.
Launched in 2020 and since adopted in 275 cities, the app Timeleft is now available in Lausanne. The concept is to fight loneliness by bringing strangers together for a meal. The algorithm chooses five users that match your profile and the restaurant where your encounter will take place.
With $15.5 billion generated by its startup community between July 2021 and December 2023, the canton of Vaud ranks 11th in the “emerging ecosystems” category of the Global Startup Ecosystem Report.
Maïté Sulliger gained experience in fashion marketing between Geneva and Manchester. Now back in Lausanne, in the neighbourhood where she grew up, she runs Frip Square, a thrift shop where she upholds vintage as a style ideology.
Interview by Alexandre Lanz
Maïté Sulliger has a flair for selecting pieces that highlight the shape of an elegant silhouette. And she has made a career out of it, as a style influencer for several years now with her online thrift shop. In July 2023, the Lausanne native and mother of two young children opened Frip Square, a space co-founded with her partner, Willy Mam, in the Sous-Gare district. She takes care of the shop, while he runs the café. The location quickly took off. As if that was not enough, the entrepreneur also has her own brand of sunglasses, Kelani. Made from recycled plastic, these colourful specs are already flying off the shelves.
How did you come up with the idea for Frip Square?
Maïté Sulliger: I’ve always loved fashion. After studying marketing, I worked for a major ready-to-wear brand in Manchester. It was an unforgettable experience that also made me aware of the damage caused by over-consumption. That’s why, when I returned to Lausanne, I decided to offer a selection of vintage pieces from Europe and the United States. When I started online, Instagram quickly established my reputation. I started my business just as vintage started to become popular in Lausanne.
The shop is located in Sous-Gare. What does this neighbourhood inspire for you?
The location is great. It’s 10 minutes from the lake and 10 minutes from the city centre. You can get anywhere easily. This is where I grew up. Now that I’m a mum, I appreciate the swimming pools and parks nearby. You feel safe and comfortable here.
The area has gentrified over the years... unsurprisingly, with all the lovely buildings here.
How would you describe Lausanne?
Its appeal is in the mix of the urban development in the city centre, the tranquility of nature –not just around but also within the city, with its lush parks – and the beauty of its old, historic buildings. For me, these three aspects capture the city well.
You used to live in Manchester. What do you appreciate about Lausanne that you wouldn’t find elsewhere?
Lausanne is attractive in a lot of ways. Its medium size offers a lot of opportunities to develop your own business, as is my case, without the pressure of big cities. The quality of life is incredible, even if – in my opinion – there could be more shops with an avant-garde concept. But most of all, what Lausanne has that other cities don’t is that beautiful view of the lake and the mountains.
You’re very into American hip hop culture. Can you find it here?
Not enough in my opinion! A few years ago when I used to dance, I found a bit of that vibe with Swiss artists, dancers and rappers. But now, I hope to inject a bit of the American style I love into the vintage clothes I select for my shop.
You also created your own brand of sunglasses in recycled plastic, Kelani. It’s in keeping with the second-hand spirit. I’ve teamed up with a Dutch company that recovers plastic from the seaside. A designer, also Dutch, creates and produces the sunglasses. I then take care of the branding. The name is a tribute to R&B singer Kehlani. The products are on sale at Frip Square.
EVAN & BENJAMIN
evanbenjamin.studio
SHOPPING
ECO-SHOPPING
VIETNAMESE
MEDITERANEAN
FOULAZ
Avenue du Rond-Point 25, Lausanne foulaz.ch
HOIAN BBQ
Chemin des Pêcheurs 7, Lausanne hoianbbq.ch
MERAKI
Place de la Riponne 10, Lausanne merakilausanne.ch
What are your future projects? First of all, I want to develop the existing business. I have a lot of energy and ideas for marketing. Between the café and the shop, my partner and I have had the opportunity to create around 10 jobs. I’m also planning to open new locations outside Lausanne, based on the same concept.
frip-square.com
“When I’m not shopping online, I like to support independent local designers like Evan & Benjamin. The two of them make some lovely bags.”
“I pay special attention to eco-friendly brands. Foulaz is a shop located in Sous-Gare that offers ethical and upcycled designs.”
“This Vietnamese restaurant in Port d’Ouchy is my favourite. I love their terrace with the view of the boats. I prefer slightly traditional addresses where I know you can eat well and that aren’t necessarily Instagrammable.”
“I like outdoor places, like Meraki, a Greek and Mediterranean restaurant overlooking Place de la Riponne, Great Escape with its beautiful terrace, also above Place de la Riponne, and Jetée de la Compagnie, on the lakeside.”
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 Lausanners community is made up of locals from diverse backgrounds. Throughout the year, they share their experiences and top tips to help you enjoy city life to the fullest. In this issue, we invite you to explore the Vaud capital as seen through the eyes of Vincent Mivelaz, 43, HR manager and photography enthusiast, and Amélie Touchet, 30, illustrator.
Interviews by Leandra Patané
Vincent Mivelaz, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m passionate about photography and travel. Outside work, I travel the world with my partner. We love visiting new places and sharing our adventures on our blog vincent-mivelaz.com. My passion for photography began on a trip to Australia in 2004. Since then, I haven’t ceased to rediscover Lausanne through my lens and expand my work with my escapades, mainly on my bike, my faithful companion.
What does your ideal winter weekend look like?
I start with breakfast at Bread Store on Saturday, followed by a stroll to enjoy the friendly atmosphere of the downtown shops. Then we head to Le Montriond for a wood-fired fondue. I also love
Parc de Mon-Repos with its majestic trees, while Chalet-à-Gobet is ideal for admiring the first snows. It’s the highest point in the city, with mountain bike paths, a Vita Parcours exercise trail and an open-air sports complex. It’s the perfect place to get away without going too far.
Which biking trail do you recommend?
I recommend starting off from Lac de Sauvabelin, in the heights of Lausanne, then passing through Parc de l’Hermitage, La Cité and Colline du Languedoc hillside. From there, you can marvel at the breathtaking view of the sky, vineyards and lake, before returning to the shore. Whether on foot or by bike, I also love wandering between the Esplanade du Flon and Avenue de Sévelin to get shots of the street art by Swiss graffiti artist CRBZ.
What does it mean to you to be a Lausanner?
I’m deeply attached to my region and proud of my city. I like to help people rediscover everyday places and present them in a new light. Precious childhood memories come flooding back, for example, when I hear the talking clock in Place de la Palud. Sometimes the people of Lausanne don’t notice it anymore.
What is the perfect picture to take in Lausanne?
For an unusual shot, I recommend the Ouchy boatyard. In the morning, you can see fishermen returning to shore, people doing yoga, and life gently awakening. Starting from Haldimand Tower heading in the direction of Pully, the lakeside path is lovely, and you might even get a chance to meet a local fox.
Boulangerie Bread Store Avenue d’Ouchy 15, Lausanne
Le Montriond Avenue Édouard-Dapples 25, Lausanne
Chalet-à-Gobet Route de Cojonnex, Lausanne
Lac de Sauvabelin
Bois de Sauvabelin, Lausanne
Horloge de la Palud Place de la Palud 23, Lausanne
Haldimand Tower
Avenue de la Tour Haldimand, Lausanne
Amélie Touchet, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m a French illustrator with a passion for stories in pictures. I studied photography and graphic design. While I was living in Montreal, where I stayed for four years, I discovered my passion for illustration. I moved to Lausanne three years ago. I create works that inspire the imagination and invite you to go places.
What places do you like going to the most?
I’m a big lover of coffee and the atmosphere of Lausanne’s cafés. I love finding new places to settle down and work. I’ve even created a series of illustrations on my favourite spots, such as Coffee Page, which recently enlarged its space, Le Barbare, and Académie Café.
What are your other top spots in Lausanne?
I love going to the terraced area around the Pyramides de Vidy at the end of the day. It’s quiet, almost private and perfect for relaxing. I also love Café Perché for good food in a friendly atmosphere. The little terrace, open in nice weather above the Palais de Beaulieu, offers a panoramic view of the entire lake. But my real favourite is the Jetée de la Compagnie, in Ouchy. I love spending time there in any season. In winter,
I go there with my thermos of coffee for a swim, and in summer to enjoy the snack bar and yoga classes.
