The Lausanner - A Summer in Freshwater

SUMMER/AUTUMN 2018 - N° 1

ENGLISH FRANÇAIS

N I CE TO M EE T YO U

A SUMMER IN FRESHWATER POOLS AND BEACHES The Lausanne guide Page 42

With advice from the writer Roland Jaccard and blogger Sofia Clara’s top places to go

PLATEFORME 10, THE CULTURAL SITE OF THE MILLENIUM

ON BOARD LAKE GENEVA’S FLAGSHIP BOAT

Page 6

Page 24

MODERNIST ARCHITECTURE IN LAUSANNE Page 36

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NI CE TO MEE T YOU

EDITORIAL

Linking residents and tourists

When it comes to singing the praises of Lausanne, the dulcet tones of a Vaudois accent can’t be beaten. But if you listen, you soon come to understand that people speak many languages there. The city has become internationalised, especially with the impetus of its major universities, its multinationals, and even its Olympic institutions and sports federations.

To show off this multiple identity, Lausanne Tourism wanted to create a new kind of welcome magazine which builds a bridge, and sometimes reverses the perspective, between insiders and visitors.

The Lausanner is the product of this approach, where points of view, paths and flavours cross like they would in a marketplace. Its name is a nod to the residents of other cities: New Yorker, Londoner, Zuricher.

Most of all, it pays homage to how we name the people of Lausanne in German-speaking Switzerland and in the Anglo-Saxon world.

Whether you’re from here or somewhere else, a passing guest or a resident, The Lausanner aims to tell you of the city’s history and heritage in an unexpected way. A city that, as noted by the architect Vincent Mangeat (p. 36), was first built on the shores of the lake, before spreading to the hills in anticipation of potential enemies.

Later on the incomparable view became a touristic asset.

The Lausanner also talks in detail about the various dramas that have enthralled the city, such as the future museum hub on the periphery of the station, which has monopolised Lausanne’s cultural news for several years (p. 6). Above all, The Lausanner aims to provide an endless source of recommendations of places to go from a wide range of experts. The Lausanner, published in French and English every six months, will help you explore this unique geographic location, between lake and mountain, where the “papet”, a traditional Vaud dish, and biotech exist in happy harmony.

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All aboard! With Marylou Dubelly Reymond, former police officer and Lausanne public transport conductor in the 1980s when the buses were orange!

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

Sedrik Nemeth (p. 62, 74) - Caroline Corajoud (p. 84) - Guy Perrenoud (p. 84) - Elise Heuberger (p. 77) - Thomas Ebert (p. 77) - Jeanne Quattropani (p. 77) - Amélie Blanc (p. 77) - F. Beaud-Cedotc (p. 75) - Ryosuke Takahashi (p. 21) - Christian Monin (p. 43) - Ville de Lausanne (p. 44) - Catherine Gailloud (p. 50) - Lucas Girardet (p. 51) - Marino Trotta (p. 56, 77) - Laurent Ryser (p. 60) - CIO/Lydie Nesvadba (p. 71)

Editorial: Lausanne Tourisme

Direction: Steeve Pasche, Jannick Schallenberger

Image search: Sabrine Elias Ducret, Joëlle Kercan

Editorial production: LargeNetwork

Cover: Photograph of Sofia Clara and Camille Chardon

by Nicolas Schopfer

Graphics: Saentys

Advertising: Michel Chevallaz +41 79 213 53 15

Editor-in-chief: Sylvain Menétrey, LargeNetwork

Printing: Gremper SA, Basel Available in French and in English

Production: Jannick Schallenberger

Writing: Julien Calligaro, Robert Gloy, Blandine Guignier, Melinda Marchese, Nina Seddik, Céline Stegmüller, William Türler, Odile Valmont

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

Photography: Nicolas Schopfer (p. 5, 36, 49, 52) - NotreHistoire.ch/Marylou Dubelly Reymond (p.2) - PLATEFORME 10/Estudio Barozzi Veiga (p. 6)­- Jean-Bernard Sieber (p. 9) - Matthieu Gafsou (p. 10) - Nora Rupp, Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne (p. 11) - Odile Meylan/24heures (p. 15) - À bout de souffle, Jean-Luc Godard/Bibliothèque des classiques du cinéma (p. 16) - Collection particulière de Luciana Bazzanella, Lausanne (p. 17) - Collection Cinémathèque suisse. All rights reserved. (p. 17) - AFP (p. 18) - Thierry Parel (p. 19) - Sylvain Menétrey (p. 19, 5 4–56) François Wavre/lundi13 (p. 20) - Musée de l’Élysée, Lausanne (p. 21) - Hervé Annen (p. 22, 57, 58) - Fabrice CoffriniI/AFP (p. 26) - Christian Merz/Keystone (p. 27) - Yves Herman/Reuters (p. 27) - Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters (p. 27) - Tiziana FABI/AFP (p. 27) - Lucy Nicholson/Reuters (p. 31) - Cécile Gretsch/Saentys (p. 32, 3 4, 6 4, 78) - Cédric Widmer (p. 38) - Gerald Bosshard/Tribune de Genève (p. 41) - Aurélien Barrelet/Largenetwork (p. 24–27, 45) - Patrimoine suisse (p. 46) - Archives RTS (p. 47) - Ville de Pully (p. 48) - Autorités de la Confédération suisse (p. 54–55)

Printed in Switzerland With the support of:

© Photos Lausanne Tourisme – LT/www.diapo.ch (p. 69, 67, 68, 56, 65, 69, 72, 73, 75, 77) - LT/Laurent Kaczor (p. 65, 67, 68, 69, 71, 72, 73, 75, 80, 88) - LT/ C.Jaccard – www.vaud-photos.ch (p. 68) - Christof Schuerpf (p. 68, 67) - Urs Achermann (p. 68) - Mobimo/Catherine Leutenegger Photography (p. 68) - Switzerland Tourism/Markus Buehler (p. 68) - Filigrane SA (p. 71) - Sarah Jaquemet (p. 73) -

Suisse Tourisme

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Office du tourisme du canton de Vaud

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YOUR CRUISES ACROSS

LAKE GENEVA INFOLINE +41 (0) 900 929 929 (CHF 0.50 /MIN.)

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WEEKENDS CULTURELS ET GRATUITS ENTRE PARCS ET RIVES ALAFOLIE.CH - ILLUSTRATION MALIKA FAVRE

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01.05.18 15:19

CONTENTS SUMMER/AUTUMN 2018 - N° 1

TALK OF THE TOWN Platforme 10: Hatching an arts district Page 6

AROUND LAUSANNE New addresses Page 13

The pralinated “Giscard”: A president’s cute indulgence Page 18

Infographics: The secrets of the boat “La Suisse”

INTERVIEW Architectural walk with Vincent Mangeat

Andrea Kucera, confederate Lausanner

BY THE WATER The pools and beaches

James Larus, expatriate Lausanner

SCENIC STROLL In pursuit of the Flon, a ghost river

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Page 36

Page 32

Page 42

Page 34

Page 54

DO NOT FORGET… The old industrial district of Sévelin reinvents itself as a cultural oasis Page 57

NOT TO BE MISSED Iconic Lausanne locations Page 64

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TALK OF THE TOWN

THE SAGA OF LAUSANNE’S NEW ART DISTRICT Three of Lausanne’s museums are moving soon to new premises on the same site near the station. This bold architectural and cultural venture, the only one of its kind in Switzerland, is materialising after more than 20 years of political horse-trading.

Bernard Fibicher’s excitement is palpable as he runs a finger over the plans. He explains the intracies of the new building which is to house Lausanne’s Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts, the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne. The director has survived to see what his two predecessors dreamed in vain of achieving during their respective terms in office: the relocation of the museum to premises that are more befitting of its standing. “I’m glad it’s happened at the end of my career, as when I visit museums around the world I’m almost looking more at their architectural details than the art,” laughs Fibicher, who has nevertheless just achieved an artistic masterstroke in scheduling the superstar Ai Weiwei for a closing exhibition at the Palais de Rumine.

TIMELINE

By Sylvain Menétrey

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It is about to stage a dazzling comeback. On a 25,000 sq m site near the station, which used to house train concourses, construction on the new building will finish in spring 2019. A second building will be built alongside it by 2021, where the Musée de l’Élysée photography museum and the Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts (mudac) will also be taking up residence.

This relocation has been causing headaches for authorities at both cantonal and local level for 27 years. “Back in 1924, Emile Bonjour – who was the director at the time – was already saying that the premises at the Palais de Rumine were too small!”

Fibicher explains. This lack of space has always restricted the institution, depriving it of a permanent exhibition. The director gives us an example: “We own the biggest public collection of Félix Vallotton’s work in the world, but it is hidden away in our archives”. In its northern wing of the Palais de Rumine, the museum appears far too modest, almost fading into the background and allowing the space’s other tenants, such as the geology and zoology museums or the university library of Lausanne, to shine instead.

1841

The Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts was founded, which back then was named after the painter Marc-Louis Arlaud.

As a taster of things to come, the MCB-A team has designed an initial exhibition, which will be launched before the work is finished. At the end of the summer, between 31 August and 9 September, six unfinished canvases and sketches from the artist Balthus will create a dialogue with the

1906

The museum moved to the recently-built Palais de Rumine.

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1991

“I don’t have a museum, I have a palace!” seethed museum director Jörg Zutter when an ingress of water damaged the artwork. The Council of State of Vaud professed a wish for the institution to be relocated.

TALK OF THE TOWN NEW MCB-A: SOUTH FAÇADE Permanent exhibition

Administration

North side entrance

Restaurant

Temporary exhibition

Old locomotive shed’s façade

Bookshop

More open, with a large fissure running the length of its circumference, is the future museum centre’s second building, designed by Portuguese brothers Manuel and Francisco Aires Mateus, which completes the site beautifully. “It counterbalances the more enclosed nature of the first building,” Catsaros says. Come 2021, the Musée de l’Élysée, which specialises in photography, and mudac (Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts) are to share this space.

The fresh new architecture firm Barozzi Veiga, based in Barcelona, will be making their mark on the enormous space, which is 145.5 metres long and 22.1 metres high. The parallelepiped is sure to stand out, with grey brick walls creating a subtle surface effect and slats peppering the northern façade.

The purpose of these slats is to slice through the incoming light, whilst also dramatizing the interior lighting by night. To the south, facing the railway, the building features the old railway hall’s listed arch as a reminder of the site’s industrial past. But apart from this opening, and a high window with a view over the lake, this wall is entirely blind. “This is because of a demand that the insurers made a while ago. They require the artwork to be protected

This gathering of institutions has been christened Plateforme 10, in reference to the tenth track that it forms alongside the railway, and will be the only one of its kind in Switzerland. It has been compared to internationally-renowned projects such as Museum Island in Berlin and MuseumsQuartier in Vienna. The size of the complex is no match for its Austrian counterpart, however, which brings

1997

2001

Former State Councillor André Gavillet raised the idea of acquiring the old Crédit Foncier Vaudois building in Chauderon with a view to making it a home for the Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts. An estimate for the work put it at around 60 million Swiss francs.

A review board ruled out the Chauderon building for being too expensive and its ceiling too low, eyeing instead a new site next to the lake. Exciting.

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PLATEFORME 10

from any rail accidents…although such demands are not made for residential buildings with people living in them,” sighs Christophe Catsaros, chief editor of Tracés, Lausanne’s architecture magazine.

still-raw surfaces of the building’s construction site. And it is American choreographer and stage director Bob Wilson who will oversee the exhibition’s installation. This smart move showcases an artist from whom the museum has received several donated works over the past few years, whilst also scratching the public’s itch to get a glimpse inside the new premises.

Plateforme 10’s troika: Chantal Prod’hom, director of mudac; Bernard Fibicher, director of MCB-A; Tatyana Franck, director of the Musée de l’Élysée.

together six institutions in a space of 60,000 sq m.

Nevertheless, it shares the same goal of creating a lively area that is full of things to do, even after hours and on Sundays. Cafes, bookshops, possibly galleries, and a range of services are to add the finishing touches to the three museums, tucked into the arches that already surround the site. An architecture foundation called CUB, for Culture du Bâti, comprising offices and an exhibition space will round off the cultural side of Plateforme 10 by 2025. The aim is to make Lausanne into one of the country’s leading cities of culture, despite fierce regional competition from Basel, Zurich and Geneva. Authorities are

counting on reaching 250,000 visitors a year.

An ambitious number when compared to the three museums’ current cumulative total of 100,000. “Lausanne station is growing fast, with 40 million annual users, which means it has fantastic potential for us,” says Fibicher. The director also wants to attract travellers who miss their train, and get them to come and admire a few paintings, or one of the museum’s floors, while they wait for the next one. “That’s why we want to make it free to visit the permanent collection.”

So what does this permanent collection that is finally to be shown to the public actually contain?

2005

2008

The winning project from the architecture competition for the lakeside museum was presented: a polygon resembling a multifaceted rock, reflected in the lake next door to the Bellerive pool. The mastermind behind this project was an architectural practice from Zurich: Berrel, Wülsel and Kräutler.

The disenchantment for the Bellerive project was registered: 52% of Vaud citizens said no to financing it in a referendum. This was most notably down to a displeasing appearance and the chosen site, which residents wanted to protect from “concreting”.

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TALK OF THE TOWN

In addition to several valuable pieces from masters such as Cézanne, Courbet, Renoir and Rodin, and leading contemporary artists like Bruce Nauman, Christian Boltanski and Sophie Calle, the museum will exhibit its significant collection of art from the Vaud region. Vallotton of course, as well as Louis Soutter, René Auberjonois and Charles Gleyre. “This academic painter attracted 1 million visitors at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris last year, with a significant proportion of the work loaned by our museum,” says Fibicher cheerfully.

this history of Vaud art finally exhibited. I hope that the links will be traced right up to contemporary painters like Nicolas Party, who draws his inspiration from Vallotton.” The museum makes no secret of the fact that there are gaps in its historical catalogue – particularly from the historical avant-garde period, cubism, dadaism and surrealism – and hopes to be able to benefit from the campaign for donations and long loans from private collectors that the unfavourable location of the Palais de Rumine has prevented it from running until now.

