Montreux - History and geography, Culture

46°27N 6°55E, pop (2000e) 20 200. Winter sports centre and resort town in Vaud canton, SW Switzerland; at E end of L Geneva, SE of Lausanne; railway; figs, vines, walnuts, tourism; casino; 13th-c Château de Chillon nearby; Golden Rose Television Festival (spring), International Jazz Festival (Jun–Jul), Music Festival (Sep).

For the town in France, see Montreux, Meurthe-et-Moselle.

Coordinates: 46°26′N 6°55′E

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
Montreux

Montreux is a resort town in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, on Lake Geneva with a population of 22,897.

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.

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.

Culture

Montreux hosts several noteworthy festivals:

Freddie Mercury's Montreux Memorial Day, annually September 1st and 2nd since 2003.

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.