Is your thirst for art quenched in Lausanne? In Lausanne, art is on every street corner. I’m impressed with the architecture of the building housing the mudac (Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts) and Photo Élysée. I love its minimalism and its futuristic, airy look. On top of cultural venues, I closely follow designer markets. Especially SweetMarket, which takes place four times a year and showcases local artisans. In fact, I’m a big fan of Nardi Lunetier artisans. They create bespoke, hand-crafted eyewear in a beautiful, designer boutique in the Sous-Gare district.
Coffee Page
Rue du Midi 20, Lausanne
Le Barbare
Escaliers du Marché 27, Lausanne
Académie Café
Rue de l’Académie 3, Lausanne
Café Perché
Promenade du Bois-de-Beaulieu, Lausanne
La Jetée de la Compagnie
Jetée de la Compagnie, Lausanne
mudac and Photo Élysée
Place de la Gare 17, Lausanne
Nardi Lunetier
Boulevard de Grancy 38, Lausanne
SweetMarket sweetmarket.ch
Lionel Baier, in front of his company’s offices in Lausanne, with the car used in La cache, a 1966 Citroën Ami 6, just brought back from Paris. “For the film shoot, we needed a bigger car than the Fiat mentioned in the novel,” the director says. He fell in love with the old-timer vehicle and decided to keep it.
“I feel a tremendous sense of freedom in Lausanne”
Lionel Baier has often showcased his hometown in his work. As he prepares to release his eighth feature film, La cache, we met up with the filmmaker, who teaches his craft at La Fémis film school in Paris and ECAL in Lausanne.
Interview by Trinidad Barleycorn
You may see him walking down the pedestrian street in the centre of Lausanne where he lives, wearing a jacket and tie, followed by Nox, the neighbourhood black cat. Lionel Baier has been designated to take care of him. “I feed him and had him vaccinated, but he’s not mine. I don’t like the idea of owning an animal,” he smiles, “because Nox goes wherever he wants.”
A feline in the image of his caretaker, a filmmaker who explores the world of cinema from every angle. Since 2023, he has headed the production department at La Fémis (École nationale supérieure des métiers de l’image et du son) in Paris and has taught for over 22 years at ECAL (École cantonale d’art de Lausanne). He is also co-founder of the production company Bande à part Films, vicepresident of the Cinémathèque suisse (Swiss National Film Archive) and a member of the boards of the La Manufacture performing arts school in Lausanne and the Visions du Réel documentary film festival in Nyon (Vaud).
Given his elegance and impressive CV, you might think he would be serious, but Lionel Baier handles humour with brio. In his film La dérive des continents (au sud) (in English: Continental Drift (South), he shows the delightful absurdity of a state visit to a migrant camp in Sicily that was redesigned to look more miserable to match the storyline of the presidents’ press attachés. Then, in Les grandes ondes (à l’ouest) (Longwave), journalists from French-speaking Switzerland dispatched to Portugal become so absorbed by an inconsequential story that they miss the Carnation Revolution. The director’s masterful balancing act with La Vanité (Vanity) takes Patrick Lapp and Carmen Maura on a deep dive into assisted suicide, without ever taking the smile off our faces.
In 2025, Lionel Baier will present his eighth feature film, La cache (The Safe House), with a budget of around CHF 5.5 million. It will mark the final on-screen appearance of the famous French actor Michel Blanc, who passed away suddenly on 3 October 2024. The film is an adaptation of Christophe Boltanski’s eponymous novel, which won the French language literary prize Prix Femina. The book tells, with touches of humour, the true story of the Boltanskis, a family of multi-generational artists that were so close that they travelled together in their old car and lived as if under siege in a flat filled with trauma. During the Occupation, Étienne Boltanski, the narrator’s Jewish grandfather, survived for two years in a tiny hiding place with the help of his Catholic wife. His presence was even kept secret from their children.
La cache is your first adaptation. How did you choose this project?
Lionel Baier: My French distributor suggested it to me when it came out in 2015. I really liked the book, but writing the screenplay was complicated because the author tells the story of four generations of his family in a very original way –and not chronologically – through the rooms of the flat where he grew up. He gave me free rein for the adaptation. So I chose a compelling point to start from: when the narrator was 10, his uncle, the famous visual artist Christian Boltanski, organised his very first exhibition on 3 May 1968. No one came because of the civil unrest that broke out in France in May 1968. I thought we could condense history into the month of May and draw similarities with the war, because there were battles in the streets, Paris was paralysed, and so on. Those events could remind the family of what they had been through, without having to shoot scenes with Nazi costumes, because I couldn’t bring myself to do that.
I feel a lot of anxiety around the Shoah. My family’s origins are lost in Poland, where I come across Jewish names. That might be why I find this tragedy extremely distressing, as I do all wars. When the war started in Ukraine, I was in a state of shock for about two or three weeks. I couldn’t sleep. I felt the same anxiety over the 7 October attacks in Israel and the war in Gaza. I also feel panicked by the current rise of the extreme right. →
The Boltanski family story has a lot in common with yours. Is that what convinced you to bring it to the screen?
The Boltanski great-grandparents came from Odessa, the city where my own great-grandfather met my great-grandmother when he was stationed there as a soldier. They then emigrated to Switzerland in the 1910s, while the Boltanskis emigrated to France. But what touched me the most was how far the author went to retrace his origins. Like mine, they were vague. People who flee their country often have to lie in order to stay somewhere. My great-grandfather had several identity cards. He was born in France, Germany, Poland or Russia, depending on what helped him.
“Lausanne can be filmed like a big city because it has all the cultural, economic and sporting activities of a big city.”
La cache is the fifth film in which you’ve directed your husband, theatre actor Adrien Barazzone. Is it difficult working as a couple?
Yes! (Laughs.) That’s why he never gets a lead role. I think it’s harder to film people you’re close to in your private life.
Why is that?
Because what’s really intriguing about film and theatre is that you can desire someone completely without that desire being sexualised. For me, it’s as if I’m in love with the actresses and actors I work with: I want to see them and film them all the time. I also have to win them over constantly so that they want to come back the next day. When I shoot with my husband, there’s less of a challenge. Even if we argue one day, I know he’ll be on set the next. Adrien has been excellent in his roles, but I find that other people film him better than I do. I’m speaking for myself of course, because there are directors
who have done a great job directing their partners, like John Cassavetes who filmed Gena Rowlands beautifully.
You’ve shot four films in Lausanne. What do you like about the setting?
Lausanne lends itself to being filmed like a big city because it has all the cultural, economic and sporting activities of a big city. It also has great architectural diversity. Buildings have been added all over the place, not always in the best urban taste, but for filmmakers, it’s very interesting. And it’s much easier to organise shoots there than in Paris, for example, where we shot the exteriors for La cache.
The city authorities have an office that manages it, and you always have the same contact person. They provide you with things, within reason, and it’s very affordable. I’m also always surprised by how helpful the people of Lausanne are when we shoot. People say that there’s a kind of indolence in the Vaud, almost a little Mediterranean, and that’s very useful to us as filmmakers. The people are really accommodating.
Do you have any plans to come back and shoot in Switzerland?
I don’t know yet whether I’ll do it before the “north” instalment of my tetralogy, which will be set in Scotland, but I’m currently writing a film that will be set entirely in Lausanne. It’ll include a supernatural element – a first for me. The last film I produced, Le procès du chien (Dog on Trial) by Laetitia Dosch, was also shot in Lausanne. Laetitia chose Lausanne because she fell in love with the city during her training at La Manufacture. It gives her a tremendous sense of freedom.
And what do you like most about Lausanne?
I also get the impression of tremendous freedom, because Lausanne takes itself less seriously than other Swiss cities. Some things are in bad condition, it’s a lot messier, but it’s real life. I’ve been living in a very working-class street for the past 25 years, with great diversity that works very well and contradicts what the extreme right says.
What is your fondest memory of Lausanne?