The haul is off to a great start since, in addition to the donation of five Balthus canvases, the museum is to host the Toms Pauli foundation, which owns an exceptional catalogue of European tapestries dating back to between the 16th and 19th centuries.

For Katharina Holderegger, art historian and critic for the magazine Kunstbulletin, the museum’s collection may be small, but it contains some exquisite pieces. “I am absolutely delighted to see

2010

The Vaud Council of State thought of creating a museum centre in the CFF halls next to the station.

2011

The BLEU project from Catalan architects Fabrizio Barozzi and Alberto Veiga was announced the winner of the competition for the new Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts.

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10

2014

Funding of 44 million Swiss francs was approved by the canton for work on the museum centre.

Exhibition view of Félix Vallotton and Alex Katz at MCB-A in 2013.

The Lausanne Museum has the largest collection of Vallotton’s works in the world.

MUSÉE CANTONAL DES BEAUX-ARTS DE LAUSANNE (MCB-A) Place de la Riponne 6 Currently closed — MUSÉE DE L’ÉLYSÉE

Avenue de l’Élysée 18 Hours : Tuesday to Sunday From 11 am → 6 pm —

MUSÉE DE DESIGN ET D’ARTS APPLIQUÉS CONTEMPORAINS (mudac) Pl. de la Cathédrale 6 Hours : Tuesday to Sunday From 11 am → 6 pm Open Monday to Sunday in July and August

2015

The Aires Mateus architectural practice won the competition for the two museums which were to complete the site. The final objections to the public survey were removed.

2016

The name “Plateforme 10” was announced.

Work began.

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TALK OF THE TOWN day photography anymore. mudac is a maze of unmanageable rooms. We put the idea forward together, and soon had plenty of people on board”.

A programme of temporary exhibitions will run alongside the permanent collection. All in all, these will cover 1,200 sq m of space, including one enormous room measuring 750 sq m on its own.

Another 250 sq m room will exhibit the work of young artists. The museum’s budget will be doubled to get this exhibition programme up and running.

Plateforme 10 now needs to respond to this initial vision with an artistic approach on the same wavelength. “The architecture competition allowed us to look further afield. We need someone now who is a world leader in their field to inject their ideas into the museum centre as a whole”, Keller says. And it may well be that that providential figure rides in astride the site’s iconic piece. Christened “Crocodile”, this collaborative work between French artist Xavier Veilhan and the Swiss OIivier Mosset pays homage to the 6/8II locomotive. Made out of painted metal, the 18-metre masterpiece links the site’s industrial past to its artistic future.

It also seems to paint a most favourable picture of the collaboration between two artists with separate careers who came together for the purpose of this competition. An attitude from which the entities of the Plateforme 10 initiative would do well to draw inspiration from. ■

This increase follows several years of deadlock.

Particularly after the public rejected the project for a new fine arts museum next to the lake in Bellerive (see “timeline”). Far from discouraging the powers that be, this refusal made way, several months later, for the current – and clearly more ambitious – museum centre project to emerge. Pierre Keller, the former director of ECAL, was on a committee formed by the City of Lausanne to look at new strategies. “I visited this CFF site, which I thought was fantastic,” he remembers. “I said to Silvia Zamora, who was the city minister for culture at the time, that we should bring all three museums together there, which she thought was a wonderful idea. The Musée de l’Élysée was perfect when we were showing 30–40 cm prints there, but it doesn’t suit modern-

THE REBIRTH OF THE DISUSED BUILDINGS THE CREATION OF PLATEFORME 10 MEANS THAT THREE BUILDINGS HAVE BECOME AVAILABLE. SOLID PROGRESS IS BEING MADE ON RECLASSIFICATION PROJECTS. “They should make the Élysée the residence of the President of Vaud!” jokes Keller, in reference to the Lausanne building’s Parisian namesake. And only partly in jest, as the elegant 18th-century mansion is already and will continue to be used as a reception venue

2019

Opening of MCB-A.

for the Vaud Council of State.

The Élysée’s idyllic gardens will remain open to the public.

The fate of the Maison Gaudard, the former prefecture which will continue to house mudac until 2021, is also sealed. “It will stay open to the public, and actors in the cultural sector,” confirms head of the Lausanne culture department, Michael Kinzer. “We envisage a building full of offices for various festivals, work and coworking spaces,

2021

Opening of the Musée de l’Élysée and mudac.

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an area for temporary exhibitions, and venues for communication, outreach, debating and press conferences, as well as leisure space.”

In terms of the wing occupied by MCB-A in the Palais de Rumine, logic dictates that it should be returned to the other organisations in the building. But it would appear that other plans – still very much in their infancy – are also being considered.

Around Lausanne THE JAPANESE TEA DRINKERS’ CLUB

NEW PLACES

Reminiscent of a speakeasy, this tiny space draws on Japanese culture and unusual Japanese teas to offer a drinking experience like no other.

Behind your average teabag lurks a world of unexpectedly sophisticated flavours. A Japanese tea room opening in Lausanne provides the perfect opportunity to delve deeper. The uninitiated among us will be as flummoxed by the menu, with its lists of appellations, as we would be by the terroirs of fine wines. All, however, materialise in the form of hot tea, iced tea, matcha, frappés, hot chocolate, smoothies and classic sweet treats, available to either have in or take away. Lessons in origami and Japanese complete the experience. The little tea room was made possible thanks to crowdfunding and the dedication of its managers, couple David and Tomoko. Former residents of Japan, a land famous for its tea, they return there regularly to take part in training and bring back products. The couple have also published a book on the Japanese writing system.

Marutcha Rue de la Grotte 4, Lausanne

CONCEPT STUDIO

Les Gens opened its doors in autumn 2017.

It is a space like no other, comprising both a workshop and a boutique store stocking around 20 local brands.

Clambering up Rue du Valentin may seem like a lot of effort, but it’s worth it to discover this collaborative space, with jewellery, sweets, clothing, books and even botanical creations on display. The association which manages the hub aims to showcase the work of local young artisans and promote a transdisciplinary approach to art, providing a space in which they can both craft and sell their designs. A “Versatile Space” adds the finishing touches to the site, giving artisans somewhere to run classes and acting as a venue for other events put on by this hive of creativity.

Les Gens Rue du Valentin 28, Lausanne www.lesgens.ch 13

AROUND LAUSANNE

NEW PLACES

GREEN AND FRESH TASTIES

Meat is off the table at Bad Hunter, the brainchild of two young interior designers from the Geneva School of Art and Design, where the menu is as green as the cascading decorative foliage. While they wait for a Tibits outlet to open in Lausanne station, vegetarians and their friends can come here to enjoy a steamed, superfood-rich feast in this old workshop building in Flon.

Bad Hunter Rue des CĂ´tes-de-Montbenon 12 www.badhunter.ch

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CLOUD SOCIAL CLUB

Switzerland has recently legalised cannabis containing a minimal amount of THC. Cloud Social Club fans are commercialising the variant dubbed CBD or cannabidiol, another dynamic substance of the pleasant herb that relaxes without intoxicating. The shop’s shelves display carefully selected Swiss products. They include weed to smoke, oil, or candy.

NEW PLACES

Cloud Social Club Chemin du Levant 1, Lausanne www.cloudsocialclub.ch

L’INSTANT B

B is for burger or bruschetta at chef Serge Labrosse’s new creative street food restaurant.

L’Instant B Rue du Petit-Chêne 11, Lausanne www.instantb.ch

CAFÉ LOUVE

Café Louve has been given a makeover, with a new black-and-white mosaic tile floor. Stop by after work for drinks and electronic music. The terrace is bathed in sunlight between 11 am and 6 pm.

Café Louve Place Pépinet 1, Lausanne 15

AROUND LAUSANNE

THE CITY OF PRETTY WOMEN

Lausanne’s women are renowned as the most beautiful. Jean-Luc Godard states this in his film À bout de souffle (Breathless).

“The only cities where every girl you pass in the street is pretty [...] I’m not talking about Rome, or Paris, or Rio de Janeiro; I’m talking about Lausanne and Geneva.”

So, what’s behind this reputation? One explanation may be the shapely legs of the city’s female (and male) inhabitants. The city has a difference in elevation of 500 metres – particularly noticeable along the pavements of Rue du Petit-Chêne – to thank for these sculpted calves. The supporting evidence is just as ample: since the 1950s, almost a dozen girls from the Vaud region have won the Miss Switzerland beauty pageant. One of the girls, Lauriane Gilliéron, was 2nd runner-up in the 2006 Miss Universe contest, going on to become a Hollywood actress under the name of Laurie Anne Gill.

We’re willing to bet that in a former life she wouldn’t have looked too bad in front of the New Wave director’s camera, either.

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ETHNOGRAPHY

It was this conversation between JeanPaul Belmondo and Jean Seberg in the 1960’s film Breathless that led to the birth of a legend; the one surrounding the beauty of the women who call Lausanne (and secondarily Geneva) their home.

The creator of this dialogue, director Jean-Luc Godard, knew a thing or two about it: he rubbed shoulders with these very girls back in 1949, while studying for his baccalaureate at Lemania College.

ETHNOGRAPHY

Jean Seberg and Claude Rich in Un milliard dans un billiard by Niklaus Gessner (1965).

Women of Lausanne heading towards the central train station in the 1960s, most likely unaware of the international reputation Jean-Luc Godard’s film granted them.

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AROUND LAUSANNE

A confectioner’s sweet fortune from a president’s indulgence

An exquisite Lausanne delicacy is named after Valéry Giscard d’Estaing. The “Giscard” was created by the Wuthrich confectionery, which sells a world renowned chocolate scoop.

The Wuthrich sweet shop sits some distance from the hustle and bustle of the city centre, tucked away under a green canvas canopy bearing the eponymous signature. The tea room’s polished decor appears forever reminiscent of the 1980s.

Menu-wise, Wuthrich turns out a wide range of sinful delicacies, both sweet and savoury. Top of the list is their trump card: a praline covered in liquid caramel and ganache, topped with an almond tuile. Originally called the “Rigoletto”, no-one really knows when Jean Wuthrich created this delectable mouthful, with its crispy crunch, effortless layers of sweetness and milk and dark chocolate varieties. It was thanks to French politician and future president Valéry Giscard d’Estaing that these pralines rose to international fame. He discovered them during a visit to Lausanne and promptly fell in love, 18

An everlasting restaurant Here we check out the Café de l’Europe, where young intellectuals, politicians and travellers waiting for trains mingle in its special ambiance.

The “Giscard”, choice chocolate topped with almonds.

You’ll eat well for little at the Café de l’Europe: röstis, grilled sausages and fondue are all on the menu. A dish of the day is available, which brings variety to the typical Vaud brasserie cuisine. But people go to the Café de l’Europe first and foremost because it is one of the last neighbourhood bistros in Lausanne, hidden in the shadows on the Rue de Simplon under the railway tracks emerging from the station. With its crocheted white net curtains, ubiquitous wooden surfaces and polished tables, it is almost a museum display of a restaurant from days gone by. “For some people, the Café de l’Europe is a social sanctuary. They wouldn’t know where else to go. They sit and comment fondly on both the people who pass by, and those who come in”, says television presenter Michel Zendali, one of the many regulars.

Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, who had his favourite confectionery delivered to the Élysée Palace between 1974 and 1981.

ordering whole boxes of them from Madame Wuthrich each Christmas during his time as president.

The confectioner’s stroke of genius was to get the president’s approval to rename the chocolate in his honour. Egon Kopp, who took over the sweet shop in 1990, never reveals production figures for fear of jealousy, but we do know that deliveries of the famouslynamed chocolate are sent all over the world. Their most famous enthusiast also continues to treat himself on a regular basis.

The Café de l’Europe is one of those restaurants where people play cards, chat – cheerfully, seriously, eagerly – shout from one table to another and joke around with the waitress, the famous Malou, who has been there for nearly 30 years. Since 2015, Laurent Degardin has been responsible for keeping the place going and nurturing its delicate ecosystem. The City of Lausanne owns the premises and wants to showcase its heritage and local produce with a logo flagging the establishment.

Café de l’Europe Rue du Simplon 33, Lausanne www.cafedeleurope.ch

Wuthrich Sweet Shop Avenue Juste-Olivier 11, Lausanne 19

AROUND LAUSANNE

Gardens of Lausanne: 100% organic SERGE MURISET, GARDENER FOR THE CITY PARK SERVICES

Interview by Odile Valmont

Geraniums, begonias, marigolds, fuchsias... Mid-May saw Lausanne’s gardeners planting the summer beds of the famous floral clock in Ouchy. Heading up the team working on the lakeside section, with 30 years of service behind him, was team leader Serge Muriset. We caught up with him on the pier to discuss plants and people.

Isn’t Ouchy’s floral clock getting a bit old fashioned now? The gardens in other parts of town have changed a lot over the past few years…

Serge Muriset: The floral clock is kind of like the town’s calling card: it’s a bit of a landmark for tourists and visitors from across the border. It’s more about continuity than anything else.

But you’re right – there aren’t that many flowerbeds like this elsewhere in Lausanne any

more. We call them “intensive” beds because they take a lot of looking after, and need to be planted up twice a year.

Environmental concerns have grown over the past few years, and we are focusing more on perennials and extensive gardening to reflect this. Take the funicular line not far from here for example, which is known as the “green belt”: around half the space along each side of the line is covered in blocks of grassland.

And is the fauna in Lausanne’s parks as different now as the flora? What’s changed for you over the past 30 years?

I see more dads with their kids... and more greasy paper on the floor. The rise of fast food can really be seen in the parks.

