Fondation de l’Hermitage Source: flickr Fondation De L’Hermitage The timber for this 35-metre structure comes from the forests outside the city and it’s composed mostly of Douglas fir, but also spruce and some larch wood.ĩ. It is 151 steps to the top and once you’re there you can bask in dreamy views Lake Geneva, the Alps, The Vaud Alps, French Alps and Lausanne’s cityscape. This was raised in 2003 and is unusual for its double helix staircase one set guiding you to the observation platform and another to take you down again. In the Sauvabelin Forest at the city’s loftiest point is a viewing tower constructed only from wood. Tour de Sauvabelin Source: Kiev.Victor / Sauvabelin Forest The Casino de Montbenon is another former home of the IOC, hosting the committee from 1915 to 1922 and today containing the Swiss Film Archive.Ĭheck the schedule because the “Cinématographe” puts on some big events like the Lausanne Underground Film and Music Festival in October. Until 1921 this housed the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland. In this manicured, verdant space you’ll be inclined just to sit and stare at the scenery.īut there are some interesting monuments to seek out Montbenon.Īt the top of the esplanade is the Palais de Justice de Montbenon, a grand Beaux-Arts edifice from the 1880s. So we know that Lausanne is blessed with exhilarating panoramas.īut the one at Esplanade de Montbenon rivals the best in the city. Esplanade de Montbenon Source: Shutterstock Esplanade De Montbenon On the east side of the square is the Fontaine de la Justice, started in the 1500s.įrom here you’ll get a good view of the City Hall’s tower, as well as the Horloge de la Palud, which was assembled for the Swiss National Exhibition in 1964: At the chime of the hour figures representing Lausanne’s big historical personalities make a round of the clock before returning inside.ħ. On the ground floor the building’s arcade leads you to a passageway continuing through to Place de la Louve. Place de la Palud Source: Shutterstock Place De La PaludĪ wedge-shaped pedestrian square in the centre of Lausanne, Place de la Palud is ruled by the 17th-century City Hall and old apartment buildings. There are more than 100,000 photographs in these galleries, many produced with the earliest techniques: You can study daguerrotype, albumen and ambrotype prints and follow photography’s evolution right through to digital prints.įeted Swiss photographers like Ella Maillart and Nicolas Bouvier bequeathed their life’s collections to the museum.Īnd in 2011 the museum purchased Charlie Chaplin’s personal album, containing 10,000 photographs recording his whole career.Ī new, state-of-the-art museum building is under construction, and everything will be transferred in 2020. One of Europe’s great photography museums is in another elegant 18th-century mansion overlooking the lake. Musée de l’Élysée Source: flickr Musée De L’Élysée Look for the sandstone image of the Virgin and Child in the Narthex, and the 13th-century sculptural figures on the southern portal where there are still traces of medieval paint.Īlso from the 13th century on the southern facade is the rose window, ahead of its time and painted even before the famous rose window at Chartres.ĥ. He led the restoration in the 1870s as his last big project before he passed away. One of the people to thank for the cathedral’s current appearance is the French master restorer Viollet-le-Duc. That sound in the dead of night is the Lookout, who barks out the hours between 22:00 and 02:00 365 days a year and one of the last of his kind in Europe. The city’s solemn cathedral went up during the 13th century and was consecrated in 1275. Lausanne Cathedral Source: Shutterstock Lausanne Cathedral Let’s explore the best things to do in Lausanne: 1. And on the shore is Ouchy, a chic setting for easy walks, bathing in the lake and a place to catch ferries or pleasure cruises on one of Europe’s great lakes. Given the city’s almost vertiginous layout there are dozens of places where you’ll be stopped in your tracks by the sight of Lake Geneva and its mountains. The Romanesque and Gothic cathedral is Lausanne’s reference point, and still bursting with medieval decoration despite the turmoil of the Reformation. Both the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Court of Arbitration for Sport are here, and there’s a new world-class Olympic Museum if you want to pull that sporting thread. The world’s Olympic Capital, the city of Lausanne is draped on steep slopes on the north shore of Lake Geneva.
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