I have a very clear memory of the 1989 Eurovision final at the Palais de Beaulieu (see also page 2). I was in front of my television set, and I found it incredible to see the European Broadcasting Union’s credits open on a building I knew. And to know that all of Europe had their eyes on us. But more prosaically, not a day goes by where I walk through this city without thinking how lucky I am to live here.
Bande à part Films – the production company you co-founded in Lausanne with filmmakers Ursula Meier, Jean-Stéphane Bron and Frédéric Mermoud – celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2024. How did that success story begin?
Jean-Stéphane and I have been friends for 30 years. Back then, we were both produced by Robert Boner, who had shot quite a few films in Lausanne, including Les Indiens sont encore loin with Isabelle Huppert and Sauve qui peut (la vie) by Jean-Luc Godard. We teamed up with him. We were supposed to make a documentary series, and we were looking for other directors for the project. I’d seen some short films by Ursula Meier, and we decided to contact her. Jean-Stéphane knew Frédéric Mermoud from ECAL. We started working together, reading each other’s scripts and showing each other our edits. Very soon, we wanted to found a production company together to keep the rights to our films.
You’ve been diversifying your activities a lot in recent years, with a first TV film, Prénom: Matthieu, in 2018, a first play in 2022, a first adaptation in 2025, and a first fantasy film in the pipeline. Do you want to dabble in everything? That’s a sign of old age! (Laughs.) I want change, so that I don’t get too comfortable. I think that cinema is really the art of the young, the rebellious. As you get older, you settle – or at least I do – into a certain practice. I see that I go back through where I’ve already been. So I force myself to add a difficulty to each project. For La cache, the difficulty was to make an ensemble film.
Is teaching at ECAL and La Fémis a way of staying close to the next generation of filmmakers? Definitely! Young people are very inspiring. I’ve stolen lots of ideas from them (laughs). I also tell them to take mine. When you’re starting out, you’re very reluctant to take ideas that are given to you. But in cinema, when you’re given an idea, it becomes yours because the director’s job is to make it his own. →
13 December 1975
Born in Lausanne, grew up in Yvonand and Gimel (VD), where his father was a pastor
1990
Moved to Lausanne
1992
Co-manager and programming coordinator of the Rex cinema in Aubonne
1999
Master of Arts (cinema, French, Italian) at the University of Lausanne 2002-2021
Director of the Film Studies Department at ECAL 2004
First feature film Garçon stupide (Stupid Boy)
2006
First part of his tetralogy Comme des voleurs (à l’est) (Stealth (East))
2009
Co-founded production company Bande à part Films
2013
Trophée Francophone award for best director for Les Grandes Ondes (à l’ouest)
2022
La Dérive des continents (au sud) selected for the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes
First play, Foucault en Californie, presented at Théâtre de Vidy in Lausanne
2023
Co-director of the filmmaking department at La Fémis 2025
Release of the film La cache starring Michel Blanc, Dominique Reymond and Liliane Rovère
What are your takeaways from your second year at La Fémis?
Very positive overall. I’m co-director of the filmmaking department. There are two of us, so we can stand in for each other when the other is on film shoots. It’s thrilling because we’re teaching the people who will be the French cinema of tomorrow, and we’re at the core of the reactor of the biggest film industry in Europe. I was also hired to develop some of the initiatives that we’d put in place at ECAL and which have proved worthwhile. One of these is the lab system which requires students to film a lot and very quickly develop a real relationship with production and the challenges of the job.
PARC DU CALVAIRE
Chemin du Calvaire, Lausanne
How have your weeks been organised since you were appointed?
I’ve been living between Lausanne and Paris for 15 years now, so I’m used to travelling back and forth. I used to spend four or five days in Lausanne and two to three days in Paris. Now it’s the other way round. But I’ll always call Lausanne home. It’s a wonderful city with an amazing quality of life. There’s a significant relationship with nature that is essential for me. You can easily go for a run in the forest or swimming at the lake. There are great museums, a Swiss National Film Archive, little bookshops, and so much more. What more could you ask for? ■
LE SAXO
Rue de la Grotte 3, Lausanne lesaxo.com
“I love this pretty little park. It used to be a cemetery (until the 1940s – ed.) and some famous people’s graves have been left there. There’s an oak tree planted in memory of Karoł Emanuel Grohmann, a Polish man from Lausanne who was murdered by the Soviets during the Katyn massacre. It’s quiet, with lots of trees.”
“It’s the oldest gay bar in Lausanne, and a really great place. Jacques, the owner, organises karaoke nights. I don’t sing, but I like to have a drink and watch those who dare to. There are people of all ages, from all walks of life, gay or not, who are there just for the fun of it.”
Whether you’re into rap, rock, electro, jazz, pop, R&B or classical music, no need to escape to a big city, Lausanne’s music scene has plenty to offer! Experience its many venues and enjoy its rich and diverse range of excellent artists.
Nnavy. Louise Knobil. Arma Jackson. Silance. Before them, you have DJ Mandrax, the rapper Stress, bassist Marcello Giuliani and the group Sens Unik. Over the past several decades, artists from Lausanne have put their region on the musical map both in Switzerland and worldwide. At home, fans have an ever-growing choice of live music venues that are attracting large audiences. And that goes for classical music too. The city of 150,000 has all the advantages of a big city, with two professional orchestras and an opera house.
historic warehouses in the lively and central Le Flon district. Devoted mainly to jazz and jazz-inspired music, the hub features a 300-seat auditorium and 29 rehearsal rooms.
The continually packed club has strengthened Lausanne’s “role as a jazz capital in Switzerland”, says Jean-Yves Cavin, co-director of the Cully Jazz Festival and president of the Les Jumeaux Jazz Club association. “In fact, the Lake Geneva region is becoming a small but reputed and popular hotbed for European jazz.”
Texts
Trinidad Barleycorn
Erik Freudenreich
Alexandre Lanz
Illustrations
David Stettler
As far back as 20 years ago, the Zurich-based magazine Facts highlighted the Vaud capital’s “world-class reputation in all musical styles”. But that has not stopped Lausanne from going further. In January 2024, the city opened the Les Jumeaux music centre in
On 7 February 2025, Le Romandie club will reopen after renovation under the arches of the Grand-Pont. Operated by the non-profit E la nave va, the new Le Romandie will build on its 20-year history, with capacity now increased to accommodate 300 people. This reopening
marks the creation of a new venue, La Brèche (see p. 45), located one floor below, creating a new hub for contemporary music, just next to Le Flon.
40 years of effort
Strengthening the importance of the musical offering in the historic centre is the result of a clear determination on the part of the city authorities. “We often see urban areas pushing their concert halls towards the edges of city,” says Michael Kinzer, head of Lausanne’s culture department. “In Lausanne, we uphold a strong centre, which is what we have with these three new venues as well as the Les Docks concert hall and Salle Métropole, EJMA and HEMU (École de jazz et de musiques actuelles and Haute école de musique – ed.), renowned clubs like MAD and D!, and live music venues like La Datcha. Together, they create the diversity of
Lausanne’s musical identity and contribute to its vibrancy.”
The goal to develop an abundant supply of contemporary music in Lausanne is relatively recent. It came in the wake of Lôzane Bouge, the student-led protests of the early 1980s. Then came La Dolce Vita, one of Lausanne’s top nightclubs for over a decade. At the same time, MAD was laying the groundwork for what Le Flon, then full of dying warehouses, was to become: the city’s party district.
A useful microcosm
“What’s special about Lausanne is that it offers the cultural offering of a much larger city, which is what makes it such an exciting place to be,” says Michael Kinzer. “But our policy would be nothing without the excellence of the
institutions, festivals, independent scene, and, especially, the local artists. Today, I am convinced that the structures available make them want to stay in Lausanne.”
Due to its medium size, the capital of Vaud also has the advantage of making it easy to network, because everyone knows everyone else. “As in the rest of Switzerland, Lausanne’s music ecosystem is becoming increasingly professional, thanks in part to support programmes for young artists such as Proxima, at Les Docks,” says Maï Kolly, who has been programming contemporary music for the past two years at Label Suisse, the major festival held every two years to celebrate Swiss music. In September 2024, she invited Lausanne artists Nnavy, Sami Galbi, Mary Middlefield and The Two.