The result of this is that I was a gardener before; now I’m a gardener and a cleaner. I was actually sworn in two years ago, so it’s within my rights to fine anyone who throws a cigarette butt on the ground, doesn’t have their dog on a lead or is caught peeing up a tree. But the idea is 20

to go easy on people: most of what I do is about prevention.

Is it true that you use cow horn as fertiliser?

Yes, that was part of the City of Lausanne’s big organic movement a few years ago: we don’t use any synthetic chemicals at all in the upkeep of municipal parks nowadays.

By the way, although we say “cow horn”, it’s actually made of cattle carcasses that have been recovered and crushed up. It’s a very common type of fertiliser.

Do you have a favourite plant?

Not really. But when the ginkgo trees in the green belt are in flower towards the end of the summer I think that looks magical. All the yellow looks just like gold. In fact, the ginkgo tree is also known as “the tree of forty crowns”.

STREET VIEW

Serge Muriset continues to help the city bloom.

His eco-friendly methods include cow horn fertiliser.

Freshening up a grand old lady

ETHNOGRAPHY

The statue of the Fontaine de la Justice, sculpted in 1585 and made fragile by time and the elements, was spruced up and repainted in 1905. This was when the pastor Paul Vionnet immortalised it at the restoration workshop. The photography pioneer roamed the region with his camera, and his work makes up a large part of the photographic memories of the canton of Vaud. In 1896, he created what would become the Vaudois Iconographic Collection, from which this photo is taken.

The famous blindfolded allegory for justice that sits on the Place de la Palud today is, in fact, a copy from 1930. The original is in the MusĂŠe historique de Lausanne. The transfer happened after the venerable statue was subjected to acts of vandalism.

A copy of the statue in its original colours with its double edged sword can been seen at the Palud fountain.

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AROUND LAUSANNE

“Mozzarella is like bread: it needs to be made and eaten on the same day”

Interview by Odile Valmont

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IN THE MARKETPLACE

In each issue, The Lausanner tells you about a stand at the Lausanne market and the products on offer.

Giovanni Padula kicks things off with a recollection of his childhood mozzarella.

IN THE MARKETPLACE

Although named after Place de la Riponne, the Lausanne market sprawls far beyond the square itself, taking over the entire pedestrian area of the city centre on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. In addition to politicians looking to raise their profiles and farmers, butchers and vegetable growers from the surrounding countryside, it is also home to stands featuring more exotic produce. Giovanni Padula, who has been a market stalwart for the past 35 years, tells us about the sacrilege suffered by Switzerland’s favourite cheese.

How long have you had your Italian cheese stand in the Riponne market?

Giovanni Padula: Since 1983.

Italian vegetable farmers and cheese merchants are everywhere nowadays, but back then we were trailblazers. And we were the first to offer buffalo mozzarella.

Is this the only real mozzarella?

No, absolutely not! Mozzarella made from cow’s milk – known as “fior di latte” – and buffalo milk mozzarella are just different varieties which come from two different regions.

Fior di latte comes from Puglia and buffalo mozzarella is from Campania, which is where Naples is. I grew up in the neighbouring region of Molise, in Upper Molise, and when I arrived in Switzerland

as a young man I had no idea about “mozzerella di bufala”.

I started importing it because a customer asked me for it. My grandmother actually used to make mozzarella herself though, in her kitchen...

How did she do it?

The process itself isn’t difficult.

You make a curd and work it by hand in hot water to stretch it, then break it up to make different shapes – “mozzare” means “to cut off”, which is where the name “mozzarella” comes from.

So it’s easy then? When is your mozzarella school opening in Lausanne?!

It’s harder than it looks! The process is simple but there’s a lot of knowledge behind it, as well as lots of different factors, like the quality of the water and the milk, which all makes everything much more complicated. I say that from experience: in 2002, I started producing mozzarella locally, in Yverdon. But I gave it up after about 10 years: I still hadn’t managed to make anything that was actually any good, or anything like the mozzarella I had back when I was a child...

Are you sure you’re not looking back at it through rose-tinted glasses?

(Laughs) I don’t think so, there was something objectively different about it. Mozzarella

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is like bread; it should be made and eaten on the same day. It never used to last longer than two days. It had more salt in it, which gave it more flavour but also made it more delicate.

People want cheese that is going to last at least a week, so it got quite difficult to sell...

Apart from mass-produced mozzarella, which lasts a lot longer!

Yes, that’s a whole other story. I was in Coop the other day, and I counted 36 different types of mozzarella! More mozzarella is sold in Switzerland at the moment than any other cheese, which is largely down to the popularity of pizza. There are two major mass-producers now supplying mozzarella in Switzerland, but even when it’s Italian, the curd itself comes from Germany. It is produced in Italy, and then sent on, grated for example, to Germany or Switzerland... it’s seen the world!

CRUISING ON “LA SUISSE”

Considered one of the most beautiful ships in the world, this famous ship crisscrosses the waters of Lake Geneva from April to October.

Visit this Belle Epoque masterpiece while it’s at berth in the port of Lausanne-Ouchy.

Aurélien Barrelet/LargeNetwork

VENTILATION FUNNEL

Essential for cooling down the machine room.

THE WHISTLE

It sounds to signal the arrival of the boat.

L A

THE WHEEL

S U I S S E

The paddle wheel, dating back to 1909, pushes the water backward, thus allowing the boat to move forward.

THE RADAR

This is only used in bad weather conditions.

FLAGS

They represent the territories that surround the lake: Vaud, Geneva, Valais and Savoie.

THE FIGUREHEAD It is covered in gold leaves.

THE BELL

The bell is a decoration, it was previously used to signal the presence of the boat in the case of foggy weather.

Following page: The three decks of the boat

THE BOAT OF THE CENTURY Built in Winterthour by the Sulzer brothers company, the impressive vessel was commissioned on Tuesday, May 31st 1910. It is the largest steam ship on the lakes of Switzerland. No matter the weather conditions during the summer, it carries tourists of “la Belle Epoque” from one part of Lake Geneva to another and has undergone several renovations during the course of the last century.

In 2007, an intensive historical study was done which allowed for the restauration of the vessel’s main hall to its original state of 1st class maple wood.

UPPER DECK

MAIN DECK

“La Suisse” can host 200 guests for dining and has space for 850 passengers.

The menu of the gourmet tour is accessible on www.cgn.ch Reservations are advised.

The ship has been classified as a historical monument by the canton of Vaud since 2011.

THE HOLD The boat is named “La Suisse” but its prow sports French colors.

The Swiss flag flies at the stern, in other words at the back of the ship.

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The 850 life jackets on board are stored in the benches in different areas of the vessel.

There are six cylinders at each side of the vessel. Each one contains a lifeboat that can be inflated in 30 seconds and holds 65 people at capacity The rescue boats are used to retrieve any passengers who fall overboard, each can hold up to 37 people.

The historical salon in first class is considered one of the most beautiful in the world.

A bed and desk can be found in the captain’s cabin.

Mahogany was used to construct the salon for second class passengers. Thus, giving this hall a darker look than the maple used for first class.

Mens, Womens, and disabled toilets.

Two cabins, each containing a bed Freezer room Kitchen The machine room is composed of a steam machine and boiler: it’s the heart of the vessel.

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AROUND LAUSANNE During his visit to Lausanne’s Olympic Museum, Emmanuel Macron walked in the footsteps of Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the Olympic movement in Lausanne.

The Presidential couple stopped by Lausanne last summer. They came to support Paris’ 2024 Olympic bid.

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte flew into Payerne military air base before dropping their luggage off at the Beau-Rivage and going to meet the Olympic Committee and the French paparazzi outside the Olympic Museum. Dressed in matching outfits, the couple were accompanied by Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris. Their mission was to promote Paris’ 2024 bid to the Olympic organisation.

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GAZETTE

Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron stay at the Beau-Rivage

Ai Weiwei in front of a print from his exhibition "It’s Always The Others” at Lausanne’s Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts in September 2017.

AI WEIWEI: AN AMBASSADOR FOR LAUSANNE ON INSTAGRAM

GAZETTE

A habitual photographer, Ai Weiwei posted an abundance of photos from his September 2017 Lausanne trip to his Instagram account. Most of which were selfies in the Zoology Museum. The superstar artist, who doesn’t have a diva bone in his body, was seen arriving on the metro to the vernissage of his exhibition at the Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts. Not only did this set the paps snapping – entry figures shot up, too. The “Ai Weiwei. D’ailleurs c’est toujours les autres” (Ai Weiwei. By the way, it’s always the others) exhibition comfortably broke the record for visitor numbers to the museum, with a total of 106,500 visitors.

TRADITIONAL FARE FOR GUS VAN SANT

ASAF AVIDAN, AGAIN AND AGAIN

CHOCOLATE FOR DEPARDIEU

On his way through Europe, American film director Gus Van Sant was treated to the Brasserie Grand-Chêne’s signature dish at Lausanne Palace: a plate of snails. He was in Lausanne last October for a masterclass at the cantonal art school (ECAL) alongside his retrospective at the Swiss Film Archive and an exhibition at the Musée de l’Élysée.

The first time was at Bleu Lézard in 2010. Then at the Docks, in 2013 and 2015. Finally, the broken-hearted Israeli singer opened last year’s Metropop festival on 9 November. “I don’t usually remember much about the cities that I play in, but Lausanne is different!” said the artist, who also has fond memories of the Paléo Festival in Nyon.

Emotions were running high during Gérard Depardieu’s March 2018 concert at the Salle Métropole. The actor was performing songs from the repertoire of the famous “lady in black”, Barbara. Before it was even over, the audience had presented the artist with gifts of chocolate and local wine.

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AROUND LAUSANNE

Americans falling for Vaud

An upturn in the economy, a love of the Vaud canton’s heritage and a targeted media strategy: tourists to the region from the USA made a comeback in 2017.

LAUSANNE NEWS

They’re back! After a decade of “absence” (relatively speaking), the Americans are making their way back to Switzerland, with the canton of Vaud as their number one destination. They stayed a total of 125,000 nights in 2016, compared to 99,000 in 2012, placing them ahead of the Italians, English and Chinese. The reasons behind this infatuation? The economic upturn in the States, the strengthening of the dollar against the Swiss franc, and a spotlight on the Vaud region in 2016 thanks to an article in the New York Times. The famous daily placed the canton of Vaud 25th in a ranking of 52 must-see places.

And the regional tourist offices have used this media attention to their advantage. “We were already very active in terms of communication in the States, but we took advantage of this visibility to kick it up another notch,” explains Andreas Bahholzer, manager of the Vaud canton tourist office. On the agenda are a number of press trips to promote the region’s art of living. This art of living is one that enchants Americans, who are great fans of the rolling Vaud landscape, its heritage, and the cultural activities on offer here. The Charlie Chaplin museum, Chillon Castle, Lausanne Cathedral and the region of Lavaux are all not to be missed.

This comeback is met with unanimous approval in the tourism industry. “Americans are respectful, and take the time to find out about the region.

They spend quite a lot, too”, smiles Bahholzer.

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ELON MUSK INVITES EPFL ABOARD THE FUTURE TRAIN

Covering the ground between Geneva and Zurich in just over a quarter of an hour – is it madness? Not for Elon Musk, the visionary American entrepreneur who is looking to revolutionise transport with his Hyperloop project. This futuristic train design would allow capsules to travel at speeds of over 1,000 km/h along a set of rails in an airless tunnel. It is a race for innovation, and EPFL is on board. The Lausanne university is one of 20 international teams selected to take part next July in the Hyperloop Pod Competition, a university competition organised by Elon Musk and his aerospace company, SpaceX, in Los Angeles. The aim? To be the quickest to create a capsule prototype. The team from Vaud, christened “EPFLoop”, will be made up of around 50 students from the Lausanne institute, and will include scientists, engineers and designers.

LAUSANNE NEWS

FROM THE YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES TO LONG-TERM USE

Meet Vortex, a ring-shaped structure that is 27 metres high and 430 metres in circumference: this bonafide architectural challenge is the future student accommodation which has been built to the north of the Lausanne University campus. Before it becomes home to a thousand university students in September 2020, however, it will be used as the nerve centre for the Youth Olympic Games, which are to take place in January of the same year. Around 1,700 athletes and their teams will be housed in this 36,700 sq m Olympic Village, which will receive 156 million Swiss francs in funding from the State of Vaud’s pension fund.

A DESIGNER’S FRAGRANCE

After logos for Jay-Z, graphic designer from Lausanne Philippe Cuendet is having a change of direction and launching a fragrance.

His brand, Armes, was founded with Yves Rutiyomba and David Corminboeuf, and has ties to the famous Parisian nose, Barnabé Fillion, scent designer for Aesop and Paul Smith. The result of this olfactory collaboration is Equilibre F 96, inspired by one of the creative trio’s candles with fresh, woody and sophisticated notes.

It is exclusively available from Aegon + Aegon in Lausanne. Or, via the vendor-like Instagram account for the Armes brand, which spontaneously designs and markets a range of exclusive items.

Aegon + Aegon Rue du Tunnel 8, Lausanne www.aegonaegon.com 31

AROUND LAUSANNE

ANDREA KUCERA IS A JOURNALIST AT NZZ AM SONNTAG

The city through the eyes of a political correspondent SWISS OUTSIDER

Andrea Kucera has lived in the Vaud region’s capital for four years. As the political correspondent for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, she has observed its people, its streets, and its values.

Interview by Melinda Marchese

Andrea Kucera makes no secret of the fact that it took some time for her to fall in love with Lausanne. Originally from Zürich, the journalist, 36, lived and studied in Geneva before making this her home between 2013 and 2017. She provided readers of Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) with behind-the-scenes daily updates on political goings-on in the city and French-speaking Switzerland from her office on

Pont Bessières, which is in the same building as the Ringier press group editorial staff.

each, Lausanne only has one central district surrounded by sprawling suburbs.

