Ouchy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ouchy is a commune, port, and popular lakeside resort near the city of Lausanne in Switzerland, located at the south of the city, at the edge of the lake Léman.
Very popular with tourists for the views of nearby France (Évian-les-Bains, Thonon), Ouchy is also a favourite area for rollerskating (Lausanne is considered a capital) and for skateboarding.
Once a fishing Village, Ouchy was incorporated into the City of Lausanne in the mid-19th century to serve as a port on lake Léman. The incredible views of the lake and the Alps, and the cooler air in summer have make Ouchy a popular place especially in the summer months. There is a major cluster of hotels and restaurants around the port.
In Ouchy, on October 18, 1912 was signed between Italy and the Ottoman Empire the First Treaty of Lausanne, which concluded the Italo-Turkish War.
[edit] Castle of Ouchy
The castle of Ouchy is an old medieval castle converted into hotel.
It was first constructed by Évêché of Lausanne as a tower on banks of the Lake Léman about 1170. A century later, it was rebuilt and transformed into a fortified residence for bishops, particularly Guillaume de Varax. It was also used as prison. As of the 16th century, under the Bernese time, the castle was forsaken and its tower reduced to ashes in 1609, and its keep acting as attic. The State de Vaud recovered it after the departure of the Berneses and sold off part of the land to Jean-Jacques Mercier in 1885. The new owner radically transformed the castle by demolishing the ruins and old buildings, leaving only the tower. The castle was rebuilt in a neo-gothic style between 1889 and 1893 in order to make a hotel of it, the function which it fills to this day.