Louise Knobil, the rising star in jazz, irresistibly captivates her audience by singing and plucking her double bass.
Her background is in jazz, but she doesn’t want to confine herself to it: in September, Louise Knobil released her second EP Knobisous on her birthday. In the six songs that unfold into her musical diary, she tackles subjects that are as personal and profound as they are light-hearted and amusing.
What was your first encounter with the double bass?
Louise Knobil: It happened in several stages. As a child, I started out playing classical clarinet at the Conservatoire, before trying my hand at jazz saxophone at EJMA when I was 12. I went on to play in my first band, Queen’s Underwear, before discovering the electric bass and then double bass when I was 21, also at EJMA.
Was it easy?
Yes and no. It was easier for me to start playing the double bass since I had already played the electric bass before. However, it takes an enormous amount of work to get good at it. The double bass makes the low frequencies vibrate organically, without microphones or amplifiers, with a simple resonance box.
Who are your influences?
In jazz, I love the bassist Charles Mingus. And Esperanza Spalding. She’s a living goddess for me. She plays the double bass, sings and composes. As for songs, I love the mischievousness of Boris Vian, a true jazz lover.
You released your second EP, Knobisous, on your birthday, 20 September. That gave me two reasons to celebrate! 2024 is my first year not going back to school in September, since I finished my master’s degree at HEMU. This symbolic date was also a way of starting a new chapter.
What subjects are important to you?
I draw inspiration from my personal feelings. It’s my musical diary. I deal with strong, deep subjects like grief, coming-out and break-ups, but also lighthearted ones, like my love of the sound of the lid on a jar of pesto opening for the first time (in the track Pesto, on her first EP Knobil or not Knobil?, released in 2023 – ed.).
You play a lot with your surname. My great-grandfather’s surname was Knobel. He was Jewish from Eastern Europe
and a rabbi known for his unconventional views on the Torah. His friends started calling him Knobil, which in Yiddish refers to someone who smells of garlic, but mostly a strange person. He thought it was funny and kept it as his pen name. Today, everyone in the world with the family name Knobil are members of my family. I’ve made the name my own and turned it into a personal language.
Who are “knodisciples”?
The two musicians that play with me, Chloé Marsigny on bass clarinet and Vincent Andreae on drums. What’s special about our trio is that we don’t have any harmonic instruments, no piano or guitar.
What is your artistic relationship with your city?
Lausanne is where I formed my first groups and performed at my first concerts. As a teenager, I spent my weekends at Le Bourg and Le Romandie, two iconic venues. We also have some great festivals, like JazzOnze+. INTERVIEW
Les Jumeaux Jazz Club Rue de Genève 19, Lausanne
“Its success echoes the rebirth of jazz in Lausanne. With its jazz school and the incredible teachers who teach there, the city has some great musicians who stay on after they finish their studies.”
Chorus Av. Mon-Repos 3, Lausanne
“This really is a jazz club like they should be, with the cellar, vaults and little tables. The place is being completely transformed, led by François Christe, a drummer friend of mine who is starting his second season as programmer. Thursdays are often HEMU workshops, and admission is free!”
La Datcha
Rue des Côtes-deMontbenon 13, Lausanne
“I love this place, because it’s one of the first venues where I’d go to hear concerts and where I presented my project. I love their very eclectic programming, which ranges from rap to experimental music, jazz and pop.”
The opening and success of Les Jumeaux remind us that jazz has always struck a chord in Lausanne. EJMA, opened in 1984 under the aegis of musician Christo Christov, and the jazz department at HEMU have strengthened this tradition. The JazzOnze+ Festival, held every autumn since 1986, has welcomed some headline acts on its stage. In April, the Cully Jazz Festival, just 15 minutes from Lausanne, is at the crossroads of jazz and world music. In summer, Montreux Jazz Festival takes over, stretching far beyond jazz with a more eclectic programme.
Lausanne is also synonymous with quality acoustic jazz listening at the Chorus, a unique cellar founded in 2001, and big names such as pianist François Lindemann and bassist and HEMU teacher Marcello Giuliani, one of the founding members of the Erik Truffaz Quartet.
From blue notes to blues
Another big name, another style: The Two, formed by the duo Thierry Jaccard from Lausanne and Yannick Nanette from the Valais, has become a reference in blues. The music goes beyond the American aesthetic, Thierry Jaccard says, “Blues is most
of all a mindset, through which you can develop all sorts of subjects, wherever you live.” When the musicians met 11 years ago at a jam session, it marked the start of a musical adventure that has taken them to perform onstage around the world. But Thierry Jaccard remains attached to Lausanne, and he appreciates the support. “It’s a great city to live in, but also to make a living from your music.”
Continued on page 48
Since leaving Le Bourg in 2020, after 15 years of parties, the Association du Salopard had been holding events at various venues around the city. On 7 February 2025, the six people behind the non-profit will set up their concept in their new home, La Brèche (meaning “breach” in English). Nikita Thévoz, co-programmer and head of communications, reveals more about the project.
What will your club look like?
Nikita Thévoz: La Brèche will be a small venue with 100 seats and a bar at the entrance. The programme will remain faithful to what we’ve always done: concerts
by artists who want to experiment, and new sounds, like Stephen O’Malley and Ichiko Aoba, in all styles, from ambient to rock, pop and hip-hop.
Are you planning any collaborations with Le Romandie?
For the opening weekend, a single ticket will give access to both venues. After that, we want to remain two separate entities. But if there are events where it makes sense to collaborate, we won’t rule it out. Our organisations get on very well, and I think we’re lucky to be neighbours. People don’t have to move around
so much, and we can manage the noise and crowds together.
How do you operate financially?
The Association du Salopard mainly operates thanks to support from the city of Lausanne, the canton and the Loterie Romande. Admission tickets and the bar are also important sources of revenue for the club. We also rely on a team of volunteers who we hope will continue to grow with our arrival at La Brèche.
La Brèche et Le Romandie Place de l’Europe 1a, salopard.ch leromandie.ch
“It is no longer necessary to go abroad to make a living
Singer Nnavy is now a major artist in Switzerland’s music landscape. After four EPs, she is preparing her debut album for release in 2025.
Nnavy is the stage name chosen by Florine Gashaza in reference to the navy-blue hue of melancholy that colours her music. She intricately blends the groove, sensuality and power of soul, R&B and jazz. Most of her 207,000 monthly listeners on Spotify are in the US,
South Africa and the United Kingdom. As the first Swiss female artist to record a session with the leading music platform Colors – with over seven million subscribers on YouTube, she has already opened for Lionel Richie, November Ultra and Ben l’Oncle Soul.
With her master’s degree in psychology from the University of Lausanne in hand and having just returned from a tour in Zimbabwe and India, the singer-songwriter is now preparing her first album for 2025.
In 2024 you released your fourth EP in four years, Closer, recorded with several artists in Kenya. What’s the story behind it? I was contacted again by Colors to take part in a fourday writing camp organised with Spotify Africa. The idea was to send 20 or so Afro-descendant artists to Nairobi to make music and shed some light on the East African R&B scene. It was super intense. The team I worked with wanted to release the songs recorded there. That’s how Closer came about.
You like to experiment with different styles. How would you describe your music?
The closest to what I do is soul or neo-soul. But we’re increasingly crossing genres because we have access to so much music that the sources of inspiration are endless. I listen to pop, R&B, soul, jazz and classical music, and I hope that translates into my music.
How did you get started?
I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. My brothers’ friends would always tell me that instead of doing it in my bedroom, I should sign up for a TV talent show, but I never wanted to do that kind of programme. My first step was opening my Instagram account in 2018 to post my cover songs. A producer then contacted me to work in the studio. I turned him down because I didn’t think I had anything to offer. He contacted me again a few months later. He convinced me, and in one afternoon we had done a song! We worked together for two years.
You have a huge following in the United States. Do you have plans to do anything there?