You were the correspondent for all of French-speaking Switzerland. What made you choose to live in Lausanne?

Geneva is too far out. For me, Lausanne is the region’s capital – it’s in a better position for me to cover all the French-speaking cantons. And since it’s got such a diverse landscape with the Alps, the plateau and the lake, the Vaud canton is basically a mini Switzerland. Over time I have come to absolutely love Lausanne and its surroundings, although the layout did surprise me to start with. Unlike Geneva and Zürich, which have multiple neighbourhoods in the city centre with a different vibe in

What was it about the city that you fell in love with?

I was completely taken aback by the topography of the place, by its inclines and steep drops.

This unique geography makes Lausanne look like a big theatre stage, with lots of different backdrops all layered on top of each other. Whether you’re down on a bridge or up on a hill, there are so many different things to see, and the views are always incredible. There is this ever-present sense of openness.

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Did you have a favourite place?

I have great memories of my weekly wanders around the

market in the city centre. I used to love going there to buy fruit and vegetables from regional farmers, and talking to them about the things they grew and brought along to sell. It was the perfect place to go if you wanted to hear all of Vaud’s various accents!

And what about the people that live here?

I found the inhabitants of Lausanne to be very kind, easy-going and welcoming. They are also

very proud of their region, and of being Swiss, too.

So the people of Lausanne are patriotic then?

French-Swiss people do tend to be. They are less keen on folk traditions like alphorns and yodelling than the German-Swiss; their patriotic side can be seen more in how they sing the praises of their region and traditional cuisine, as well as their institutions and the Swiss political system.

They are very open about

this, and very quick to express how happy they are with federalism and democracy.

You have just moved to Bern.

What parts of Lausanne did you pack into your suitcase to take with you?

A lot of contacts, who I am sure will be very useful to me in my new role as parliamentary correspondent for the NZZ am Sonntag, and my love of Lake Geneva – I miss it already!

SWISS OUTSIDER

HER TOP PLACES TO GO BAR

“The perfect place to spend a morning reading the paper with jazz playing in the background.”

CAFE

“A century-old place that is typical of Lausanne, tucked away behind Place de la Riponne.”

TERRACE BAR

“This ephemeral bar is a great place to dip your toes in the water and enjoy a fera mousse made with fish from the lake.”

RESTAURANT

“A traditional Italian restaurant with a few tables out on the pavement. Its location near the police headquarters means it’s a great place to see the “Neapolitan Carabinieri” go marching past.”

MUSEUM

“I often visit this museum, which is the only one of its kind in Switzerland. The work on display there is always very candid and sincere.”

OUTING

“If you start out from Lutry and head towards Grandvaux, this hike has some mind-blowing views. You can buy wine from self-service stations along the way.”

Le Bar Tabac Rue Beau-Séjour 7, Lausanne +41 21 312 33 16 La Couronne d’Or Rue des Deux-Marchés 13, Lausanne +41 21 311 38 17 Jetée de la compagnie +41 77 400 60 18

L’Ulivo Chemin de Couvaloup 13, Lausanne +41 21 544 66 82 La Collection de l’Art Brut Avenue Bergières 11, Lausanne +41 21 315 25 70 Through the Lavaux Vineyard Terraces

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AROUND LAUSANNE

JAMES LARUS, DEAN OF COMPUTER SCIENCES AT THE EPFL

An American in Lausanne EXPAT

Dean of Computer and Communication Sciences at the EPFL, James Larus’ dazzling career has brought him to the shores of Lake Geneva. He tells us about the walks to the cathedral and futuristic research that make up his life here in Lausanne.

Interview by Blandine Guignier

His CV is over 20 pages long, and is brimming with distinguished names. James Larus graduated from Harvard in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Mathematics, going on to obtain his Master’s and PhD in Computer Science at Berkeley. Having started out as an academic at the University of Wisconsin, he joined Microsoft in 1997. As a result, there are few areas of computer science

that the American is not familiar with: from software engineering to automatic bug detection mechanisms, and even writing programming languages, he’s seen it all.

So what is this academic, with his impressive career, doing in Lausanne? Modest and cheerful, he prefers to emphasise how lucky he was to be offered the position of Dean in the School of Computer and Communication Sciences at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).

When you arrived in 2013, what were your first impressions of Lausanne?

Before we arrived, my wife and I were imagining ourselves living a traditional Swiss life out in the countryside, or in a chalet up in the mountains. But we 34

soon fell in love with Lausanne and chose to live near the lake in Vidy, close to EPFL and all the amenities. In the States we used to travel miles. Here, we really enjoy not having to drive, being able to use efficient public transport systems and walking around the city.

And what did you think of your new workplace, the EPFL campus?

First I thought that it was nothing like an American university.

Lots of buildings have a very Swiss look about them – just like a school of computer science that had been built by an architect from Lausanne would. They are geometric and regular in shape, and there is a lot of concrete about. The technological foundations here at EFPL also seemed different to me. But then I gradually started

HIS TOP PLACES TO GO ROLEX LEARNING CENTER

“The refined lines of the building created

by Japanese architects testifies to the Swiss Technical University of Lausanne opening to the world.”

RESTAURANT

“French cuisine, cosy décor: a classic.”

CATHEDRAL

“I love to hike up to the cathedral with my family when I visit Switzerland. It’s a walk one can’t miss out on.”

CAFE

“Particularly good for a drink or Sunday brunch.”

Allée de Savoie, Ecublens Every day from: 7 am to midnight Au Chat Noir Rue Beau-Séjour 27, Lausanne +41 21 312 95 85

EXPAT

Place de la Cathédrale Open from April to the end of September: 9 am → 7 pm October to the end of March: 9 am → 5.30 pm Café de Grancy Avenue du Rond-Point 1, Lausanne www.cafedegrancy.ch

to notice major similarities in terms of the structure here, and the staff. The university is also thoroughly global-minded: the recent completion of the Rolex Learning Center with its clean lines, designed by a Japanese architect, is testament to this.

What are your school’s main areas of research?

We are constantly delving into new areas. We are currently stepping up our research into machine learning. As part of a very large-scale computer lab, we are interested in processing DNA sequencing data. This process has got to

be made faster and cheaper, and needs to consume less energy in data centres.

And what about your contact with Swiss people?

They are sometimes said to be quite private.

We’ve had completely the opposite experience.

My wife took part in a few French–English tandems, and quickly made herself some Swiss friends. A student from the Vaud region invited us to go and meet her family who live in the mountains, in Étivaz, for example. They are incredibly friendly people.

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What do you recommend that friends and family do here when they visit?

We walk into town and visit the cathedral. We go to the market, eat fondue, and visit a chocolate shop. An American couldn’t come to Switzerland and not eat Swiss cheese and chocolate – it would be impossible! We also go to the art museums and enjoy some wonderful views out across Lake Geneva, from Ouchy to the Lavaux Vineyard Terraces. And, when our visitors have time for a longer trip to Switzerland, we go on one of its legendary train journeys, such as the Glacier Express.

INTERVIEW

Architectural walk through a finely constructed city

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Lausanne’s urban heritage goes back centuries. Giving us the low-down on the landscape and telling us his top picks is Vincent Mangeat, who has been a key figure in Swiss architecture for several decades.

Interview by Robert Gloy

The oldest streets and houses in Lausanne, formerly Lousonna, date back to the Roman days. Over time, residents also urbanised the area’s iconic hills and valleys. For architect Vincent Mangeat, building in those days was first and foremost a necessity dictated by survival and protection. But Lausanne is also home to some very characterful buildings which give it its visual identity. We take a walk with the esteemed architect to find out more about this architectural heritage.

You live in Nyon – what are your links to Lausanne?

Vincent Mangeat: I lived here for a long time as I studied, and then later taught, at the EPFL. Even now, I mostly divide my time between Nyon and Lausanne. Career-wise, this city is important to me as I designed some student accommodation here in the Sous-Gare district in 2007. I also co-founded the Special School of Architecture (ESAR) in that same district, in the same year.

Vincent Mangeat, the 77-year-old architect of the Maison de l’écriture in Montricher, in his Nyon office.

What buildings of note does the city have that you like to use as examples?

I really love the station, which was built between 1911 and 1916. It’s the simplicity of its roof, and the elegance of the metallic structure: it’s not enough to just look at the front – people need to appreciate the whole thing. What is more, this great building belongs to everyone. It is a place of passage which remains as important now as it was back in the 19th century. Another incredible construction is the Grand-Pont. It was built in the early 19th century, and provides a link between the lower and upper districts of the city.

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INTERVIEW

38

← BEL-AIR TOWER

VINCENT MANGEAT, HIS LIFE IN DATES

Architect: Alphonse Laverrière

1941:

Born in Delémont (Jura).

1985:

Built the Nyon school. This was the first in a series of learning spaces that he went on to create.

1969:

Construction: 1931 Address: Place Bel-Air 1 Uses: Offices, shops and a performance hall (Métropole room)

1990: Appointed as a professor of theoretical and applied architecture at the EPFL. He held this role until 2006.

Height: 78 metres Why does he like it?

“With a height that makes it the tallest skyscraper in Switzerland, the Bel-Air Tower marks where the new neighbourhoods begin. It is a symbol that links the old districts of SaintFrançois to the new ones in Chauderon.”

VINCENT MANGEAT

Graduated from the EPFL with a degree in architecture and founded his architectural firm in Nyon. Since 1990, he has managed the firm in partnership with his associate, Pierre Wahlen.

1999:

Worked on the Île Falcon bridge on the A9 motorway towards Sierre (Valais).

2013: Built the Maison de l’écriture in Montricher (Vaud) for the Jan Michalski Foundation. This building was designed like a town, and became most well-known for its white concrete canopy and suspended pods.

And what about the more recent buildings?

As a first example I’d like to mention the Bel-Air Tower, which was built in 1931

by Alphonse Laverrière. Of course, the nearly-80-metre high building is most famous as Switzerland’s first skyscraper.

But to me, the most important thing is to stress that there is real urban rationale behind this height. When it was being built, it was all about marking the entry into new neighbourhoods upon leaving the Grand-Pont. So the tower is a symbol, linking the old districts of Saint-François to the new in Chauderon.

Another incredible building is the one that Jean Tschumi, Bernard Tschumi’s father, built for Vaudoise Assurances between 1952 and 1956. It sits between the Parc de Milan and Lake Geneva.

Again, I love this building for how smart it is from an architectural point of view.

Since it’s on stilts, it doesn’t ruin the view across the lake, and it fits perfectly into the urban landscape around it.

Many visitors are impressed by the view out over the lake, which can be enjoyed from a range of places. How would you tie this interest in the landscape into an architectural tour?

If it’s the history of the town that we’re after, we should start the visit by the lake in Vidy (where the Lausanne-Vidy 39

Roman Museum is - ed. note), and not up high. That’s because this is where the first constructions were built back in Roman times. Incidentally, the concept of admiring the view across the lake has not actually been around that long. That may seem strange to us today, seeing as the view over the lake is incredible, especially from the cathedral. Although that was built during the Middle Ages, it was only in the 19th century that people found out about the views over the lake, and started to appreciate them. Before that, they didn’t have the time for that sort of thing: the idea of leisure just wasn’t developed enough.

What do we learn about the expansion of the city by starting in Vidy?

We learn that whilst they were part of the Roman Empire, the inhabitants of Lausanne felt safe. They lived by the lake, near trade routes. This all changed in the Middle Ages: communities needed to protect themselves against potential invaders, and so needed to be in a more secure position. That is why the Lausannois went up the hill, as the height of it offered them natural protection.

Inhabitants then started to settle in the areas surrounding the city.

The geography of the place was complicated: it was full of valleys and divided by a major waterway, the

INTERVIEW

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← VAUDOISE ASSURANCES

Architect: Jean Tschumi Construction: 1952–1956 Address: Place de Milan 1 Use: Administrative building Art: The building houses a range of artwork, including sculptures, mosaics and wall paintings from major Swiss artists such as Carlo Baratelli, Jacques Berger, Ödon Koch and Bernard Schorderet.

VINCENT MANGEAT

Why does he like it?

“I love this building for how smart it is from an architectural point of view. Since it’s on stilts, it doesn’t ruin the view across the lake, and it fits perfectly into the urban landscape around it.”

Flon, which flowed all the way down into the lake. So the Flon was the population’s lifeline, providing it with energy and the means to transport goods.

From the Middle Ages onwards, the city expanded more and more towards the west. It was following this expansion that the first urban subsets, the districts, started to appear.

And then came the railway...

As with all cities, the arrival of the railway in the middle of the 19th century was a major growth accelerator. From that moment on, Lausanne became a modern city, with increasing contact with regions further afield. As proof of this, more and more tourists began to arrive from places like Montreux and the Riviera.

The location for the station was

chosen based on its proximity to the Flon valleys, the city, and the lake. The arrival of the railway was also a major boost for development of the land between the lake and the station. This district, which is now called “sous-gare”, or “below the station”, is an excellent example of early urbanisation.

It was developed according to a plan which was designed to allow each new building to be integrated into the whole. If you walk through this district, you’ll notice that it has a very harmonious feel. There aren’t really any buildings that stand out: they work together to give the district its identity. ■

← LAUSANNE STATION

Architects: Monod & Laverrière and Taillens & Dubois Construction: 1911–1916 Address: Place de la Gare Style: Art Nouveau Why does he like it?

“Its roof, the elegance of the metallic structure, its simplicity: it’s not enough to just look at the front – people need to appreciate the whole thing.”

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BY THE WATER

THE MAGIC OF WATER

Lausanne and its surroundings are simply overflowing with beaches and swimming pools; they are places where you can bask in the sun, and spots to see and be seen. Here, writer Roland Jaccard, a knowledgeable enthusiast of these glamorous mating grounds, tells us about his favourite places to take a dip.

By Nina Seddik

Below: Roland Jaccard (centre) poses with friends at the Montchoisi pool in the 1970s.

