Page 297 - Livre Beau Rivage Palace

Fig. 1 Fig. 2

THE SANDOZ FAMILY March 1948, ceding his place in February 1952 to his brother, in the grounds facing the lake: a group of donkeys, a fountain
the sculptor and painter Edouard-Marcel, who remained a board
with pigeons and several planters with peacocks. The decorative
AND BEAU-RIVAGE: A LOYAL BOND member until 1971 . groups featuring life-sized animals echo three fountains by the
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The following year saw Dr Jacques Landolt, son-in-law of
same artist, situated in Ouchy opposite the landing stage of the
LASTING OVER A CENTURY Edouard-Marcel Sandoz and husband of Nicole Landolt-Sandoz, Compagnie Générale de Navigation and near by in the south of
join the board. He would represent the interests of the family the Denantou Park.
foundation, the Fondation de Famille Sandoz, set up by his father- What is perhaps less well known is that Edouard-Marcel
in-law. Jacques Landolt was replaced by his eldest son, the banker Sandoz collaborated with a number of porcelain manufacturers
Marc-Edouard Landolt, in June 1979. Since 2005, Marc-Edouard’s throughout his life, including Haviland in France and Langenthal
youngest brother, François Landolt, has maintained the family in Switzerland. The most privileged guests of the Beau-Rivage
presence on the board. Palace will undoubtedly remember being served their meals on
For a century, then, members of the Sandoz family have tableware decorated with exotic fish motifs based on drawings
Jacques-Michel PITTIER
shown an unwavering commitment to Beau-Rivage, both as made by the artist during his trips to Monaco and the Red Sea at
When Edouard-Constant Sandoz (1853-1928) and his family Ever the entrepreneur (even when, for health reasons, he financiers and decision makers, and have been instrumental in the the start of the 1930s. The line of tableware was first produced in
moved to the shores of Lake Geneva, he was an accomplished briefly had to put his business concerns in the Rhine area on hotel’s solid, steady growth. 1958 by Langenthal, subsequently reissued several times, and was
man and a successful entrepreneur, having founded the company hold), Sandoz took a close interest in the economic future of Originally a minority shareholder, the Fondation de Famille regularly used to serve guests until 2005 (fig. 4).
Sandoz SA in Basle with the chemist Kern. Edouard-Constant and French-speaking Switzerland. From the turn of the twentieth Sandoz regularly increased its interest in the hotel and is now the The hotel has also gradually acquired several of Sandoz’s
his wife Olympe (sister of one of the founders of the watchmakers century onwards, he helped finance the development of several majority shareholder. This has ensured the Beau-Rivage Palace flower paintings, together with a number of bronze Art Deco
Longines, and niece of the painter Emile-François David) already local and regional companies, one of which was the Société a remarkable financial stability, enabling it to emerge from two pieces currently on display in the hotel’s suites.
had close ties with Lausanne: Olympe was born there and remained du Beau-Rivage Palace. He was also a discreet philanthropist, world wars and several economic crises unscathed, without
deeply attached to the city, while Edouard-Constant had studied supporting and donating to a number of works and social compromising the outstanding quality of its service, and also SAVING OUCHY
at the university for two semesters, frequenting the literary Société institutions in Lausanne and establishing a family tradition which allowing it to carry out the large-scale renovations necessary for it No study of the Sandoz family’s close connection with
de Belles-Lettres between 1870 and 1871. his heirs would staunchly continue. to thrive and prosper. Lausanne and the Beau-Rivage Palace would be complete without
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Their three sons, Edouard-Marcel (1881-1971) (fig. 1), mentioning the famous ‘Ouchy-la-Verte’ episode. The ‘drama’
Aurèle-Gilbert (1884-1952) and Maurice-Yves (1892-1958) A SHAREHOLDER PRESENCE AN ARTISTIC COMMITMENT begins in 1926, when Edouard-Constant Sandoz bequeathed the
thus spent the majority of their childhood and adolescence at The name Edouard-Constant Sandoz first appeared in the The Sandoz family’s involvement in Beau-Rivage has been entire southern part of the Denantou estate to the city of Lausanne
Le Denantou, the estate that Edouard-Constant Sandoz had minutes of the Société du Beau-Rivage Palace in 1907: he was not only financial, but – particularly in the case of the sculptor so that it could be turned into a public park (subsequently created
bought in 1896 and subsequently converted for family use initially listed as a member of the buildings committee and, later Edouard-Marcel Sandoz – artistic. Many of his works (either after his death in 1928).
(fig. 2). While the lifestyle there was generally quite simple, the that year, as a member of the financial committee. From that point donated by him or bought by the hotel) are on display in the For the next thirty years, the Quai d’Ouchy – which runs
family nonetheless moved in wealthy bourgeois circles. As the on, the Sandoz and their descendants, the Landolts, would be hotel and its grounds, among them the statue commemorating the alongside the lake east of the Place du Port to the Tour Haldimand
consummate mistress of the house, Olympe Sandoz organised closely associated with the affairs of Beau-Rivage (fig. 3). 1912 peace treaty between Italy and Turkey (originally placed in – remained largely unaltered, unlike the west side (now the Avenue
a number of memorable receptions, including an event for Representatives of the family were involved in the running the rotunda before being moved to its current position opposite de Rhodanie), where there was extensive development work
the Société Suisse des Officiers in July 1901 when some eight of the hotel, at first as members of various committees, and later the north entrance in 1958 ) and a pair of greyhounds in veined during the same period, including the filling in of the lake shore
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hundred guests dined alfresco, and the centenary celebrations of in the role of deputy chairman of the board. Edouard-Constant white marble which, since 1934, have been welcoming visitors area and the creation of the Bains de Bellerive lido.
the Société de Belles-Lettres in June 1906, at which Edouard- Sandoz’s son, the banker Aurèle-Gilbert Sandoz, took his seat on either side of the steps leading to the main lobby (fig. 5). The second ‘act’ opened in 1957, when the owners of a plot
Constant received an honorary award. on the board in August 1926 and became deputy chairman in Several of Sandoz’s bronzes dating from the 1950s are also on show of land and three hotels (the Angleterre, Lutetia and Florissant)

Edouard-Marcel Sandoz, c.1971. Edouard-Constant Sandoz’s three sons, Edouard, Maurice and Aurèle, Fig. 3 >
together at Le Denantou. Photograph c.1952. Edouard-Marcel Sandoz, Nicole Landolt-Sandoz, Anna Passavant-Iselin
and Adèle Passavant on the terrace of the Beau-Rivage Palace. Photograph c.1924.

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