Villars-sur-Ollon
Villars-sur-Ollon, commonly referred to as Villars, is a village in Switzerland in the canton of Vaud, part of the municipality of Ollon. Accommodation in the village consists largely of chalets. It is also known for its boarding schools, especially for Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil and Aiglon College, two of the most expensive schools in the world.[1]
Villars is served by the Chemin de fer Bex-Villars-Bretaye (BVB) railway, featuring an Abt rack system leading from the town center to a ski piste network.
The Village of Villars overlooks the Rhône Valley and views of Mont Blanc are clearly visible from parts of the village and the local ski area of Bretaye. Bretaye is linked to Villars by the BVB railway. There is also a gondola lift connecting the village to Roc d'Orsay, 200 metres above Bretaye.
There are around 270 km of pistes for all skiing and snowboarding abilities that link over to the slopes of Gryon and to the next resort of Les Diablerets, Isenau and Glacier 3000. There is also a snow park called '1984' that allows freestyle skiing and snowboarding.
The GivenGain Foundation has its headquarters in Villars-sur-Ollon.
History and Culture
Back in the 12th and 13th centuries a notable demographic upsurge motivated the monks from the Abbey of Saint-Maurice to assist the local peasants in conquering and clearing the mountain pastures. Once conquered, these pastures were seen as real treasures and defended against encroaching neighbors.
In 1750, the mountain "dixains" (Villars, Chesières, Huémoz) requested to form a separate town and in 1889 the town became one indivisible entity.
The mountain cog-train to Bretaye was built in 1913. In 1936, the first ski lift was built at the ‘Combe’ on the Chaux Ronde. This was a first in Switzerland, and skiers had to fasten themselves on with a large leather belt in order to go back up the mountain.
On 13 December 1936, the Orient Express made a special stop in Aigle for a huge slalom race that took place at Bretaye. That same year a ski lift was built in the form of a sledge. This lift could transport 12 skiers to the peak of the Grand Chamossaire and was in use until 1953.
In 1938, Villars was classified as one of prime resorts of Europe and many Swiss ski clubs came to train in the resort on the back of its reputation.
Boarding schools
Villars is home to the private international school Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil and the English boarding school Aiglon College which are both in the top five most expensive boarding schools in the world.[2] There are two international primary schools (from 4 to 14 years of age), La Garenne School and Pre Fleuri.
Activities
Villars is a dual season resort and has a huge array of activities on offer for both winter and summer visitors.
Most people come to Villars in the winter months to ski or snowboard. There are over 120 km of pistes for all abilities with the added attraction of the Diablarets glacier nearby which offers year round skiing. Cross country skiing has become increasingly popular with over 50 km of tracks that criss-cross Villars and its neighbouring town of Gryon through undisturbed natural beauty. There are snow shoeing trips organized by the Tourist Office and telemarking is also seeing a comeback on the pistes. There is a large indoor ice-skating rink as well as a smaller outdoor one in Gryon during the winter season. For the more adventurous there is ski touring and paragliding.
The largest ski school is the Ecole Suisse de Ski et Snowboard’ with over 250 instructors dressed in red. The office is in the centre of town next to the Tourist Office. The Villars Ski School’ is another well recognized school where instructors are dressed in yellow and blue. New Generation is a new ski school in Villars and Association Handiconcept is a not-for-profit association offering skiing and other activities for the disabled.
Summer Activities
In the Summer the pistes are transformed into lush green pastures offering a multitude of outdoor activities for all abilities.
There are over 300 km of marked trails for hikers of all levels and 130 km of biking trails through stunning mountain scenery stopping off at wine caves, cheese-making farms, pretty mountain refuges and breath-taking peaks like the famous ‘Miroir d’Argentine’.
For golf lovers the Villars Golf Club, established in 1922, has an impressive Club House and an 18 hole course set at 1,600 metres and perched on a south facing plateau with views of Mont-Blanc.
The Villars sports centre has 5 outdoor tennis courts and three indoor with an indoor sports hall for volley-ball, badminton or football. There is an indoor gym, a large indoor ice skating rink where the Villars Hockey Club regularly play. The swimming pool is currently being refurbished and is due to open in August 2016 to provide an indoor/outdoor 25m stainless steel state of the art pool, 2 x hammams, 2 x saunas, 2 x hot tubs and several massage rooms. A modern 9 lane bowling lounge is a popular attration.
Spa and Wellness
There are spas and wellness centres in and around Villars including Les Bains de Lavey in Lavey les Bains 30 minutes drive away housing the hottest thermal water baths in Switzerland.
Local Attractions
Other fun local attractions include ‘AquaParc’, one of the largest water parks in Europe, ‘Labyrinthe Adventure’ which houses one of the largest permanent labyrinths in the world and ‘Parc Adventure’ where you can zip-wire through the forest canopy.
Visitors to Villars can enjoy a number of excursions including trips to the nearby lakes and chateaux. The attractive lakeside towns of Montreux, Evian, Vevey and Rolle are all close by and boat trips around Lac Leman is an enjoyable pastime.
Sight Seeing
The imposing Château d'Aigle built in the 12th century now houses the ‘Musee de la Vigne et du Vin’. Chateau de Chillon built in the 13th century on the banks of Lac Leman used to serve as a residence for the noble counts during the Middle Ages. The closest art gallery is in Martigny, one hour away called Fondation Gianaddawhich has regular world class exhibitions.
Events
The village has previously hosted the Snowbombing electronic dance music and snowboarding spring festival.
Villars-sur-Ollon is also the home of the once well known Ollon-Villars hillclimb. Racing drivers from all over the world would come to participate in this internationally renowned event. Starting in the small town of Ollon, at the base of the mountain, and covering 8 km of mountain road, arriving at the top of the mountain, in Villars. The event was popular in the fifties and early sixties, before laws were passed banning motor racing in Switzerland. In recent years a revival of the hillclimb has begun to gain a certain notoriety as collectors and enthusiasts have the chance to enjoy the rare occasion of the closed mountain road.
Tourist Information
Restaurants and Bars
Villars has many restaurants and bars to choose from. There are Mexican, French, Thai and Japanese restaurants in town as well as many serving traditional cheese fondues and raclettes.
Many of the restaurants also have bars and winter bars are also set up on the pistes during the winter season.
Accommodation
There are many hotels, chalets and apartments in Villars catering for all tastes and most budgets.
Notable people
- Lorenzo Bandini
- George Bastl
- Béatrix Beck
- Jim Clark
- David Coulthard
- Ferdinand Hodler
- Timothy Leary
- Asger Jorn
- Vladimir Putin
- Keith Richards
- Georg Solti
- Jacques Villeneuve
- Rafe Seymour
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Villars-sur-Ollon. |
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Villars-sur-Ollon. |
Coordinates: 46°18′N 7°03′E / 46.300°N 7.050°E