On the right: Bellerive swimming pool

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BY THE WATER

POOLS AND BEACHES

MONTCHOISI POOL

Why Roland Jaccard loves this pool: “This place will always remind me of my childhood friends, and my first stirrings of emotion.

I love the way it looks, and how calm it is in the stillness of the morning.”

This pool is unusual in that it sits right in the heart of Lausanne, and yet it still manages to stay unspoilt by the hustle and bustle of the city roads. It is particularly well-known for its modernist architecture, and the wave machine that roils the water in the pools five times a day (see inset). After a few laps, the terrace is the perfect place to sit and recharge your batteries.

And, if it’s a snooze in the sunshine that you’re after, then the vintage wooden sunloungers in the solarium are the place for you.

Piscine de Montchoisi Avenue du Servan 30, Lausanne +41 21 315 49 62 Number 8/4/25 bus: Montchoisi stop M1 Metro: Délices stop Open: 24 May to 9 September 2018 www.lausanne.ch/montchoisi 44

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HOW IS MONTCHOISI POOL MAKING WAVES

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POOLS AND BEACHES

4 When people think of the Montchoisi pool they also inevitably think of its wave machine, which has been a major factor in the pool’s success. But how does it actually work?

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A 380-volt motor drives a 180-cm wheel, which creates a force.

2 This force activates an underwater system of rods and axles, which in turn moves a platform.

3 The up and down movement of the platform pushes the water against the bottom of the pool, which creates the wave.

The different gradients of slope in the pool have an effect on the direction and power of the waves.

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4 After 5 to 8 minutes, the guard turns the motor off and the pool returns to normal.

BY THE WATER

BELLERIVE POOL Choosing between the pool and the beach is never going to be easy. But with its two main pools, a paddling pool full of games and direct access to the lake, Bellerive solves this dilemma in the blink of an eye. A real institution in Lausanne, it has been one of Romandy’s leisure hot spots since 1937. The complex is extremely popular as a sunbathing spot, as well as for its impressive sports facilities: 20 ping-pong tables, two basketball courts, five beach volleyball courts, a water park out on the lake and three diving boards, one of which is 10 metres high.

Piscine de Bellerive Avenue de Rhodanie 23, Lausanne +41 21 315 48 60 Number 2 bus: Bellerive stop

Why he loves this pool: “I love the solarium there. I think the architecture of the place is amazing: it’s very Bauhaus which makes me incredibly happy.”

Open: 19 May to 9 September 2018 www.lausanne.ch/bellerive 46

“I am fascinated by the appearance of swimming pools”

POOLS AND BEACHES

Writer Roland Jaccard, a water lover, guides you to the sunny hot spots.

A psychologist, writer, literary critic and former journalist for French daily Le Monde, Roland Jaccard is first and foremost a great seducer and lover of women: most notably of actress Louise Brooks, to whom he devoted an entire biography. The dapper young man from Lausanne, who left for Paris in the 1970s, still has fabulous memories of a youth spent in and around the city’s swimming pools.

He turned lazing about by the pool into an artform, documented by a mountain of photos and even a film produced by TV network Télévision suisse romande.

Roland Jaccard: “I was at the Montchoisi pool with my friends every day when I was a child. We loved playing music on the big old jukebox, swimming through the waves, and jumping off the 10 metre diving board. As the years went on, what had been a playground for me and my friends became a place for seduction and frivolity. With the sun, the heat and the bodies, swimming pools are places where your senses come alive. Incidentally, I’ve also used them as meeting places in most of my books. I’m fascinated by their appearance, their geometry, and their artificiality. And even over the course of the years they have stayed the same: like little pockets of time that have stood still.”

Photos from the film Promenades intérieures (1976) taken by Roland Jaccard for Swiss television.

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BY THE WATER PULLY-PLAGE POOL Its vast stretches of lawn and breathtaking views out over Lake Geneva make this a true oasis of calm. A lush green haven, this is a great place to stretch out and bask in the sunshine, before taking a dip in the lake or one of the two pools. The restaurant’s cosy, shaded terrace is the perfect spot to enjoy an aperitif at the end of the day. The atmosphere there makes it almost feel like you’re on holiday.

Piscine de Pully-Plage Chemin des Bains 6, Pully +41 21 721 35 37 Number 8 bus: Vignes stop

Why he loves this pool: “I love spending an evening at the Pully pool when I’m in Lausanne. I play table tennis with the regulars there every day. We are all from hugely different socio-economic backgrounds, but come together over our shared love of ping pong.”

Open: 10 May to 17 September 2018 www.pully.ch

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DID YOU KNOW? During the off-season, the lawns at the Pully pool become home to La Planque des Tontons, a pop-up restaurant in a 16-metre high teepee measuring 200 sq m.

POOLS AND BEACHES

The “Kamikaze” water slide at the (now Renens pool AquaSplash) has an 18-metre freefall section where you can reach top speeds of 60 km/hour.

Men’s Bath/Ladies’ Bath. This distinction, which can be found along the beaches and Cully , is a of Saint-Prex throwback to the 19th century. Back then, workers used to come to the lake to wash – so, to avoid the men and the women mixing, two different bathing areas were created.

1,385 kilos of rubbish are piled high along the Pully-Villette stretch of shoreline. This is the result of the 2016 efforts of Net’Léman, an organisation which cleans the lake and its shoreline over one weekend every two years.

LUTRY BEACH The beach at Lutry is probably one of the nicest in the region. With just a few strokes, you’re away from the shore and can admire the Lavaux vineyards in the distance. Its charm is also helped along by the nearby village of Lutry, and the friendliness of the local bar.

Here you’ll find a summery offering of quick bites, with fondue on the menu for the chillier evenings. There are so many great things here that it attracts a large number of visitors. At weekends, it’s worth arriving either early in the morning or early evening to find a good spot.

Why Roland Jaccard loves this beach: “I love the little bar there, and it’s got a really nice vibe. It’s the perfect spot for grabbing a bite on the go.”

Plage de Lutry Chemin des Bains, Lutry Number 9 bus: Rive stop Open all year round www.lutry.ch 49

BY THE WATER MORATEL BEACH IN CULLY Its location in the heart of the Lavaux region, with its vast expanses of lush greenery, has won the heart of many a Riviera resident. They start setting up camp there as soon as the first rays of sun emerge, to read a book in the shade of one of the magnificent trees or go for a swim in the lake.

It’s easy to reach with great CFF links, and there’s a bar there too. Good news for our four-legged friends: dogs on leads are allowed here as well!

Plage Moratel in Cully Route de Moratel 22, Cully CFF train: Cully stop Open all year round www.leman-plages.ch

POOLS AND BEACHES

Bathing sites on map Piscine de Montchoisi

Jetée de la compagnie

Piscine de Bellerive

Plage de Saint-Prex

Piscine de Pully-Plage

Piscine de Renens

Plage de Lutry

Plage du Parc Louis Bourget

Plage Moratel in Cully

Plage de Préverenges

RENENS

LAUSANNE MORGES

PULLY

LUTRY CULLY

SAINTPREX

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Dive into clean water A dip in Lake Geneva comes highly recommended, with regular checks made to confirm the high quality of water at swimming sites.

POOLS AND BEACHES

To ensure the quality of the water at swimming sites, communes carry out checks two to five times a year depending on how many people visit their beaches.

“We take samples 30 cm from the shoreline as that is where children – who are a high-risk population – go and swim,”

explains Eric Raetz, a water inspector for the canton.

The quality of the water in the lake generally tends to be quite high, and overall is far better than it was in the 1990s, when there was a much higher concentration of phosphorus.

Thanks to improvements in

the way that water treatment plants and sewage systems work, we are now seeing the return of Chara, which is a type of macroalgae, to the bottom of Lake Geneva, which is a typical sign that the water is clean.

PICK YOUR SUMMER BAR In spring, the ephemeral terraces come out of hibernation. With so many spilling onto the streets, the city has a feel of the south.

AND ALSO...

LA GALICIENNE Under the viaduc du Galicien (Viaduct of the Galician) Chemin du Viaduc, Prilly

LA JETÉE DE LA COMPAGNIE Just down the road from the Bellerive pool is this pop-up bar, which has fast become the summer’s go-to spot for the people of Lausanne. The reasons behind its popularity? A deck opening straight out onto the lake, carefully-selected local products and unconventional new activities, such as Sunday yoga-brunch sessions and outdoor meditation.

LA GRENETTE Korean cuisine in the heart of the city Place de la Riponne 10, Lausanne Jetée de la compagnie, Lausanne +41 77 400 60 18 Number 2 bus: Bellerive stop Open: Mid-April to mid-October www.jeteedelacompagnie.ch 51

LE MONTRIOND In a kiosk on the edge of the Parc de Milan Avenue Dapples 26, Lausanne LA VALENCIENNE Next to the pétanque pitch Chemin des Vignes d’Argent Parc de Valency, Lausanne

BY THE WATER

SOFIA CLARA IN LUTRY

Sofia Clara has succeeded in bringing together a small community of followers around her eponymous blog.

An alumni of the École Hôtelière de Lausanne, having graduated in 2013, Sofia is very familiar with the charms of the Canton of Vaud. She has lived here since 1999. She has regularly shared her best picks on her eponymous blog, which she also uses to showcase her projects from time to time.

Interview by Nina Seddik

Last year, the Le Pointu restaurant won first place in Gault & Millau’s rankings of the best places to brunch in French-speaking Switzerland. This was a real accolade for Sofia Clara, co-founder of this restaurant that has become one of the trendiest places to eat in the Vaud Capital. The restaurant’s weekend brunch also sells out several weeks in advance.

With summer on the way, it would be impossible for The Lausanner not to ask Sofia about her favourite beaches and her top tips for the summer.

Le Pointu Rue Neuve 2, Lausanne www.sofiaclara.com Instagram: @sofia.clara

The 28 year-old, multi-talented British blogger, queen of DIY and interior designer in her spare time, decorated the restaurant herself, for which she has also put together several recipes.

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POOLS AND BEACHES

A blogger’s summer of style

HER TOP PLACES TO GO Vaudois CAFÉ DE LA POSTE Grand-Rue 48, Lutry

“I love the Café de la Poste, which specialises in perch fillets, and its casual ambience. I often go there after a swim at the end of the day.”

Japanese MIYAKO

“The terrace of Miyako in Beau-Rivage is charming and the sushi is fit for royalty.”

Terrace LA BRASSERIE DE MONTBENON Allée Ernest-Ansermet 3, Lausanne

“For aperitifs, the terrace of the Montbenon Brasserie is worth the detour. You don’t feel hemmed in and the architecture is magnificent.”

BARS AND Place du Port, Lausanne RESTAURANTS

POOLS AND BEACHES

Sun “For drinks after work, I love the uncomplicated style of Great THE GREAT ESCAPE Escape’s terrace, which stays bathed in sunlight for a long time.”

Rue Madeleine 18, Lausanne

FLAVOURS

BEACHES

FESTIVALS

Ephemeral LES ARCHES Route de Bel Air, Lausanne

“For aperitifs, the ephemeral Arches bar is a good alternative, easily accessible and right in the city centre.”

Market CREACION DEL TATA Lausanne Wednesdays and Saturdays

“The Saturday morning market in Lausanne is one of my favourite experiences. I buy things for a picnic there before heading to the beach. The empanadas sold at Chilean caterer Creacion del Tata’s stand are to die for.”

Ice-cream LA FOLIE VOLTAIRE Parc de Mon-Repos, Lausanne

“Nestled in the Mon-Repos Park, the Folie Voltaire is definitely one of my favourite places in Lausanne. I love stopping by on Saturday afternoons and eating artisanal ice cream in the shade of the trees.”

Icecream GLACES VENETA Quai d’Ouchy, Place du Vieux Port, 1006 Lausanne

“Unmissable.”

Wine LAVAUX VINORAMA Route du Lac 2, Rivaz

“The Lavaux Vinorama wine store in Rivaz is fantastic for aperitifs, I buy a fresh bottle of rosé there and will drink it by the lake with friends.”

PLAGE DE LUTRY Chemin des Bains, Lutry

“I lived in Lutry for a long time, and the beach there remains my favourite. I love the refreshment stand, as well as the mix of grass, sand and pebbles.”

PLAGE DES PIERRETTES Chemin des Pierrettes, Saint-Sulpice

“The Pierrettes beach in Saint-Sulpice is also a charming place to swim. It’s less crowded than the one in Lutry.”

MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL From 29 June to 14 July Montreux

“If I had to choose just one festival for the summer, it would be the Montreux Jazz Festival for sure. I find its history fascinating and it’s really easy to head there after work to grab a drink. It’s easily accessible; you can hear the acts from the quays without necessarily having a concert ticket.”

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SCENIC STROLL

A river ran through it

Before becoming a fashionable city district, the Flon was a river abused by human activity. Sylvain Menétrey takes a look at what’s left of it.

explains Dominique Zürcher from the Lausanne Water Department. A large proportion of the valley was then filled in to make room for industrial expansion. The arches of the bridges which span its width, such as Pont Chauderon, have shrunk by roughly half.

The Flon area is much better known as a neighbourhood which sits within the old river valley. For a long time, it was a byword for a cluster of factories and warehouses. But from 1980–1990, following a period of deindustrialisation, this wasteland provided fertile ground for all sorts of possibilities, with vintage furniture shops, gothic boutiques, artist workshops, clandestine parties and prostitution creating a revolutionary new patchwork a mere five minutes’ walk from the historic city centre. This fantasy world then underwent a period of regeneration to become what we see today: a new shopping and leisure district full of modern buildings.

It was the Mercier family and their company, LO Holding (now Mobimo), who were behind these changes every step of the way: an old Huguenot family of tanners who first turned their hand to logistics, and then to property, and who own the entire district.

