Caux, Switzerland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Caux is a small village in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland. Looking out over Lake Geneva from an altitude of 1000 meters, the Caux conference centre of Initiatives of Change [1] can accommodate up to 450 people. Formerly the Caux-Palace Hotel, in 1946 it became an international meeting place, thanks to the generous contributions in time, talent and money of many volunteers.

When it opened in July 1902, a period called the ‘Belle Époque’, the Caux-Palace was the largest and most luxurious hotel in Switzerland. The Caux-Palace Hotel was built by the Caux Property Company (Société Immobilière de Caux) to plans by the architect Eugène Jost.

In the early years of the century, celebrities such as John D. Rockefeller, the Maharajah of Baroda, Arthur Rubinstein, Rudyard Kipling, the Oppenheimers, the Gilettes, and Kellogs stayed at the hotel, along with celebrities of the theatre, the opera and the cinema.

Through the First World War, the hotel was closed and clocked up a million Swiss francs in losses. Then it opened again, but its days of glory lay behind it. In 1930, the World Bobsleigh Championships were held in Caux. Olympic skaters trained there. The World Ice-Hockey and Toboggan Federations were founded in Caux. The ‘piste du diable’, the ‘devil’s run’ was considered one of the most challenging descents in the new sport of skiing. Prince Ibn Saud, later to become the King of Saudi Arabia and the writers Edgar Wallace, Daphne Du Maurier and Scott Fitzgerald were among the famous guests. In 1929, a one million franc investment in renovations was completed – just in time for the economic turmoil of the 30s. Then with the outbreak of another Wold War, the hotel closed again.

In May 1944, the hotel was requisitioned first for civilian internees, then escaped Allied prisoners of war. From October 1944 to July 1945, 1,400 Jewish refugees from Hungary were housed here. The American professor and historian of the period, Egon Mayer, was born here. From the link to his Web site, you can learn more about this story. [2]

A new beginning : Finally, in 1946, when the Banque Populaire Suisse had taken over the shares of the bankrupt hotel company, the Caux-Palace was purchased by 100 Swiss families who wanted to make available a place where Europeans torn by hate, suffering and resentment could meet again. They were encouraged by Frank Buchman, founder of Moral Re-Armament (MRA). The Caux-Palace became a place dedicated to reconciliation and forgiveness. The owner, the Swiss People’s Bank (BPS) and the Mayor of Montreux supported the transformation of the Caux-Palace into an international conference centre. The bank offered a very reasonable price – 1,050,000 Swiss francs – and gave Moral Re-Armament priority over other potential buyers.

A hundred of so Swiss, individuals and families supported the venture through sacrifice. For example, one family gave up plans to build their own home and gave the sum they’ve put aside; a maid offered her savings. The final contract was signed on 25 th May 1946. In mid-July the first conference opened, after hundreds of volunteers had cleaned and modified the building in the intervening weeks.

A conference centre: Now for nearly 60 years an international conference centre for Initiatives of Change (formerly Moral Re-Armament), the Caux centre has enabled groups and individuals of all faiths and races, from north, south, east and west, to come together.

For example, Konrad Adenauer, who later became chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, and Robert Schuman, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, all visited Caux. It played a role in the post-war Franco-German reconciliation, in the decolonisation process in Africa, and in the dialogue between management and trade unions, and it continues to work at the heart of difficult situations like Cambodia, Somalia and Lebanon. [3]