I’d love to perform there, but I don’t have any plans yet. I wouldn’t mind spending a few weeks or even months there, but I wouldn’t dream of leaving Switzerland. Lausanne is my home. I was born here, I grew up here and I’d be sad to leave. In my opinion, culture is still not promoted enough in Switzerland, but that is changing. It is no longer necessary to go abroad to make a living from music. More and more programmes are available to support artists.
In 2020, you yourself took part in the artistic support programme Proxima set up by Les Docks in Lausanne. What did you gain from it? I had access to singing lessons, a stage coach and a four-day residency. I also received advice on communication and project management, and I was able to perform at Les Docks. The programme was a huge springboard for me and my musicians – Maximilien Anhorn, his brother Barthélémy, Lucien Businaro and Natan Niddam –because it got us into the Montreux Jazz Festival circuit, where we went on to play three times (in 2021, 2022 and as an opening act for Lionel Richie in 2023 – ed.)
What do you like so much about Lausanne?
The fact that everything is so beautiful, and the city is not too big. There’s the lake, friends, nice bars, and so on. My whole life has been built here. I love this city too much.
Is it also an ideal city for making music?
Lausanne has one flaw. In my opinion, there are still not enough small venues. When you’re just starting out, you can’t fill Les Docks. We need more venues to bridge the gap between singing in your living room and singing in front of 1,000 people.
The size of the city means that most artists know each other. Does that microcosm help? Definitely! It’s good to know that there’s a circle of people going through the same day-to-day life as you, that you can rely on. I also feel there’s a newfound solidarity
among Lausanne artists of my generation. I was talking about that recently with some older musicians who felt the same way. We no longer want to believe that you have to go outside Switzerland to succeed, and we’re working hard to create as many opportunities as possible.
Exobus
Route de Romanel 1, Lausanne
“This bus, parked in the Blécherette neighbourhood, offers activities for all ages, including concerts, exhibitions, and secondhand clothing sales. It also travels to events, such as the Sévelin Festival.”
Le Pointu Rue Neuve 2, Lausanne
“My favourite terrace in Lausanne! I love this restaurant for its food, the servers who are great, and the atmosphere. Everything is amazing.”
Le Casino de Montbenon Allée Ernest-Ansermet 3, Lausanne,
“There are lots of really interesting cultural events taking place here, like the Festival cinémas d’Afrique Lausanne, concerts and dance festivals. The building is also home to the Cinématographe cinema.”
Swiss rock pioneers Lausanne gave Switzerland its very first rock’n’roll artist: Gabriel Uribe. Under the pseudonym Gabriel Dalar, he recorded several songs as early as 1958 and enjoyed some success in France, recalls Stefan Künzli, author of the 2021 book Schweizer Rock Pioniere (Swiss rock pioneers). Between 1961 and 1966, the Aiglons also sold hundreds of thousands of records in Europe. Since then, a number of groups have successfully picked up where they left off. One is Favez, who has released about 15 albums, including the aptly named From Lausanne,
SÉVELIN DISTRICT
1 Vaudoise aréna Chemin du Viaduc 14, Prilly-Lausanne, vaudoisearena.ch
2 Les Docks Avenue de Sévelin 34, docks.ch
Switzerland, along with the trios Black Tropics and Honey For Petzi.
First Swiss rap single in French Urban music, including rap and R&B, now tops the list of streaming websites. In Lausanne, this music genre began with Sens Unik. Co-founded in 1987 by three friends, including the actor Carlos Leal (see his interview in Lausanner 12), the group was a real precursor, signing the first Swiss rap single in French with “Nouvelle Politik” in 1991. This was followed by eight studio albums, four of which went gold.
The mid-1990s launched a second stage, with the emergence of Nega, Stress and beatmaker Yvan Jaquemet, working under the name Double Pact. The trio collaborated extensively with leading French rappers, while Yvan’s productions appeared on albums by Booba, Diam’s and JoeyStarr. In 2003, Stress went solo. His third album, Renaissance, released in 2007, sold over 70,000 copies.
New figures on the rap scene include three success stories: Nathalie Froehlich, who shared her biting rhymes at the Eurockéennes festival in Belfort last July; rapper
3 Théâtre de Beaulieu Avenue des Bergières 10, beaulieu-lausanne.com
4 La Datcha Rue des Côtes-de-Montbenon 13, la-datcha.ch
5 MAD Club Rue de Genève 23, mad.club
6 Jumeaux Jazz Club Rue de Genève 19, jumeaux.club
and actress La Gale, aka Karine Guignard, with three albums to her name; and Arma Jackson, who skilfully crosses over between rap and pop and is one of Switzerland’s most streamed artists, with almost 800,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
Pop music is breaking down walls
“I don’t believe in the categories on streaming platforms, because they don’t represent reality and force you to choose sides,” says Yann Zitouni, journalist and editorial director on Couleur 3, a music radio
station in French-speaking Switzerland. “And when it comes to pop, the good news is that we’re going into unpredictable territory!”
That is confirmed in Lausanne with an artist like Silance. After her debut album Nouveau Genre in 2023, the singer, somewhere between pop and hip-hop, has no desire to be squeezed into one style. Better yet, we could invent a new category for her called hip-pop.
This era of fusing musical genres has given rise to a host of Lausanne artists,
including Tayron Kwidan’s, who sold out La Cigale in Paris in May 2024, elie zoé, Sandor, Billie Bird, Pat Burgener, Lily Gasc, Mary Middlefield, Staro and the group Etienne Machine. At 29, Albert Chinet, son of the singer Sarclo, is a perfect example of this movement.
“Like people his age, he’s a multi-talented artist,” says Yann Zitouni. This expert on Bob Dylan has also mastered the codes of hip-hop, but doesn’t overdo it. His music is romantic, provocative and impertinent, all at once.” →
Our selection of spots for listening to live music from among the city’s many clubs and venues.
7 Salle Métropole Rue de Genève 12, sallemetropole.ch
8 Le Romandie/La Brèche Place de l’Europe 1a, lesalopard.com leromandie.ch
9 D! Club Place Centrale 1, dclub.ch
10 Le Bourg Rue de Bourg 51, bourg-club.ch
11 La Cave du Bleu Lézard Rue Enning 10, bleu-lezard.ch/la-cave
All night long Lausanne has been home to one of the country’s healthiest electro scene for decades. Its pioneers include DJ/producer Mandrax, whose music has been heard worldwide (see his interview in Lausanner 12), and DJ/producer Mirko Loko, founder of the Polaris Festival in Verbier, in the canton of Valais. “Lausanne is a unique hub for electronic music. You can find big-name artists here, creative collaborations, and great clubs,” says Jérémy Party, better known by his alias Djerem and founder of the Swiss DJ School.
The rise of the MAD club played a crucial role in getting these sounds out there. Djaimin, the Montreuxbased DJ and his collaborator Mr. Mike, behind the planetary hits “Pump It Up” and “Put Your Hands Up (In The Air)”, regularly played there to packed houses. Other Lausanne artists who got their start at MAD include Kadebostany, the group founded by DJ Guillaume de Kadebostany. They went on to make it big outside Switzerland with their pop/ electro blend sounds and their first worldwide hit, “Castle in the Snow”, in 2013.
A plethora of successful artists:
• Marina Viotti: The FrancoSwiss mezzo-soprano was born in Lausanne and sang at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
• Bastian Baker: The Lausanne native and singer opened for Shania Twain on her world tour in 2018. His younger sister is also a singer and performs under the stage name Maryne.
• Henri Dès: The famous children’s singer from Renens converted to punk rock a few years ago, alongside his musician son Pierrick Destraz.
• And also: Pierre Audétat, Jérémie Kisling, Maud Paquis, Imelda Gabs, François Vé, Kingzer, NVST, Lakna, VVSPanther, DJ Blaster B, Stéphane Blok, and more!
An independent music company that manages the country’s top artists:
Founded in 2009, Two Gentlemen represents or produces Sophie Hunger, Erik Truffaz and Dino Brandão, as well as Lausanne’s Silance, among others.