It is the first day of spring. A dusting of snow covers the ground. Here in the uplands of Lausanne, surrounded by towering trees, the snow turns to ice.

I am standing here looking at a drain, from which a trickle of water emerges. It is a pitiful beginning for the Flon. Unless, of course, its source was located a few hundred metres higher, here in the woods known as the Bois du Jorat, between the golf course in Epalinges and the Auberge du Chaletdes-Enfants. The 1:25,000 map shows a series of blue lines, all of which could be likely candidates.

Few in Lausanne think of a river when you talk about the Flon. This is hardly surprising – it has largely dropped out of sight, despite flowing right through the city up until the 19th century. It has been exploited, domesticated, buried and, since 1996, diverted to feed into the Vuachère, another low-flowing waterway. As such, not much remains of the river around which the city was built. “The Flon was used by the water mills and tanneries along its banks. Waste water was also released back into the river. At the start of the 20th century, it was buried to avoid the outbreak of epidemics,” 54

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On this walk, I am looking for any traces of this story that still remain along the waterway. The banks have not been developed at the very top, making it an unfortunate necessity to cling to the brambles that line the way. It’s not likely that any pathways will appear in these parts any time soon, either. “We are working backwards to try and keep these areas in their natural condition and avoid causing any problems to wildlife,” explains Zürcher.

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Several hundred metres downstream, however, after it has been joined by a number of other similar streams, a fleeting section of the Flon looks to be used for leisure. All the way to the M2 terminus at Croisettes around a kilometre away, a delightful path dotted with benches, picnic areas, bridges and waterfalls winds alongside the water cascading down a set of mini waterfalls.

After this peaceful stretch, however, it once again becomes difficult to keep track of the flow. We go back to the road and head into the city, where large buildings from the 70s and pretty little villas and chalets stand side by side: Croisettes, Tuileries, Grand-Vennes. I try to find the Flon’s route again a few metro stops lower, at La Sallaz.

At the Restaurant du Boissonnet, where troops of construction workers sit eating beef’s tongue, I spot the river thrusting down into a steep ravine. Someone has planted cabbages along the slopes. I ask whether there is any way to get down

SCENIC STROLL to the water’s edge. I’m passed from one table of regulars to the next. No one knows.

I cross over to the Sauvabelin side. The Flon eludes me, crashing out of reach into the ravine. The 80-metre chimney of the Tridel plant, a waste management facility, can be seen opposite. It marks the entrance to an industrial area, and the disappearance of

the Flon into a tunnel.

We can only imagine what happens next. The channel formed by the river underground follows Rue Centrale through the Flon district and the Vallée de la Jeunesse all the way to the Pyramides de Vidy, where, even now, water from the Flon reappears to empty itself into the lake when the flow is high. ■

AUBERGE DU CHALET-DES-ENFANTS

THE FLON DISTRICT

ALONG THE FLON

One of the Flon’s sources can be found at the Fontaine des Gollies, one of 12 fountains which make up the chemin des fontaines des bois du Jorat, a route through the fountains located in the Jorat woods. This charming pathway, shaded and cool, loops its way through the underbrush. It’s 15 kilometres long in all, but can also be split up into shorter sections. You can refuel on the way to the Auberge de l’Abbaye de Montheron and Chalet-des-Enfants, where you will also find a couple of fountains. Each of the springs, which have been tapped to provide refreshment to loggers and their horses, is accompanied by an information board and some fun facts.

As the start or finish point for a trip, or simply a longer break, the Auberge du Chalet-des-Enfants and its very enjoyable terrace is something of an institution in Lausanne. Back in the 50s, Coco Chanel loved to visit for a glass of milk and a piece of flan on her walks in Jorat. It is now a highlyrecommended culinary pit stop.

The menu features in-season produce, and local dishes such as boutefas – fondue made with Jorat wheat beer or bear’s garlic – and, as we had during our trip, dandelion salad.

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Since it became the pulsing heart of the city, the trendy Flon area has been in a state of constant evolution. It is home to long-established businesses such as the trainer shop Pomp It Up, owned by Toto Morand, which is part of the fabric of Flon, as well as international clothing brands, gyms, cafés, cinemas, restaurants to suit every taste and party venues.

You can also find engravers, fashion designers, wine merchants and the Abstract exhibition space tucked away in the old garages lining the Rue Côtes-de-Montbenon. Last but not least, a chic new 115-room Moxy hotel is set to open here in 2019.

PSYCHOGEOGRAPHY

A WALK THROUGH THE JORAT FOUNTAINS

Sévelin-Sébeillon: from an industrial site to a culture hotspot

In each new edition, The Lausanner will take you on a journey into one of the various districts surrounding the city centre. Accompanied by Laurence Vinclair, the director of the Les Docks concert venue, we’re making our first foray into the cultural breeding ground that is Ouest Lausannois.

By Julien Calligaro

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DON’T FORGET...

The best time for people to visit Sévelin is most definitely the evening. Despite its rapid transformation, the appearance of several professional schools and a gym, and the construction of 350 new homes along rue Sébeillon, the former industrial district is still not known for its café terraces like its next-door neighbour to the east, Flon – or at least not yet.

It has, however, achieved recognition far and wide for its cultural spaces. The Les Docks concert venue, which regularly hosts some of the biggest names in music – such as Catherine Ringer, Godspeed You Black Emperor and Autechre to name but a few – stands out in particular.

Laurence Vinclair is the artistic director there, and has been overseeing the line-up since 2007. As a result, she knows the district like the back of her hand. We asked her to be our guide as we explored its straight streets lined with warehouses, which sprang up after the Sébeillon goods station entered into operation in 1927.

Just above Arsenic, looking almost as if it’s clinging onto the cliff under the rails of the metro running the district’s length, you simply can’t miss the bright and colourful Casona Latina. This Latin American cultural hub offers salsa and tango lessons, and acts as an exhibition centre. “This abundance of culture is what Sévelin-Sébeillon is all about. It’s a unique characteristic of the area, which we need to protect so that it remains a nice place to live.”

The programmer of Les Docks, Laurence Vinclair, wants the soul of Sévelin to be preserved, despite the exodus of industrial activities from the quarter.

The industrial wasteland is also depicted in urban culture. “The tags between Eracom and Les Docks are regularly updated, and are well worth a detour.” More importantly, you’ll find the HS36 skate park in a disused hangar there. This is one of the top indoor skate parks in Europe, offering a load of different roller 58

SÉVELIN

Two theatres in particular have shaped the district’s scene: Sévelin 36, with a contemporary dance focus, and Arsenic, a multidisciplinary performing arts centre. Founded by choreographer Philippe Saire, Sévelin 36 was originally used as his company’s rehearsal space back in the 1990s.

However, soon enough it began hosting the crème de la crème of international companies working at the cutting edge of their discipline. A few flights of stairs further up, you’ll find Sévelin 36’s bighearted older brother, Arsenic. This is the place to come for contemporary theatre in Lausanne, with future Swiss and international acting stars treading the boards of four different-sized stages.

Its enormous restaurant is also a major social hub, especially for the district’s residents. “They’ve recently started serving food at lunchtime. And, from 6 pm onwards on certain Tuesdays, you can also dance – it’s about giving people a way of enjoying themselves other than in a club in the middle of the night”, the scheduler explains.

sports attractions as well as a climbing wall, specialist shop and cafeteria. An outdoor area was built five years ago, adding the finishing touches to this not-for-profit riders’ paradise.

the wine was stored back in the 1930s are still there. The shop uses them for displays now.”

A huge lover of the district, Laurence is hoping that deindustrialisation and pressure from the property market don’t cause it to lose its soul. In 2015, the City of Lausanne introduced a participatory initiative for thinking about future public areas in the district. Amongst other things, this led to a popup dance floor being built in a garden between Les Docks and Sévelin 36. “It’s a great initiative! There was even a kit available with audio equipment and lights.” Any other ideas? “Why not create something like an open-air concert space?” ■

Designer stores also fit happily into the Sévelin warehouses, which can be converted into lofts in the blink of an eye. Ligne Roset has a showroom there. Etat de Siège offers a seemingly endless range of chairs, sofas, and even milking stools, both in-store and from their catalogue. Laurence’s favourite? The vintagecum-designer Uniquement Vôtre boutique. “The old glass-tiled, reinforced concrete vats where

SÉVELIN

LAURENCE’S TOP PICKS LES DOCKS

ARSENIC

Before the summer break, Laurence especially recommends a visit to Les Docks on 18 June to see and hear American group Neurosis. “They are post-metal pioneers.

Until this year they always preferred to play in alternative venues, like the Reitschule in Bern, for their only show in Switzerland. It’s an honour to welcome them here!” The dark vibe and sound continue on 22 June with Body Count feat.

Ice-T. The rapper is also famous for his role in the American series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. “A powerful sound combining metal, hardcore punk and rap.”

A contemporary theatre, bar, restaurant and function venue, as well as the central hub for tons of festivals.

Rue de Genève 57, Lausanne www.arsenic.ch

LA MOLISANA

With a reputation as being one of the best fish restaurants in Lausanne, its restaurateur is from Marche in Italy.

A softer sound kicks in at the start of the autumn, with Laurence recommending singer José González on 26 September. “He did a show here in 2015 with nothing but his guitar and his incredible voice, and is now back with The String Theory, an experimental chamber orchestra.” The Swede’s cover of Heartbeats by electronic music duo The Knife is one to watch out for.

Avenue de Tivoli 68, Lausanne www.molisana.ch

UNIQUEMENT VÔTRE

A design store and showroom with some of the biggest brands around on display, which fell for the district’s industrial vibe.

Avenue de Sévelin 34, Lausanne www.docks.ch

Avenue de Sévelin 54, Lausanne www.uniquementvotre.ch 59

NIGHTLIFE

Mad: a Flon favourite since 1985 It was the hub for nights out in Lausanne, and the site of some of the hottest parties of the 1990s. Less provocative today, it still remains among the elite of hit clubs.

By William Türler

CLUB SCENE

Nightfall on the Rue de Genève. The walls of the imposing industrial building occupied by Mad shake to the bassy sound of house, hip hop and Latin music. Its façades are covered with messages of love and prevention, painted by the Federal Office of Public Health. Locals identify the club with its famous sculpture of a huge condom on one of its walls. It’s an effigy that puts the club back into its original context in 1985. “The building was an old ironworks,” explains Igor Blaska, the club’s owner. We had to redo the walls. At the time, the arrival of AIDS was starting to have a devastating effect. We came up with the idea for this design by working with other players in the nightlife and prevention

sectors. The aim was to speak directly to young people and the gay community.”

As time goes on, priorities change. The “Stop AIDS” campaign will disappear by 2020, coinciding with the launch of the Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne. Several official ceremonies, including medal ceremonies, are due to take place on the Flon’s plaza.

By then, the condom will need to have been replaced by greenery and roof-mounted solar panels, as a strong signal of support for the environment and sustainable development.

Even if it is quieting down outside, Mad is still bubbling away behind its security barriers. “It’s 60

a theme park for adults,” says Igor Blaska. His wild “Moulin à Danse”, or “Mad”, is a nocturnal Luna Park. It is a multiplex-style club with a guest list and membership-card holders, which are still highly sought after by those that want to skip the queue or not pay for entry.

in Place de l’Europe. And so the Mad House is born! “This interested us right away because of how close it is to our existing venue. And because we have always wanted to open a daytime space.

The hotel will complement our existing activities.

Ibis will oversee all hotel-related matters. We will be looking after the rooftop and lower bar.”

Fresh exposure for people who still don’t know about Mad. And a second space to roam through on several floors, in the pursuit of pleasure.

CLUB SCENE

There are five floors to roam around, with as many different atmospheres, from the theatre to the lounge bar, from dance floors to the restaurant. And an impressive history. Its beginnings were in house, with legendary DJs like Laurent Garnier and Jeff Mills on the decks.

It is also famed for its foam parties, which attract people from all over Europe who shake their stuff until the early hours of the morning in a giant bubble bath. Nostalgic types remember that there had even been a cinema beforehand.

MAD’S SUMMER LINE-UP This year once again sees the nightclub getting clubbers into the holiday mood with its famous foam parties. With one weekend bonanza and three evening events, including one gay special on the night before the first August bank holiday, partygoers can get ready to blow bubbles and have some fun on the dance floor.

27, 28 and 31 July 2018. The rest of the summer programme follows suit, with caliente parties, a Baywatch-themed night, the Mad boat... and much more!

Today, Mad schedules its nightly line-ups based around different genres (R&B, Nineties, Latin, etc.) and generations (such as its monthly Forever 28 nights for clubbers aged 28 and over). The renowned Mr Mike (aka Michael Hall) continues to host nights at Mad on the last Saturday of every month. His operating base?

Right up in the rafters on the 5th floor in Jet Lag. He remembers the first “dance parties” that he hosted with Couleur 3 back in the early 1990s.

The space was much more “cultural” then than it is now, offering concerts and plays. Mr Mike tells me that “back then we worked a lot with the community in Lausanne. It was really creative.

I remember there was an art gallery, fashion shows, films... Mad was a place that attracted people wanting to discover new things. But with social media nowadays, the mystery is gone.”

Rue de Genève 23, Lausanne www.mad.club

MAD IN NUMBERS

6,000

active members

5,000

Mad started out as an organisation in Place de l’Europe, close to where the metro entrance is now. It moved in early 1990 to its current home in the heart of the Flon district. There was a “clause du besoin”, or clause of requirement, in place in the city, which meant that authorities could control the number of public spaces which were allowed to sell alcohol. Other than Mad, Lausanne only had Dolce Vita (rock, punk) and a few old cabarets. Igor Blaska tells us that “to get into Mad, you needed to be a member. Even today, we still use this selective approach. 80% of our current clientele is made up of our members and their guests.”

visitors a week between Thursday and Sunday

10 million yearly turnover

35 permanent staff and around 150

part-time employees on 0.6 FTE contracts

1,800 square metres

(5 levels, 4 dance floors, 1 restaurant)

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From this summer onwards, the club will be diversifying and opening its doors to daytime birds. It will be taking over Lhotel, a 25-room hotel

the average visitor’s age

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LAUSANNE TOURISME

Discover the city differently PACKAGE “FESTIVAL DE LA CITÉ” (10.07-15.07.2018)

Come and discover Lausanne for a weekend, on the shores of Lake Geneva. Take advantage of this special offer, the “Must-see package”: overnight in a hotel + admission to The Olympic Museum + admission to AQUATIS Aquarium-Vivarium (Europe’s largest freshwater Aquarium-Vivarium) + a little souvenir from the AQUATIS boutique + free public transport in the Lausanne area.

