Montreux is a resort town in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, on Lake Geneva with a population of 22,897.
Montreux hosts several noteworthy festivals:
* 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;
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. Chateau Chillion 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
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.
Lake Geneva seen from Montreux
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Lake Geneva seen from Montreux
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, continuing the story of the band's adoration for the city.
Montreux is also known as the place where the Russian-American writer Vladimir Nabokov lived, in a hotel room, from 1960 until his death in 1977. |
