Vevey

Clara Haskil and the city of the piano

Vevey has its own musical history, more classical than that of its festival neighbour. The pianist Clara Haskil lived here from 1942 until her death in 1960; a silhouette on the quays and a street keep her memory. Every two years, the Clara Haskil Competition, at the Théâtre Le Reflet, rewards less a virtuosity than a way of playing, true and without show, in her image. The town has long cultivated great music, from Boulevard Paderewski to the concerts of the Septembre Musical.

Yes, Rick Wakeman and the Saint-Martin organ

In 1977, Vevey entered progressive-rock legend. For “Awaken”, the fifteen-minute track that closes Yes’s album “Going for the One”, the keyboard player Rick Wakeman wanted a real great church organ. The organ of the Église Saint-Martin, on the heights of Vevey, was linked to the Mountain Studios in Montreux: Wakeman played in Vevey, the sound was recorded in Montreux, several kilometres away.

The Musée Jenisch, canvas and sound

In the upper town, the Musée Jenisch holds one of the richest collections of graphic art in Switzerland, from Rembrandt to Hodler. It also sets its rooms in dialogue with music: the ART&SONS trail pairs the works with sound archives from Montreux Jazz, and concerts are given among the paintings.

Charlie Chaplin, from the Fork to the Manoir de Ban

On the quays, the statue of Charlie Chaplin looks out over the lake, a few steps from the giant Fork planted in the water in front of the Alimentarium. The filmmaker spent the last twenty-five years of his life close by, at the Manoir de Ban, now the museum Chaplin’s World; he rests in the Corsier-sur-Vevey cemetery, on the heights. Vevey is also the town of Nestlé, whose world headquarters line the lake, and of the Alimentarium, the first museum entirely devoted to food.

The Fête des Vignerons, a festival for the century

Roughly every twenty years, Vevey lives to the rhythm of the Fête des Vignerons. Held since 1797 by the Confrérie des Vignerons to honour the work of the vine, it raises a huge arena on the Grande Place and gathers thousands of performers; it is inscribed on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list. In 1905, the composer Gustave Doret, after whom a Vevey avenue is named, wrote its music. The last edition was held in 2019.

The Fork and the Alimentarium

Planted in Lake Geneva in front of the Alimentarium, “The Fork” has become an emblem of Vevey. Eight metres high, the steel work by artist Jean-Pierre Zaugg was set in the water in 1995 for the museum’s tenth anniversary; at first temporary, then exiled towards Lucerne, it returned for good and has been listed since 2014 in the Guinness World Records as the largest fork in the world.

The Alimentarium itself occupies Nestlé’s 1920s headquarters by the water: opened in 1985, it is one of the first museums in the world entirely devoted to food.

The Swiss Camera Museum

On the Grande Place, the Swiss Camera Museum tells the whole history of the image, from the camera obscura and the magic lantern to the digital age, through an exceptional collection of cameras that visitors can sometimes handle. Born of a retrospective held in Vevey in 1971 and founded by Claude-Henry Forney, it opened to the public in 1979 and is run today by the City of Vevey.

The Historical Museum, in the Château de Vevey

Housed since 1953 in the Château de Vevey — the former residence of the Bernese bailiffs — the Historical Museum has watched over the town’s heritage since its founding in 1897. In eight rooms it displays a collection unique in Switzerland of antique keys, locks and caskets, along with weapons, silverware, furniture and the works of the Vaud “petits maîtres”.

Gogol and the writers of the quay

Vevey’s quays have always drawn writers. In the autumn of 1836, the Russian Nikolai Gogol, fleeing the cold of Geneva, settled in Vevey and reworked “Dead Souls” there; a promenade in the town now bears his monument, unveiled in 2009. Along the shore, other benches and steles recall the great names who stopped by the lake, from Dostoevsky to Victor Hugo.

Strolling in Vevey

Away from the big events, Vevey is best savoured along the water. The large Saturday market enlivens the market square facing the lake, terraces stretch out under the plane trees, and Belle Époque grand hotels such as the Trois Couronnes recall the age of the first tourists. In summer, the Images Vevey biennial turns the town into an open-air photography gallery, while the Rocking Chair keeps contemporary music alive all year round.

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