During the “Festival de la Cité” theatre shows, concerts, artistic, dance and circus performances animate Lausanne. Enjoy this free event, open to one and all, cordially invited to experience the city of Lausanne in all its splendour, a vibrant city waiting to be discovered on the shores of Lake Geneva. Take advantage of this special offer: overnight in a hotel + guided walking city tour + free public transport in the Lausanne area.

www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/packages

www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/packages

LAUSANNE OLYMPIC CAPITAL

SWEET LAUSANNE

Immerse yourself in the olympic universe accompanied by a certified guide. Starting in Ouchy and while you walk by the lake, elements linking Lausanne and the Olympics will be unveiled to you. To finish on an emotion-rich experience, the stroll will end with the visit of the Olympic Museum.

Discover the magic of the city and its secrets accompanied by a certified guide. Explore all the subtleties of Lausanne; its centre, its both antique and modern architecture, its picturesque spots and its famous trendy district. As a conclusion and to make this experience unforgettable, a tasty surprise will be waiting for you. Yummy!

www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/activities

www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/activities

TASTE MY SWISS CITY LAUSANNE A journey of culinary discovery. The starter, the main course and the dessert are served in 3 different locations in the heart of the city, all recommended by local experts. Choose your culinary experience and indulge your senses! www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/packages

Information desks: Ouchy, Train station, Cathedral +41 21 613 73 73 info@lausanne-tourisme.ch 62

TOURS AND PACKAGES

PACKAGE “UNMISSABLE”

aquatis.ch

GRANDE EXPOSITION

2 MAI 2018 › 6 JANVIER 2019 PALAIS DE RUMINE - LAUSANNE

entrée gratuite palaisderumine.ch

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UNMISSABLE PLACES

The essentials on www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/highlights and on the blog www.my-lausanne.com “7 spots you absolutely must see” 64

DISTRICT 1.

CITÉ – MON-REPOS It is around the Cité hill, sculpted by the Flon and Louve rivers, that the medieval town grew.

Its cobble-stoned pedestrian streets as well as its monuments bear witness to this.

Then, as soon as you cross the Bessières Bridge, the scenery changes completely.

The Caroline district possesses a shopping mall, many bars, restaurants and boutiques.

A bit further to the east, the Mon-Repos Park offers a green and tranquil haven, interrupted from time to time by the twittering of birds in its aviary.

PLACES YOU MUST VISIT

LAUSANNE CATHEDRAL

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.

MUSÉE HISTORIQUE DE LAUSANNE

Within the walls of the Old Bishop’s Palace, this Lausanne historical museum – newly renovated – 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!

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mudac This space is dedicated to design and contemporary applied arts. You set off on an intense and surprising journey where antique Egyptian and Asian art stand side by side with current designers’ latest creations.

The museum organises encounters and themed guided tours, and regularly welcomes performing arts such as dance, music and other type of performances.

The only private acute care Clinic IN THE VAUD CANTON BELONGING TO A non-profit Foundation

• Emergency centre 7/7 • Radio-oncology centre • The largest private Radiology institute in the Vaud canton • Breast imaging centre • Multidisciplinary outpatient centre • Physiotherapy institute • 24-hour Medical laboratories • Medical and surgical centre for obesity 66 La qualité au service de votre santé

www.lasource.ch

www.etcdesign.ch - Photos©Th. Zufferey

“OUTPATIENT SERVICES OPEN TO PATIENTS WITH BASIC MEDICAL INSURANCE”

ESCALIERS DU MARCHÉ

DISTRICT 1. CITÉ – MON-REPOS

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

MON-REPOS PARK

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

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

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

PLACES YOU MUST VISIT

DISTRICT 2.

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.

PLACE SAINT-FRANÇOIS & CHURCH

Lausanne’s residents like to meet up on this central square dominated by a mediaeval church that has become a hub for music and dialogue with contemporary art in all its guises.

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UNMISSABLE PLACES RÔTILLON NEIGHBOURHOOD

PLACE DE LA PALUD

PALAIS DE RUMINE

FLON DISTRICT

MONTBENON ESPLANADE

COLLECTION DE L’ART BRUT

In the intertwining lanes of one of Lausanne’s oldest neighbourhoods, recently renovated, works of art, small, original shops and bohemian cafés now attract the trendy crowds.

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.

Erected at the end of the 19 th century on the Place de la Riponne, this Italianate-style building houses a host of treasures in its various museums of art and science, such as the largest naturalised great white shark.

DISTRICT 2. TOWN CENTRE

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.

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 or enjoy a meal on a terrace. If it’s raining, you might like to visit the Swiss Film Archive in the Casino de Montbenon.

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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, 800 of which are displayed permanently, and exports its exhibitions all over the world.

DISTRICT 3.

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

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

PLACES YOU MUST VISIT

CRÊT DE MONTRIOND & PLACE DE MILAN

DENANTOU PARK

Inagurated at the end of the 19th 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.

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.

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LES JARDINS DU ROYAL UN CHARME DISSIMULÉ AU CŒUR DE L AUSANNE Les musts Pique-nique et Grillades à déguster sous les grands arbres du parc ou à emporter.

Nos terrasses Sky Lounge, Terrasse de la Brasserie, Terrasse du Lounge Bar Les plus Shishas, Glaces, Terrain de Pétanque et Babyfoot

Royal Savoy Hotel & Spa Lausanne Avenue d’Ouchy 40 1006 Lausanne T. +41 (0)21 614 88 88 info@royalsavoy.ch www.royalsavoy.ch

RS-Ann-TheLausanner 148x107mm-Jardins-Avr18.indd 1

04.05.18 09:09

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ÉLYSÉE MUSEUM & GARDENS

OLYMPIC MUSEUM & PARK

This 30-year-old museum, one of the first to be entirely dedicated to photography, gained its international aura thanks to the quality and originality of its exhibitions in Lausanne, then exported all over the world, as well as the dozen complete collections and archives,* amongst which are those of Charlie Chaplin, Nicolas Bouvier and Ella Maillart. Don’t miss its new discovery space, “The Studio”, dedicated to young visitors and families. The beautiful mansion, that welcomed Mme de Staël in 1807, is surrounded by a French formal garden laid out in terraces with a spectacular view of the Alps and Lake Geneva.

Unique in the world, the Olympic Museum forms Lausanne’s main cultural attraction.

Each of its three levels is dedicated to a particular aspect of modern Olympism, largely featuring new interactive communication media. You may need several visits to explore everything. In any case, a pause at the Tom Café is welcome, with its terrace on the uppermost floor that offers a splendid view of Lake Geneva and the Alps.

In the park, admire the collection of sculptures and test your speed on a proper running track.

Strolling through the landscaped terraces, you’ll reach the monument on the shores of the lake.

DISTRICT 3. TRAIN STATION / OUCHY

* The exhibitions are temporary. Refer to the program.

CRUISES ON A BELLE ÉPOQUE OR SOLAR BOAT

It’s impossible to leave Lausanne without having sailed on Lake Geneva aboard one of the Compagnie Générale de Navigation’s vessels. In addition to crossing the lake to the French shore, its Belle Époque fleet – the largest in the world – takes you on board for a gourmet cruise.

From May to September, you can sail closer to the coastline on board the solar-powered boats “Les Aquarels du Léman”, to observe the fauna and flora in tranquility.

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UNMISSABLE PLACES DISTRICT 4.

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

A location close to the lakeside loved by the 25,000 students who can take part in a broad array of nautical sports.

PLACES YOU MUST VISIT

BELLERIVE SWIMMING POOL & CRAZY GOLF

This outdoor swimming pool, open from May to September, 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.

PARC LOUIS-BOURGET & PLAGE DE VIDY Between shoreline forest and meadows, the Louis-Bourget Park is a nature reserve 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.

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ROMAN MUSEUM & GALLO-ROMAN RUINS The Lausanne-Vidy Roman Museum offers a presentation of the Gallo-Roman Lousonna (Lausanne), as well as various temporary exhibitions. In a bucolic setting that blends

greenery, a body of water and ruins, don’t miss the walk around the remains of the Lousonna vicus (village) dating from 15 BC, one of the largest in Switzerland.

DISTRICT 4. VIDY/UNIVERSITIES

ESPACE DES INVENTIONS Are your children budding scientists? The Espace des inventions is a place for them!

Housed in a strange building with a concave roof dating from the National Exhibition,

its vocation is to arouse young people’s interest in science and technique thanks to interactive and entertaining exhibitions that are regularly renewed.

UNIVERSITY CAMPUS & ROLEX LEARNING CENTER The university campus includes the Lausanne Federal Institute of Technology and Lausanne University, the first buildings of which were erected in the 1970s. Since then, the site has rapidly expanded and integrated buildings, the architecture of which is admired beyond Swiss borders. It’s the case of the Rolex Learning Centre’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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UNMISSABLE PLACES DISTRICT 5.

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

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

PLACES YOU MUST VISIT

AQUATIS

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.

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HERMITAGE COUNTRY ESTATE & FOUNDATION

CHALET-À-GOBET & MAUVERNAY SPORTS CENTRE

In the centre of the Hermitage Estate sits an imposing mansion built around 1850 and that now houses today 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.

SAUVABELIN PARK & LAKE

SAUVABELIN TOWER

DISTRICT 5. SAUVABELIN/CHALET-À-GOBET

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.

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.

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AGENDA

LAUSANNE SURROUNDINGS

The calendar of not-to-be-missed events

Mid-April → Mid-December 04.06→ 09.06.18

08 → 10 & 15 → 17.06.18

22 → 24 & 26 → 28.06.18

05.07.18

10.07 → 15.07.18

19.07 → 22.07.18

20.07 → 19.08.18

18.08 → 19.08.18

Festival Pully-Lavaux à l’heure du Québec

Fête Romande de Gymnastique

Béjart Ballet Lausanne (BBL) shows

Athletissima

47th Festival de la Cité Lausanne

Lausanne Afro Fusions Festival

Les Garden-Parties de Lausanne

25th Lausanne ITU Triathlon World Cup

Label Suisse

14.09 → 23.09.18

Comptoir Suisse, 99 National Fair

28.09 → 30.09.18

72nd Fête des Vendanges, Lutry

14.10 → 18.10 18

17.10 → 21.10.18 28.10.18

07.11 → 11.11.18

21.11 → 31.12.18 21.11 → 31.12.18

15.12.18

December 18

www.athletissima.ch

www.festivalcite.ch

www.lausaff.org

www.lausanne.ch/lesgardenparties www.trilausanne.ch

www.thecolorrun.ch

BDFIL – 14th Lausanne Comic Strip Festival

28.09 → 10.10.18

www.bejart.ch

The Color Run

13.09 → 17.09.18

22.09.18

www.frg18.ch

www.fiba.com/3x3worldtour/2018

Equissima Lausanne, 22nd edition

14.09 → 16.09.18

www.pully-quebec.ch

3x3 World Tour Lausanne Masters

30.08 → 02.09.18 09.09.18

www.lausanneatable.ch

th

Lausanne & Pully Museums Night

Knie Circus

38th Olympic Week

17th Lausanne Underground Film & Music Festival

Lausanne Marathon, 26th edition

31st JazzOnze+ Festival Lausanne

Bô Noël Lausanne – Christmas Markets

7th Lausanne Lumières Festival

13th Christmas Midnight Run

Béjart Ballet Lausanne (BBL) shows 76

www.equissima.ch

www.bdfil.ch

www.labelsuisse.ch www.comptoir.ch

www.lanuitdesmusees.ch

www.fetedesvendanges.ch

www.knie.ch

www.olympic.org www.luff.ch

www.lausanne-marathon.com

www.jazzonzeplus.ch www.bo-noel.ch

www.festivallausannelumieres.ch

www.midnightrun.ch

www.bejart.ch

AGENDA

24.08 → 25.08.18

Lausanne à Table !

