!!!Swiss Riviera
Photos by Stanislav Sedov and Sergey Shandin,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

19 April 2018

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

The shores of Lake Geneva are sometimes called the Swiss Riviera. And of
course, this name is rather formal: it covers different cultural and
historical places of these lands, but all of them lie along the shore of
the well-known lake.

AirPano suggests having a tour around several corners of the Swiss
Riviera. Lausanne is one of them. It is the place where the history
meets the modern life. The International Olympic Committee and other
international sports federations are located here, and that's why the
city was given the unofficial status of the Olympic capital. But the
ancient architectural monuments, palaces, temples, museums, calm streets
and marvellous parks are not less interesting. In total, Lausanne has
preserved 46 objects of the national importance, and the remnants of the
Roman settlements in Vidy, Tour Bel-Air, Chauderon bridge, the railway
station and Mon-Peros park are among them.

[{Image src='01_Lausanne.jpg' caption='Lausanne\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='601'}]

The main square, which is filled with the buildings dated the 18th-19th
centuries, is named after Saint-François, and here is the temple,
together with the cathedral of Notre-Dame located in La Cité, are the
main architectural dominant of Lausanne. The other great landmark of
Lausanne is the marvellous landscapes of Lake Geneva. There is also the
Flon river that once was flowing through the city, but it has been
covered since the 19th century and now all the bridges of the city are
pedestrian.

In addition to history and culture, Lausanne is famous for the wine: the
vineyards of Lavaux are located on the 30-kilometres long field along
the bank of Lake Geneva. It is one of the most ancient winemaking areas
in the world: people started to grow grapes here back in the time of the
Romans and carried on through the medieval age. The period of the
maximum flourishing was in the 12th century when the lands went under
the ownership of monasteries.

[{Image src='02_Vineyards.jpg' caption='Vineyards\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='430'}]

The main part of the wine is made from Chasselas grapes (68%), while
Gamay and Pinot Gris grapes are used for only 11-12% of the wine. One
can try this beverage in wine vaults open for tourists and enjoy the
marvellous view of the sunlit terraces at the same time.

In 2007, Lavaux was listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. But not only
the vineyards are considered to be the heritage. There is also Château
de Chillon (Chillon Castle) on this list.  In 1160, the Savoys, one of
the most powerful dynasties, built a stunning residence on the shore of
Lake Geneva. The castle was constructed off the shore on a small rock.
The windows of the living rooms face the water, while the other side
facing the land is fortified with towers. The castle was constantly
rebuilt during the centuries, and by the 16th century, it had become so
inaccessible that it was used as the prison. Now, this castle houses the
museum, and the building itself is a marvellous enhancement of Lake
Geneva.

[{Image src='03_Chillon Castle.jpg' caption='Chillon Castle\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='604'}]

One more interesting place in Lavaux area is Vevey old town. The ancient
Roman maps featured it as a settlement site on the way between Rome and
Britain. Ptolemy, the ancient philosopher, mentioned this place in his
works, and in the 19th century, it became a favourite place of high
society. In the middle of the 19th century, Henri Nestlé began the food
production, while the other citizen - Daniel Peter - has designed the
first recipe for Swiss chocolate. The association of these two ideas
resulted in the creation of giant company Nestlé with the headquarters
still in Vevey. And the building itself is the historical heritage of
Switzerland.

[{Image src='04_Aile Castle, Vevey, Swiss Riviera.jpg' caption='Aile Castle, Vevey, Swiss Riviera\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='604'}]

Vevey has 14 building of national importance in total, including
Grenette located on Grande-Place. Previously, it was a seed storage, but
now the building houses the tourist centre. The square itself faces Lake
Geneva, and weather permitting, here you can enjoy the view of the Savoy
Alps. Among the most unusual sights of Vevey, there is a huge fork
standing in the amid the lake. It was installed by Alimentarium museum
to celebrate its 10th anniversary in 1995.

[{Image src='05_Fork of Vevey, a monument on Geneva Lake, Vevey.jpg' caption='Fork of Vevey, a monument on Geneva Lake, Vevey\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='601'}]

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[14 panoramas of Swiss Riviera|Geography/Europe/Switzerland/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Swiss_Riviera]

[{SET customtitle='Swiss Riviera (AP)'}]












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