Independent record shops:
• Belair Records, rue de Bourg 51
• Disc-À-Brac Records, rue de l’Ale 2
• Obsession records, rue du Petit-Rocher 4
• Score, rue Saint-Roch 28
• YouDooRightRecords, rue Saint-Martin 38B
Chocolate – Electronic Delights Festival
Focused on electronic music, it has taken place every spring since 2006 in Vidy for a weekend, with after parties at the D! Club. chocolate-festival.ch
Festival de la Cité
Every summer, this free event combines theatre, dance, installations and music. festivalcite.ch
JazzOnze+
This autumn festival showcases Swiss and international jazz stars, as well as up-andcoming musicians. jazzonzeplus.ch
Label Suisse
Held every two years, this free festival highlights Swiss artists from the worlds of contemporary, Volksmusik, jazz and classical music. labelsuisse.ch
Les Urbaines
Every December, this festival dedicated to the emerging arts offers a programme completely free of charge. urbaines.ch
The Lausanne Underground Film and Music Festival celebrates independent music and cinema. luff.ch
Prémices Festival
A YouTube channel dedicated to Vaud musicians:
Event focused on up-and-coming artists, held in March since 2016. premices.ch
Orchestras, opera, festivals and choral music. Lausanne offers plenty of diversity to delight all types of music lovers. However, classical music in the canton came late. “Unlike the Catholic cantons, Vaud suffered the ravages of three centuries of Reformation under Bernese rule. In the 19 th century, some Germans even wrote that the newly liberated Vaudois could no longer sing! Until the early 20th century, most of Lausanne’s music leaders came from Germany,” says Antonin Scherrer, a historian specialising in classical music and author of works on the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra (OCL) and the Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne (EVL), “one of the few professional offshoots of its kind in French-speaking Switzerland, founded in 1961”.
Since the 2021 arrival of the celebrated French violinist
Renaud Capuçon (see his interview in Lausanner 08) as artistic director of the OCL, the ensemble founded in 1942 has continued to expand. And a new executive director, Dominique Meyer, has recently joined the team. The same energy is palpable at the Opéra de Lausanne, which opened in 1871 and has been headed by Claude Cortese since July. Lausanne’s second professional orchestra, the Sinfonietta, and the Quatuor Sine Nomine are also the pride of the city. Meanwhile, the HEMU’s strong reputation attracts many foreign students. “The popular roots of music in the Lake Geneva region may explain the importance of classical music. It is omnipresent, with courses in compulsory education and the large number of brass bands and choirs that make it easy to move on to classical music.”
Lausanne has seen the emergence of great artists such as the conductor Charles Dutoit and the family of singer and pianist Pascal Auberson, whose father, Jean-Marie Auberson, conducted the OCL and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR).
“And young people aren’t afraid to create events, like the Week-End Musical de Pully and the Festival 4 Saisons, launched in 2013 by cellist Oleg Gafner, at time aged 13!” These initiatives add to an already exceptional range of events, including the concerts at the Cathedral, the Bach Festival, the Goûts réunis season, the Pour l’Art concerts, performances by the Orchestre baroque du Léman, and, near Lausanne, the classical festivals in Cully, Tannay, Montreux, Verbier and Gstaad.
Lausanne’s stand-up star shares with us his favourite places, from the Chailly district where he grew up to Parc de Mon Repos and the little cafés on Rue Marterey.
By Anne-Catherine Renaud
Incisive and cynical on stage, Thomas Wiesel is discreet in private. When he returns to Lausanne after his tours, French-speaking Switzerland’s favourite troublemaker loves the neighbourhoods that conjure up childhood memories and where he meets up with his friends. He believes that places are only as important as the attachment we give them.
Since his tremendous success in 2011, the “laughter worker”, as he calls himself, has already put on three one-man shows, including his latest – “Thomas Wiesel travaille” (Thomas Wiesel works) – which he toured with in Quebec. The 2021 Swiss Comedy Prize winner is a French-language radio and television (RTS) contributor , as well as an actor, seen in Ursula Meier’s La Ligne (The Line) and most recently in the series Espèce menacée (Endangered Species).
Thomas Wiesel takes us on a tour of “his city”, where he was born and where he now makes his home, in the Cité, the medieval quarter. He knows the city by heart, so well that he walks us through it verbally, without ever taking a wrong turn. And in total seriousness, preferring to let his sensitivity speak rather than his humour.
Why don’t we sit down somewhere first, have a drink and think about our route? Doesn’t the comedian admit that laziness is part of his creative process? He chooses Le Barbare 1 , a historic café below the Cathedral. “I like its small terrace and the charm of the wooden steps of the Escaliers du Marché. If it’s really hot out, I order a fruit juice, but in general,
“You’reoften a bit out ofbreath a nd sweating”
I enjoy their famous hot chocolate,” reputed to be the best in the city. Reopened in November 2021 after renovation (see Lausanner 09), this bistro also offers indoor seating with a bar covered in delicious pastries.
On leaving Le Barbare, Thomas Wiesel suggests we admire “the most beautiful view of Lausanne”. So we head along Avenue Pierre Viret towards Pont Bessières 2 . Inaugurated in 1910, this structure with its metal arches was built by the Vaud architect Eugène Jost – whose work includes the Beau-Rivage Palace in Ouchy – and bears the name of the banker and jeweller Charles Bessières who financed it. The 23-metre-high bridge overlooks the Flon Valley 3 , the river that meanders beneath the city.
“I often take Pont Bessières,” our guide says. “Day or night, you can see the Cathedral and the Cité hill 4 on one side, and on the other, the city’s eastern districts, where I know my way around.” But, he adds, “That bridge is both tragic and beautiful.” The artist is referring to the wooden hut that has stood in the middle of the bridge every winter for more than 40 years, warming lonely people around a fire. “I’m touched by the work of the volunteers (non-profit Feu Solidarité – ed.), who take turns to prevent life’s battered souls from experiencing irreparable harm. It’s a sign of solidarity in Lausanne, which is not just a postcard town. Even though we’re in the heart of the tourist centre, there’s an authentic side that matters.”
East of Pont Bessières, our surveyor climbs towards Place de l’Ours 5 . “I like walking and I don’t have a car, so I get around on foot or by public transport. My city council shares my view of a pedestrian city. But in Lausanne, you also need to be in good shape! You’re often a bit out of breath and sweating because, wherever you go, you have to walk uphill or downhill.”
To the right of Hôtel de l’Ours, which has stood at the crossroads since the mid-19th century, Avenue de Béthusy slopes gently upwards to the affluent district of Chailly, where Thomas Wiesel grew up. This residential area, just off the city centre, is lined with pretty houses, most of them detached. In the middle of Chailly-Village 6 , the old bus stop dating from the late 19 th century was transformed in 2019. In summer, the traditional ice cream parlour Labo Gelateria draws crowds. In winter, chestnuts are sold here, giving the area a friendly touch. “I grew up in the heights of Lausanne. I still have my family home there and my childhood memories. In the 1990s, when the Spice Girls were popular, I was at Chailly secondary school. In the school courtyard, the girls in my class would rehearse the group’s choreography and dazzle their audience, us guys.”
We head back down towards the city centre to Béthusy secondary school, which replaced a penitentiary destroyed in 1935. This is where Thomas Wiesel continued his schooling. “I love coming back to this area, especially Rue Marterey 7 , which runs perpendicular to the Hôtel de l’Ours and is largely pedestrianised, with its treasure trove of trendy cafés and bistros.”
When he was in secondary school, the future comedian discovered Mauro Traiteur 8 , an Italian grocer that opened in 2002 on the corner of Rue de l’Ancienne-Douane. Fresh pasta, focaccia, pizza, lasagna, tiramisu, panettone, cured meats: everything is homemade. “An institution! I’ve been coming back ever since. Mauro Bottazzi, the owner, has watched me grow up and has even become a family friend!” Thomas Wiesel’s mother ran an accessories and handbag shop at the top of Marterey. He was 20 when she died of cancer at the age of 48. “My brother, sister and I would often go into her shop at lunchtime to have a sandwich with her. For me, this neighbourhood is by definition a place where people live and share, and not just a place where people pass through and go to class.” →
At the time, he would have liked to continue his studies at the nearby Bugnon campus 9
“But I chose to study economics, so I had to move, much to my regret, to the Beaulieu campus, in the west of the city. Lausanne is really divided into small neighbourhoods, and I didn’t know anyone there. I’m a bit slow at making friends, so it wasn’t easy to get started.” After finishing his secondary education, he went on to do his undergraduate studies at the University of Lausanne’s HEC business school, before starting out as an accountant. After a burn-out, he veered to humour, which gave him a way to distance himself from his emotions. “Laughing makes me feel good, and if I make people laugh, I hope it makes them feel good too.”