AGENDA

Mid-April → Mid-December 18 LAUSANNE À TABLE ! www.lausanneatable.ch

05.07.18 ATHLETISSIMA www.athletissima.ch

10.07.18 → 15.07.18 47 TH FESTIVAL DE LA CITÉ LAUSANNE www.festivalcite.ch

13.09.18 → 17.09.18 BDFIL – 14TH LAUSANNE COMIC STRIP FESTIVAL www.bdfil.ch

21.11.18 → 31.12.18 7 TH LAUSANNE LUMIÈRES FESTIVAL www.festivallausannelumieres.ch

21.11.18 → 31.12.18 BÔ NOËL LAUSANNE – CHRISTMAS MARKETS www.bo-noel.ch

www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/big-events Non-exhaustive list; dates are subject to change

Lausanne Lumières Festival

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BARS, CAFES & RESTAURANTS Auberge du Chalet-des-Enfants Route du Chalet des Enfants 1052 Le Mont-sur-Lausanne

Bad Hunter Rue des Côtes-de-Montbenon 12 1003 Lausanne Café de la Poste Grand-Rue 48 1095 Lutry

Café de l’Europe Rue du Simplon 33 1006 Lausanne Café La Louve Place Pépinet 1 Lausanne

Cloud Social Club Chemin du Levant 1 Lausanne

Glaces Veneta Quai d’Ouchy, Place du Vieux Port, 1006 Lausanne La Brasserie de Montbenon Allée Ernest-Ansermet 3 1003 Lausanne

REPERTOIRE

La Couronne d’Or Rue des Deux-Marchés 13 1005 Lausanne La Folie Voltaire Parc de Mon-Repos 1005 Lausanne La Molisana Avenue de Tivoli 68 1007 Lausanne Lavaux Vinorama Route du Lac 2 1071 Rivaz

Le Bar Tabac Rue Beau-Séjour 7 1003 Lausanne Les Arches Route de Bel-Air 1003 Lausanne

L’Instant B Rue du Petit-Chêne 11 Lausanne

L’Ulivo Chemin de Couvaloup 13 1005 Lausanne

Marutcha まる茶 Thé japonais Rue de la Grotte 4 1003 Lausanne MIYAKO Place du Port 17-19 1006 Lausanne The Great Escape Rue Madeleine 18 1003 Lausanne

SHOPPING

Confiserie Wuthrich Avenue Juste-Olivier 11 1006 Lausanne État de Siège Rue de Sébeillon 1 1004 Lausanne

Uniquement Vôtre Avenue de Sévelin 54 1004 Lausanne

SPORTS & ACTIVITIES Skatepark HS36 Avenue de Sévelin 36 1004 Lausanne

NIGHTLIFE & CONCERTS Bleu Lézard Rue Enning 10 1003 Lausanne

Casona Latina Rue de Genève, 57 bis 1004 Lausanne Les Docks Avenue de Sévelin 34 1004 Lausanne

MONUMENTS & ARCHITECTURE Cathédrale de Lausanne Place de la Cathédrale 1005 Lausanne Fontaine de la Palud Place de la Palud 1 1003 Lausanne Tour Bel-Air Place Bel-Air 1003 Lausanne

Vaudoise Assurances Place de Milan 120 1001 Lausanne

TRANSPORTATION

Gare Lausanne-CFF Place de la Gare 1003 Lausanne Métro M1

Métro M2

MAD Club – Moulin à Danse Rue de Genève 23 1003 Lausanne

THEATERS

Théâtre Sévelin 36 Avenue de Sévelin 36 1004 Lausanne Arsenic Rue de Genève 57 1004 Lausanne

MUSEUMS

La Collection de l’Art Brut Avenue Bergières 11 1004 Lausanne Le Musée olympique Quai d’Ouchy 1 1006 Lausanne

mudac Place de la Cathédrale 6 1005 Lausanne Musée de l’Élysée Avenue de l’Élysée 18 1006 Lausanne

Musée Romain de Lausanne-Vidy Chemin du Bois-de-Vaux 24 1007 Lausanne

HOTELS

Beau-Rivage Palace Chemin de Beau-Rivage 21 1006 Lausanne LHOTEL Place de l’Europe 6 1003 Lausanne

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DISTRICTS

SAUVABELIN – CHALET-À-GOBET CITÉ – MON-REPOS CENTRE VILLE GARE – OUCHY VIDY – HAUTES-ÉCOLES

(RE)DISCOVER THE ADDRESSES OF

LAUSANNE TOURISME

TOURIST INFORMATION Three Tourist Offices can provide information additionally, welcome centers are at the CFF train station, the Cathedral and by the lakeside in the m2 metro “OuchyOlympique” station. You will find a host of services at your disposal there – public transport passes, maps, recommended routes and excursions from Lausanne, various brochures, lists of hotels, help and emergency services, etc. – as well as culture and leisure news.

PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICES LAUSANNE TRAIN STATION Pl. de la Gare 9 CFF train station main hall September to March: every day: 9 am → 6 pm June to August: every day: 9 am → 7 pm

LAUSANNE TOURISME & CONVENTION BUREAU Av. de Rhodanie 2 Case postale 975 CH-1001 Lausanne +41 21 613 73 73 www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/en/ info@lausanne-tourisme.ch

METRO STATION “OUCHY-OLYMPIQUE” September to March: every day: 9 am → 6 pm June to August: every day: 9 am → 7 pm LAUSANNE CATHEDRAL April, May and September: Monday to Saturday: 9.30 am → 1 pm / 2 pm → 6.30 pm ; Sunday: 1 pm → 5.30 pm June, July and August: Monday to Saturday: 9.30 am → 6.30 pm; Sunday: 1 pm → 5.30 pm October to March: Monday to Saturday: 9.30 am → 1 pm/ 2 pm → 5 pm ; Sunday: 2 pm → 5 pm www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/tourismoffices

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TOWN OF LAUSANNE – INFO CITÉ Information point for the town of Lausanne, the “info cité” office’s mission is to inform, orient and guide Lausanne people and passing guests.

Place de la Palud 2 1002 Lausanne Monday to Friday: 8 am → 5 pm Saturday: 9 am → 1 pm +41 21 315 25 55 www.lausanne.ch/infocite infocite@lausanne.ch

GENERAL INFORMATION LAUSANNE IN SHORT Lausanne benefits from a privileged location in the heart of Europe.

It is easily reached by train, car or boat. If you fly in, you can choose between Geneva International Airport (40 minutes away) and Zurich Airport (2 hours 30 minutes away).

CITY STATS

LAUSANNE, CAPITAL OF THE CANTON OF VAUD AND FOURTHLARGEST TOWN IN SWITZERLAND Lausanne sparkles with energy, its capacity to innovate and the diversity its’ tourists offer. It hosts the headquarters of several multinational companies, renowned universities and research centres, dozens of international sports federations and many cultural institutions.

POPULATION Town of Lausanne Urban area Vaud Canton

145,000 inhabitants 400,000 inhabitants 780,000 inhabitants

LANGUAGE Official language

French

GEOGRAPHY Latitude Longitude

46°32’ N 06°40’ E

ALTITUDE 372 m by the lakeside 495 m in the town centre 852 m north of the town

LOCAL TIME ZONE GMT+1 (summer time +1 = March to October)

CLIMATE Average annual temperature 14 °C Average summer temperature 24 °C Due to the city’s wide altitude range (500 m), the climate changes according to the district as a 1 °C temperature disparity is recorded for every 100 m.

For example, in winter it is quite common for the upper part of the city to be snowbound for many weeks.

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Parking de 1’190 places.

Pour vos achats au centre-ville. www.parking-riponne.ch

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PRACTICAL LAUSANNE

Here are useful contact details to keep at hand and make your stay easier.

You have access to all the necessary information in our three information offices spread across the town.

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS

CURRENCY Swiss franc (CHF) 1 euro = 1.15 CHF (indicative rate)

112 International number for emergency calls 117 Police (crimes and theft, emergencies only) 118 Fire brigade

EXCHANGE OFFICE Lausanne train station Monday to Friday (except Thursday): 8 am → 6.30 pm; Thursday: 8 am → 8.30 pm; Saturday: 9 am → 6 pm; Sunday: 9 am → 1.20 pm / 2.40 pm → 6 pm

140 Roadside assistance service 144 Ambulance

USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS

POST OFFICES

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

IN THE TOWN CENTRE Pl. Saint-François 15 +41 848 888 888 Monday to Friday: 7.30 am → 6.30 pm; Saturday: 8 am → 11.30 am

DIRECTORY

+41 848 133 133 Centre for on-call doctors 1811 Directory enquiry services

AT THE TRAIN STATION Pl. de la Gare 1 / Av. de la Gare 43 bis +41 848 888 888 Monday to Friday: 8 am → 8 pm; Saturday: 8am → 4 pm; Sunday: 4 pm → 7 pm www.poste.ch/en

162 Swiss weather forecast 163 Road traffic information

LOST PROPERTY OFFICE LAUSANNE POLICE STATION Pl. de la Riponne 10 +41 21 315 33 85 Monday to Friday: 1 pm → 4 pm www.lausanne.ch/en

ULTRA-CONNECTED LAUSANNE The town is constantly developing hotspots providing free internet access.

Currently, 10 WiFi hubs are available in the town’s main squares: Flon, Palud, Riponne, Gare, Saint-François, Montbenon, Navigation, Port, Service des automobiles (Vehicles Service), Blécherette Airport.

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

MORE INFORMATION AT: www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/good-to-know

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USEFUL INFORMATION

LAUSANNE, AT THE HEART OF THE LAKE GENEVA REGION Situated in the heart of Europe, the Olympic Capital is also the ideal departure point for exploring the charming lake, mountains, countryside, vineyards and forests of the surrounding area.

THE LAUSANNE TRANSPORT CARD, a card that offers you free transport and discounts!

Don’t forget to ask the establishment providing your lodging for your personal Lausanne Transport Card (LTC)! You can use public transport (bus, train, metro) for free during your whole stay (maximum 15 days) in Lausanne and its surroundings.

But that’s not all! Thanks to our partners, you benefit from exceptional discounts and advantages from many museums, shops and other leisure activity providers.

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

HALDIMAND POINT OF SALE Rue Haldimand 3 +41 21 621 01 11 (price of a local call) Monday to Friday: 7.30 am → 7 pm; Saturday: 8 am → 5 pm FLON CUSTOMER CENTRE Pl. de l’Europe 5b +41 21 621 01 11 Monday to Friday: 7 am → 7 pm; Saturday: 9 am → 6 pm www.t-l.ch/en

“GRAND LAUSANNE” MOBILIS DAY PASS Full fare: CHF 9.30; reduced fare: CHF 6.90.

This pass entitles you to whole-day-use of all the public transport companies belonging to the Vaud tariff community present in the Grand Lausanne perimeter (i.e. Lausanne and its immediate surroundings).

Available from ticket dispensers or points of sale. For more information www.mobilis-vaud.ch

MORE INFORMATION AT: https://www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/ltc

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TRANSPORTATION AND ACCOMODATION

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

TRANSPORTATION AND ACCOMODATION

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

CFF information – Passenger service: Pl. de la Gare 5a +41 900 300 300 (within Switzerland) +41 51 220 11 11 (calling from abroad) www.sbb.ch/en

GENEVA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Second in Switzerland after Zurich, Geneva Airport is a 45-minute train ride from Lausanne (five trains every hour). It benefits from a network serving 142 direct destinations, 23 of which are intercontinental.

Rte. de l’Aéroport 21, Grand-Saconnex +41 900 57 15 00 (Information about departures and arrivals) www.gva.ch/en

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

Av. de Rhodanie 17 +41 900 929 929 www.cgn.ch/en

LA BLÉCHERETTE LAUSANNE AIRPORT This aeronautical facility – that celebrated its hundredth year in 2016 – is located nearby Lausanne’s town centre.

First flights and air-taxis.

Av. du Grey 117 +41 21 646 15 51 www.lausanne-airport.ch

LEB RAILWAY Would you like to spend a day in the countryside? Embark on the Lausanne – Echallens – Bercher train that departs from the Flon.

Bikes and pushchairs are welcome on board.

Gare Lausanne-Chauderon +41 21 624 82 41 www.leb.ch

PUBLIBIKE – SELF-SERVICE BIKE RENTALS You will find all the information on the new offers and the networks to Lausanne-Morges on the new PubliBike site. +41 848 09 08 07 www.publibike.ch/en/publibike

www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/getting-around

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

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

MORE INFORMATION AT: www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/hotels (for hotel bookings)

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Discover Switzerland in a rented car!

Book your car directly through www.lausanne-tourisme.ch or at the tourist information.

Europcar Avenue Ruchonnet 2 1003 Lausanne Tél. +41 (0)21 319 90 40 www.europcar.ch

The best way to experience Switzerland.

Swiss Travel Pass – the key to Switzerland’s public transport.

More information on MySwitzerland.com/ticket

Profitez de notre carte Inter-Parkings

18043 Ins_Lausanne Escapade_65x96mm.indd 1

28.02.18 12:18 180219 STS-Inserat-Lausanne escapades–65x93-EN.indd 1

19.02.18 13:27

à Lausanne: - Port d’Ouchy - Mon Repos - Gare de Lausanne aux environs: - Gare de Nyon - Pully Centre - Centre Ville Morges Gestion & Exploitation

Parking Management Services SA - Renens

www.pms-parkings.ch

SOCIAL MEDIA

share your experience

EXPLORE THE CITY LIKE A NATIVE, BENEFIT FROM INSIDER INFORMATION, MEET LOCALS. Rush over to my-lausanne.com/en/ to discover cool tips and share your experience in lausanne Connect with MyLausanne on social media:

@mylausanne #MyLausanne

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USEFUL INFORMATION

ACTIVITIES FOR THOSE ON TIGHT BUDGETS A leisure offer accessible to all

TO ENSURE THAT ITS RANGE OF RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES REMAINS ACCESSIBLE TO ALL, THE CITY OF LAUSANNE LAYS 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 0 AND CHF 8.50 • AquaSplash with 5 giant flumes, Renens (between CHF 4 and CHF 8)

FREE OF CHARGE • Vidy Bowl for skaters

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

• Hundreds of multi-coloured birds at the Mon-Repos Park aviary

• Vidy bowling alley (between CHF 4.50 and CHF 7.50 per person)

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

• Flon bowling alley (between CHF 5 and CHF 8.50 per person)

• Midday concert every Wednesday from October to March at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne

• Bellerive minigolf (free up to age 4, CHF 6 until age 16, then CHF 8) • Vidy miniature train (CHF 3 per journey)

• Mountain biking at Chalet-à-Gobet • Climb the Sauvabelin Tower

• LAUSANNE IN SUMMER-TIME Many free cultural events as part of the Lausanne Agenda between June and September

• 4,000 plant species from all over the world at the Botanical Gardens

MORE INFO: www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/getting-around www.my-lausanne.com/en/visiting-lausanne-small-budget-tips-pointers

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CITY TOURING ON A BUDGET

• Concert at Saint-François church every Saturday at 5 pm

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OYSTER PERPETUAL

sky-dweller

Lausanne 1, Rue de Bourg | bucherer.com 1