Ouchy
Encyclopedia
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
at the edge of the Lake Léman (Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
).
Very popular with tourists for the views of nearby France (Évian-les-Bains
Évian-les-Bains
Évian-les-Bains or Évian is a commune in the northern part of the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France...
, Thonon), Ouchy is also a favorite area for rollerskating (Lausanne is considered a capital) and for skateboarding
Skateboarding
Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...
. The incredible views of the lake and the Alps, and the cooler air in summer have made Ouchy a popular place especially in the summer months. There is a major cluster of hotels and restaurants around the port.
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
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
.
On October 18, 1912, the First Treaty of Lausanne was signed in Ouchy between Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, concluding the Italo-Turkish War
Italo-Turkish War
The Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy from September 29, 1911 to October 18, 1912.As a result of this conflict, Italy was awarded the Ottoman provinces of Tripolitania, Fezzan, and...
.
Castle of Ouchy
It was first constructed by Évêché of Lausanne as a tower on banks of Lake Léman (Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
) around 1170. A century later, it was rebuilt and transformed into a fortified residence for bishops, particularly for Guillaume de Varax. It was also used as prison. The castle was abandoned and its tower reduced to ashes in 1609. 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 the neo-gothic style between 1889 and 1893 in order to make a hotel out of it, which it has been to date.
External links
- http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouchy
- http://wikitravel.org/en/Lausanne
- http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Château_d'Ouchy
- http://www.chateaudouchy.ch/
- http://www.swisscastles.ch/vaud/chateau/ouchy.html
- http://switzerland.isyours.com/e/guide/lausanne/ouchy.html