The city of Vevey in Switzerland is located right on the shores of Lake Geneva. It is quite tiny, but clean air and inspiring landscapes have made it one of the most popular resorts in Europe. Since the 19th century, the city has been visited by aristocrats, monarchs, cultural figures, monuments to some of its guests today can be seen on local streets and squares.
Vevey in Switzerland: photos and background
The city is located within the French-speaking canton of Vaud between Lausanne and Montreux. A settlement in this place existed in antiquity, but nothing outstanding was noticed behind it. Today, much more attention is riveted to the city, because it is one of the resorts of the Swiss Riviera.
Vevey is located in the northeast of the largest lake in the Alps. This is a unique place where you can see high snow-capped mountains on the one hand and palm trees completely uncharacteristic of Switzerland on the other. Alpine ridges protect the city from the penetration of cold winds, creating a special, almost subtropical,microclimate. That is why magnolia, laurel, cypresses and other vegetation grows here, which is usually found in more southern regions.
Vevey in Switzerland is a quiet and tidy town that attracts attention with picturesque landscapes and a certain provincial regularity. The low hills around it are occupied by terraced vineyards. Above, more serious mountains begin, which can be climbed along hiking trails.
Artists, composers and writers often came here to relax or work on their works. Nikolai Karamzin, Vasily Zhukovsky, Henryk Senkevich, Victor Hugo, Ernest Hemingway visited the city. Nikolai Gogol worked here on Dead Souls. Today in Vevey a monument is dedicated to him, as well as to the famous comedian Charlie Chaplin and the Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu.
What to see in Vevey?
The city is cozy and very compact, in just a day you can see all its main attractions. In Switzerland, Vevey is especially famous for the large Marchés Folkloriques market, which opens on Saturdays and Tuesdays. In addition to ordinary goods, craft products are sold here, master classes are held by artisans and folk groups perform.
Grenet Tower is in the center of the square. In the past, it served as a granary, and now it houses a tourist center. The streets of the old town with all kinds of cafes, restaurants and shops diverge from the square. One of them is the church of St. Varvara, erected in the North Russian style by Count Shuvalov in the 19th century.
Other notable buildings in the city include Notre-Dame Catholic Church, St. Martin's Swiss Reformed Church from 1530, City Hall, Hôtel des Trois-Couronnes built in 1842.
Next to Vevey is Mount Pelerin, you can climb one of its terraces by funicular. It delivers only up to a height of 800 meters, but from here the city opens in all its beauty. There is a TV tower and another observation deck higher up, but you need to climb to it on foot.
Winemaking
Wine is a must-try in Switzerland, and Vevey is the perfect place for a tasting. Gamay, the capricious and weather-demanding Pinot Noir, and the white Chasselas are grown here. Together with Lausanne, the city belongs to one of the largest wine regions in the country - Lavaux. It covers 805 hectares with rows several tens of kilometers long. You can try local products at the annual fairs and festivals, which are held in summer and autumn.
Growing grapes on these lands were still the Romans. The tradition was continued by the Benedictine monks who lived here in the 11th century. They arranged the slopes of sunny hills with terraces with stone walls and convenient paths along the rows. The successful combination of natural landscapes and human activity is today under the protection of UNESCO.
Four or five times a century, the city holdsa grand celebration of winemaking, which attracts tens of thousands of people. Like the terraces, it is part of the World Heritage Site. It was last held in 1999, and the next celebration is scheduled for 2019.
Nestlé office and museum
Transnational Corporation "Nestlé" is present in a dozen countries of the world and includes dozens of large companies. And it all began with the city of Vevey in Switzerland. In 1867, the pharmacist Henri Nestle founded a small business and began developing a nutritious dry formula for feeding babies. A few years later, the product was in demand in most European countries. Founded by a humble pharmacist, the brand is now world famous and makes everything from condensed milk and cocoa to broths and pet food.
Nestlé is still headquartered in Vevey. Next to it is the Food Museum, which opened in 1985. Here they talk about the first steps of the Henri Nestle company and his revolutionary invention, show films about proper nutrition and, in general, talk about the culture of food. On the embankment of the city you can see a large fork stuck into the lake. Her museum put in honor of his anniversary.
Charlie Chaplin
One of the most famous guests of the city of Vevey in Switzerland is Charlie Chaplin. His monument is located right on Lake Geneva, opposite the giant Nestlé fork. The monument depicts a comedian with a bowler hat and cane in the famous image of a tramp.
In Vevey the comedian came to1952, when accusations of complicity with the communists fell upon him in the USA and Great Britain. Due to a number of compromising films, his relationship with the FBI and the American government was strained. And one day, after a trip to Europe, he was simply not issued an entry visa to the United States. Together with his family, the comedian settled in the commune of Corcet-sur-Vevey near the city and lived there until his death. Chaplin's grave is located in the Cimetière de Corsier cemetery, and his son still lives in his father's house today.