Thomas Wiesel continues his stroll down Rue Marterey. “What appeals to me in Lausanne is not necessarily the architecture, but the places where I feel welcome. I tend to keep to myself and need a sense of familiarity.” That is the case at the Java 10 , a restaurant at the bottom of this lively street. In a bohemian atmosphere, with its 1950s-style spiral staircase and its imposing chandelier inherited from the old Buffet de la Gare in Lausanne, this café-lounge serves excellent cocktails and a selection of salads, crepes and various tartars.
On the corner of Rue de Langallerie, we stop by the Bleu Lézard 11 , a restaurant and bar opened in 1992, where the comedian is a regular.
What’s on
“BONNE ANNÉE?” – STAND-UP
A stand-up show where he focuses on the key events of 2024 (the US election, the Bürgenstock summit, the Paris Olympics, and the misstep in the Swiss old-age insurance system) Pavillon Naftule (capacity 450), Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays until January 2025 naftule.ch
In the basement, the Cave du Bleu hosts concerts and stand-up shows almost every evening (see also p. 40). “I started my career in this venue in 2011. I come back regularly to see friends.” Is this yet another place where our artist takes refuge? “There’s a bench just in front where I like to sit for a while.”
To finish his walk, Thomas Wiesel chooses Parc de Mon Repos 12 , at the end of the avenue of the same name that runs down the right-hand side of Le Bleu. This haven of greenery is an English-style garden created in the 18th century on land used as vineyards. “This is my park! It’s where I started going out as a teenager, when we used to smoke hookahs and hang out on the lawns and near the fountains.” These days, he comes here to get some exercise, read a book under a hundred-year-old sequoia or grab something to eat at the Folie Voltaire, a snack bar open even on some winter days. But does he still have time to linger around when he is presenting his new show “Bonne Année?”, which runs until January at the new Pavillon Naftule in Ouchy? “Of course! I’d always like to make time to do something other than work. If one day I can’t find the time, it means my priorities are all wrong.” ■
“ESPÈCE MENACÉE” – SERIES
Six episodes of the series, which also stars Vincent Veillon, Vincent Kucholl, Émilie Charriot, Rebecca Balestra, Baptiste Gilliéron, Marina Rollman and Yann Marguet
Available on RTS1 at the end of February 2025 12
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A dedicated team offers its expertise to create unique, emotion-filled events. Its full range of hospitality services ensures seamless, tailormade coordination.
Chefs, Meilleurs Ouvriers de France
Gatronomy is celebrated at Millennium. La Brasserie, rated 15/20 by Gault&Millau, offers refined French cuisine. The Sommelier’s Cellar can also be privatized for aperitifs. Finally, its catering service provides a creative and personalized menu for every event.
Refinement, quality, and efficiency define the Millennium experience.
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Millennium Chemin de Mongevon 25 1023 Lausanne - Crissier millennium.ch
DU MONT-D’OR
1 Académie Café Rue de l’Académie 3 1005 Lausanne
2 Bleu Lézard
Rue Enning 10 1003 Lausanne
3 Coffee Page
Rue du Midi 20 1003 Lausanne
4 Food Halle 15 Avenue de Sévelin 15 1004 Lausanne
5 Haiku x Smache
Rue du Flon 8 1003 Lausanne
6 Hoian BBQ Chemin des Pêcheurs 7 1007 Lausanne
7 Java Rue Marterey 36 1005 Lausanne
8 La Folie Voltaire Parc de Mon-Repos 1005 Lausanne
9 La Jetée de la Compagnie Jetée de la Compagnie 1007 Lausanne
10 La Table du Lausanne Palace Rue du Grand-Chêne 7-9 1003 Lausanne
11 La Vaudaire Chemin du Camping 7 1007 Lausanne
12 Le Barbare Escaliers du Marché 27 1003 Lausanne
13 Le Café Perché Promenade du Bois-de-Beaulieu 1018 Lausanne
14 Le Montriond Avenue Édouard-Dapples 25 1006 Lausanne
15 Le Pointu Rue Neuve 2 1003 Lausanne
16 Le Saxo Rue de la Grotte 3 1003 Lausanne
17 Meraki Place de la Riponne 10 1005 Lausanne
18 The Great Escape Rue Madeleine 18 1003 Lausanne
BAKERIES, ICE CREAM PARLOUR
19 Bread Store Avenue d’Ouchy 15 1006 Lausanne
20 Chez Séverine et Luca Avenue de la Gare 2 1003 Lausanne
21 La Paddysserie Rue du Midi 16 1003 Lausanne
22 Labo Gelateria Avenue de Chailly 1b 1012 Lausanne
CHEESE SHOPS, GROCERY SHOPS, DELIS
23 Au Paradis du Fromage Rue du Simplon 25 1006 Lausanne
24 Aux Spécialités de la Palud
Place de la Palud 9
1003 Lausanne
25 La Ferme Vaudoise
Place de la Palud 5 1005 Lausanne
26 Macheret Fromage
Rue Pré-du-Marché 3 1004 Lausanne
27 Mauro Traiteur
Rue de l’Ancienne-Douane 4 1003 Lausanne
28 Bô Noël Creators’ Boutique (20.11 – 31.12.2024)
Place des Pionnières 1003 Lausanne
29 FNAC
Rue de Genève 6 1003 Lausanne
30 Foulaz
Avenue du Rond-Point 25 1006 Lausanne
31 Fripsquare Chemin de la Joliette 5 1006 Lausanne
32 KéTaLa Boutique
Avenue de Béthusy 4 1005 Lausanne
33 Les Gens Rue du Valentin 28 1004 Lausanne
34 Manor Rue Pichard 3 1003 Lausanne
35 Nardi Lunetier Boulevard de Grancy 38 1006 Lausanne
36 Nono’s World Rue Centrale 21 1003 Lausanne
AND ART VENUES
37 Galerie Fabienne Levy
Avenue Louis-Ruchonnet 6 1003 Lausanne
38 Galerie Heinzer Reszler
Rue du Port-Franc 9 1003 Lausanne
39 La Placette
Rue Saint-Roch 2 1004 Lausanne
40 Tunnel Tunnel Place du Tunnel 24 1005 Lausanne
41 Belair Records Rue de Bourg 51 1003 Lausanne
42 Disc-à-Brac Records
Rue de l’Ale 2 1003 Lausanne
43 Obsession Records
Rue du Petit-Rocher 4 1003 Lausanne
44 Score Rue Saint-Roch 28 1004 Lausanne
45 YouDooRightRecords
Rue Saint-Martin 38 B 1005 Lausanne
HOTEL
46 Zleep Hotel Rue Centrale 39 1022 Chavannes-près-Renens
GAMES
47 Quiz Room Chemin du Rionzi 57 1052 Le Mont-sur-Lausanne
MUSEUMS, VENUES, CINEMAS
48 Casino de Montbenon Allée Ernest-Ansermet 3 1003 Lausanne
49 Chorus Avenue Mon-Repos 3 1005 Lausanne
50 Cinémathèque suisse (Cinéma Capitole) Avenue du Théâtre 6 1005 Lausanne
51 D! Club Place Centrale 1 1001 Lausanne
52 École de jazz et de musique actuelle de Lausanne (EJMA) Rue des Côtesde-Montbenon 26 1003 Lausanne
53 Exobus Route de Romanel 1 1018 Lausanne
54 Fondation de l’Hermitage Route du Signal 2 1018 Lausanne
55 Haute école de musique de Lausanne (HEMU) Rue de la Grotte 2 1003 Lausanne
56 Jumeaux Jazz Club Rue de Genève 19 1003 Lausanne
57 La Brèche (from 2025) Place de l’Europe 1a 1003 Lausanne
58 La Cave du Bleu Lézard Rue Enning 10 1003 Lausanne
59 La Datcha Rue des Côtesde-Montbenon 13 1003 Lausanne
60 Le Bourg Rue de Bourxg 51 1003 Lausanne
61 Le Romandie (from 2025) Place de l’Europe 1a 1003 Lausanne
62 Les Docks Avenue de Sévelin 34 1004 Lausanne
63 MAD Club Rue de Genève 23 1003 Lausanne
64 mudac Place de la Gare 17 1003 Lausanne
65 Musée de l’immigration Rue Saint-Martin 36 1005 Lausanne
66 Opéra de Lausanne
Avenue du Théâtre 12 1005 Lausanne
67 Pathé Flon
Rue du Port-Franc 16
1003 Lausanne
68 Photo Élysée
Place de la Gare 17 1003 Lausanne
69 Plateforme 10
Place de la Gare 16-17 1003 Lausanne
70 Salle Métropole Rue de Genève 12 1003 Lausanne
71 Théâtre de Beaulieu
Avenue des Bergières 10 1004 Lausanne
72 Vaudoise aréna
Chemin du Viaduc 14 1008 Prilly
MONUMENTS, PARKS
73 Cathédrale Notre-Dame
Place de la Cathédrale 1 1005 Lausanne
74 Chalet-à-Gobet
1000 Lausanne 25
75 Escaliers du Marché
Escaliers du Marché
1003 Lausanne
76 Horloge de la Palud
Place de la Palud 23
1003 Lausanne
77 Lac de Sauvabelin Bois de Sauvabelin
1018 Lausanne
78 Parc de Mon-Repos
Avenue Mon-Repos 1005 Lausanne
79 Parc du Calvaire
Chemin du Calvaire 1005 Lausanne
80 Haldimand Tower
Avenue de la Tour Haldimand 1006 Lausanne
TRANSPORTATION
Gare Lausanne-CFF
Place de la Gare
1003 Lausanne
Transports publics lausannois (tl)
m1 Metro
m2 Metro
DISTRICTS
TOWN CENTRE/ RÔTILLON/FLON
CITÉ – MON-REPOS
TRAIN STATION – OUCHY
SAUVABELIN
PULLY
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.
