Montreux

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For other uses, see Montreux (disambiguation).

Montreux

Canton	Vaud
District	Vevey
Coordinates	46°26′N 6°55′E
Population	22,897 (2003)
Area	33.40 km²
Elevation	390 m
Postal code	1820
SFOS number	5886
Mayor	Pierre Salvi (PS)
Website	www.montreux.ch
Twin towns	Wiesbaden (Germany), Menton (France), Chiba City (Japan)
Montreux

Montreux is a municipality in the district of Vevey in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.

It is located on Lake Geneva and has a population of 22,897.

Montreux at night.

1 History and geography
2 Culture
3 Twinnings
4 External links

[edit] History and geography

Montreux lies on the north shore of Lake Geneva at the fork in the Roman road from Italy over the Simplon Pass, where the roads to the Roman capital of Aventicum and the road into Gaul through Besançon separated. This made it an important settlement already in Roman times.

In the 12th century, viticulture was introduced to the region, and the sunny slopes of the lake from Lavaux to Montreux became an important wine-growing region.

The region was subject to various princes, most notably the princes of Savoy from the south side of the lake. They unified the territory which comprises the present canton of Vaud and were generally popular sovereigns.

After the Burgundian Wars in the 15th century, the Swiss in Berne occupied the region without resistance, an indication of the weakness of the princes of Savoy. The Reformation made the region around Montreux and Vevey an attractive haven for Huguenots from Italy, who brought their artisanal skills and set up workshops and businesses.

In 1798, Napoleon liberated the region from the Bernese. In the 19th century, the tourist industry became a major commercial outlet, with the grand hotels of Montreux attracting the rich and cultured from Europe and America.

Panoramic view of Montreux.

[edit] Culture

Montreux hosts several noteworthy festivals:

Freddie Mercury's Montreux Memorial Day, annually September 1st and 2nd since 2003.
The Montreux Jazz Festival, annually in July since 1967;
The Golden Rose Festival, annually in spring (1961-2003), which awarded the Golden Rose of Montreux, an international award for television;

Freddie Mercury statue.

Montreux boasts one of the most beautiful walks along the lake, stretching from Villeneuve all the way towards Vevey. The main square of the town, Place du Marché, features a statue of Queen singer Freddie Mercury facing Lake Geneva. Some of the numerous small villages around Montreux include La Tour-de-Peilz, Clarens, Territet, and Villeneuve. The Chateau of Chillon provides a marvelous view of the entire Lake of Geneva and can be easily accessed via bus, foot or boat.

Deep Purple made Montreux famous with their song "Smoke on the Water", which tells the events of 1971, when a Frank Zappa fan with a flare gun set the Montreux Casino on fire.

“

We all came out to Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline / To make records with a mobile - We didn't have much time / Frank Zappa & the Mothers were at the best place around / But some stupid with a flare gun burned the place to the ground / Smoke on the water, fire in the sky

”

The Casino was reopened in 1975.

Montreux is the home of Mountain Studios, the recording studio used by several artists. In 1978, the band Queen bought the studio, which now is still owned by Queen producer David Richards. Queen also appeared in 1984 and in 1986 at the Golden Rose Festival and Queen guitarist Brian May appeared in 2001 at the Jazz Festival. Montreux was also the subject of the 1995 Queen single A Winter's Tale of the album of the same year Made in Heaven, with the adjacent music video showing images of the city.

Russian-American writer Vladimir Nabokov resided with his wife Vera in a suite at the Montreux Palace Hotel from 1960 until his death in 1977. He is buried in Montreux.

In 1990, the Wakker Prize was awarded to Montreux.