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!
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 neighbourhoods in Lausanne, the Rôtillon feels like a corner of Italy in the heart of the town.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
La Galerie du Millennium: a unique place to enjoy quality time immersed in contemporary art!
Opened two years ago in an exceptional setting that is a must-see in L ausanne, the gallery offers an original contemporary art experience.
Under th e j oint d irection o f E lena G inzbourg and C onstance R abagnac K insky, t his y oung gallery c ont inuously s howcases l eading Swiss an d i nternational c ontemporary ar tists. Elena, a photographer, f eatures r enowned photographers, w hile C onstance, a n a rt historian, pr o motes c o ntemporary p ainting a nd sculpture thr ough o riginal s cenography.
Featuring C harles Fazzino: w here A merican Pop Art meets Lausanne’s swiss spirit. The M illennium g allery exclusively r epresents the famous American artist Charles Fazzino in Switzerland. " This artist has achieved worldwide renown t hrough h is c olo r ful c ompositions a nd t hree- dimensio nal t echnique ," e xplains E lena. " It’s a great pleasure to work with this pop art master. An excellent illustrator, he captures Swiss symbols and landscapes in creations brimming w ith l ife a nd h umor ," C onstance a dds.
Thus, on the gallery walls, festive scenes of Broadway or New York sit alongside the animated shores of Lake Geneva’s Riviera.
A literary café where gastronomy, art, and literature meet.
More than just a space dedicated to graphic arts, the gallery is also connected to a bookstore run by Patricio Triebelhorn. The two spaces continuously interact, reflecting the close relationship between art and literature. "The lecture series we host, inviting renowned authors, artists, and other personalities, is very popular with the public," says Patricio.
This globe-trotting philosopher offers a unique selection of books, filling the shelves with beautiful classic editions, contemporary essays, and accounts of unusual travels. Eager to share his passion, Patricio also organizes a monthly "Literary Circle" an event open to all where participants discuss a selected book. This gathering offers everyone a refreshing break, accompanied by an exceptional coffee prepared by Patricio, a true connoisseur.
In a lounge atmosphere, this literary café is open during the week, inviting visitors to enjoy an authentic Italian espresso or a pastry while engaging in conversation or discovering new books.
Millennium Chemin de Mongevon 25 1023 Lausanne - Crissier millennium.ch
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 Olympic Museum restaurant 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.
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.
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.
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 a large number of different varieties of roses.
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.
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 30,000 students who can take part in a broad array of nautical sports.
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.
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.)
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.
The Espace des Inventions aims to stimulate interest in scientific, technical and artistic culture, and is intended for all, particularly children. There, you will find interactive and entertaining exhibitions that will pique your curiosity and tease your brain cells.
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.
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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.
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.
TENTH EDITION
Christmas Tower at Saint-François
Christmas Tree Carousel at Place des Pionnières
Giant Candles Illumination
Little Christmas Trains
Bô Noël Parade
Saturday Entertainment at Rue Centrale
A Dream Night in the Duplex Room
Ferris Wheel at Plateforme 10
Kids’ Village at the Cathedral
Snow Sled Toboggan Run
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).
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.
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.
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.
Discover the highlights in Lausanne and the area at an unbeatable price
Push open the doors of our Lausanne culinary artisans for a unique experience
Solve riddles to discover the city in an original way with family or friends
Walk the streets of the town to discover its historical or wine-growing heritage
Spend a moment out of time at Lavaux, a UNESCO World Heritage site
If you’re staying in accommodation that pays the overnight tourist tax, you can freely use public transport (bus, train, metro) during your whole stay (maximum 15 days) in Lausanne and its surroundings with your Lausanne Transport Card.
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.
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.
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
LOST PROPERTY OFFICE
LAUSANNE POLICE STATION
Rue du Petit-Chêne 36 +41 21 315 15 15
Monday to Friday: 8.30 am → 11.30 am 1 pm → 4 pm www.lausanne.ch/en
USEFUL MOBILE APPLICATIONS
Find here the applications that are useful for your stay in Lausanne. Calendar, hotels, self-service bike rentals, public transport and much more!
MORE INFORMATION AT: www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/mobile-apps
CURRENCY
Swiss franc (CHF)
1 euro = 1 CHF (indicative rate, base 2024)
EXCHANGE OFFICE Lausanne train station
Monday to Friday: 6.30 am → 8 pm; Saturday and Sunday: 7 am → 7.30 pm
POST OFFICES
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: 8 am → 4 pm; Sunday: 3.30 pm → 6.30 pm
LAUSANNE RIPONNE
4, place de la Riponne +41 848 888 888
Monday to Friday: 9 am → 6 pm; Saturday: 9 am → 1 pm www.poste.ch/en
Two information and welcome centres of the Tourist Office are at your service a stone’s throw from the train station and at 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, help and emergency services, etc. – as well as culture and leisure news.
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICES
TOURIST INFORMATION CENTER Av. Louis-Ruchonnet 1 Close to the CFF station
TOURIST INFORMATION POINT Lausanne Cathedral
Find timetables on: www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/en/tourism-office
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@lausanne.ch
• The largest aquarium in Switzerland open 7/7 from 10am to 6pm
• Magical Christmas with the longest light tunnel in Europe (16.11.24 – 5.1.25)
• Family dinner restaurant from CHF 17.–
• Admission at a special rate of CHF 15.– from 5pm
A leisure offer accessible to all
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
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.
BETWEEN CHF 1 AND CHF 9
• Climbing the Cathedral tower (from CHF 1 to CHF 5)
• Flon bowling alley (between CHF 5.50 and CHF 9 per person)
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
• Bellerive minigolf (free up to age 4, CHF 6 until age 15, then CHF 8)
• Vidy miniature train (CHF 3 per journey)
Tourist information: close to the train station / Cathedral
