Page 42 - Livre Beau Rivage Palace
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Fig. 6                                                                                                                                         Fig. 7

          not expensive house.’ (Murray, 1838, p. 144) ‘Hotels: Faucon, the   The first – somewhat vague – reference to an inn in the guides             guide of 1865, while Murray still included it in the 1886 edition.  The hierarchy of selling points progresses from the purely
          best but most expensive; Lion-d’Or, Couronne, Balances (more   so far examined dates back to 1793: ‘Surroundings. Ouchy, small village             The Auberge de l’Ancre was not the only inn in Ouchy to   practical (post and telegraph office) to the spectacular views
          moderate prices), Gibbon, newly built in an excellent position   on the shore of the lake; it is the port of Lausanne. The inn is good.’ (Reichard,   appear in the guides. This is an important point since it would be   (essential ingredients of tourism which is about consuming
          and already enjoying a well-deserved reputation.’ (Joanne,1841,  1793) The establishment in question is the Logis d’Ouchy (1775-79),           wrong to believe that guidebooks presented the whole picture.  geographical space as if it were any other commodity), to the
          p. 157) ‘Inns: Hotel Gibbon, very good, splendid view across the lake   which would become the Auberge de l’Ancre in 1820, and finally         They only reflected part of the reality and that part was filtered   pleasures of music and dancing and finally to various financial
          […]. Faucon, expensive; Lion d’Or, cheap and good; Balances, likewise.’  the Hôtel d’Angleterre in 1868. The 1816 edition of Ebel’s guide,     through the author’s own subjectivity. Shortly afterwards, as   arrangements (fig. 8). Even so, not a single figure is quoted. While
         (Baedeker,1844, p. 320)                                  which the author did not approve, is a little more forthcoming about                   Ouchy developed as a resort, other hotels and boarding houses   the Murray guides show the same reticence, this is not the case
              From that moment on, a hotel was unquestionably the   the village but not about the inn, although the quality of its service               opened for business (fig. 7). The first hotel to feature in the guides   with Baedeker which gives a series of figures for each hotel – the
          right place to stay. Besides, more and more hotels and boarding   is mentioned: ‘[Excursion] The first excursion is to the village of Ouchi    was the Beau-Rivage which, on its inauguration in 1861, robbed   cost of room, breakfast, dinner, service and the candles which were
          houses were springing up.  It would be tedious to mention all   [sic] situated half a league below Lausanne; there one finds a very fine inn;   the Auberge de l’Ancre of its top spot in the guides: ‘Hotel: Beau-  essential before electricity, along with a whole string of abbrevi-
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          the many hotels and boarding houses in Lausanne, which in the   Ouchi may be regarded as the port of Lausanne. It is a delightful place for a   Rivage, one of the largest, most beautiful, best-situated and best-kept hotels   ations which make the descriptions extremely dense, giving readers
         years between 1850 and the start of the twentieth century had   walk and one rich in magnificent vistas such as the view from Ouchi to Cour     in the whole of Switzerland’. (Joanne,1865, p. 85) In 1874, the same   the impression that this is a special sort of jargon that they have
          become a popular stopping-off place and holiday resort. Neither   and to the farm known as Les Cerises.’ (Ebel, 1816, p. 361)                  guide described it as ‘an establishment of the first order’, raising it to   to learn. In 1876, the entry for the Beau-Rivage looked like this:
          do the repetitive nature of the list and the abbreviations make it a   Although the inn’s precise name is not revealed, the author            ‘an establishment of the very first order’ in 1908. Although Joanne talks  ‘Hotels: *Beau-Rivage, (ch. 3 à 5 fr., boug. 1 fr., serv. 1 fr., déj. 1 fr. 50, dîn.
          particularly attractive exercise. In addition, the guides themselves   does give one very good reason why the place is attractive to           about the hotel in superlatives, it is noticeable that the reviews  5 fr – i.e. room 3-5 francs, candle 1 franc, service 1 franc, breakfast 1.50
         were to undergo a thorough overhaul in the first decades of the   visitors, namely the village’s outstanding location affording                 contain no figures. They are extremely short, conciseness being   francs, dinner 5 francs), with a magnificent park, baths, etc., recommended
          new century. Murray ceased publication in 1904, the Joanne   wonderful views, as well as access to even more wonderful views.                  one of the rules of the genre. Anyone wanting fuller descriptions   for an extended stay’ (Baedeker 1876, p. 208). The reference in the
          guides became the Blue Guides during the First World War, and   It is not only the views in the immediate neighbourhood that                   had to look in the relevant advertisements. However, as the guides   corresponding English version, published three years, later reads as
          the Baedeker series on Switzerland ended in 1928. On the other   catch the visitor’s eye. Beyond Ouchy there is the promise of                 often made it a point of honour not to accept adverts, in order, as   follows: ‘*Hôtel Beaurivage, with pleasant garden, baths, etc.. R. 3-5, B.
          hand, it is interesting to concentrate on one specific destination,  even more panoramas. What more could anyone want at a time                they claimed, to maintain their independence, they did not adhere  1 ½, D. 5, L. and A. [Light and Attendance] 2 fr.’ (Baedeker 1879, p.
          namely Ouchy.                                           when travellers were in search of much greater excitement and                          very strictly to the rules. Between the 1860s and 80s Joanne   199) The asterisk preceding the name of the hotel was a mark of
                                                                  spectacle? In the Romantic era, a cultured visitor might also have                     guides also published a supplement printed on coloured paper   excellence. Throughout the whole of the nineteenth century, until
         OUCHY BECOMES A RESORT                                   argued that if some literary reference to the site also existed, the                   to accompany their books. The following advert for the Beau-  it ceased publication of the Swiss guides in 1928, Baedeker never
              At the end of the eighteenth century, Ouchy was a small fishing   experience of being in a particular spot would also be imbued            Rivage appeared in the 1882 edition:                    awarded hotels more than a single star (fig. 9). The term ‘etc.’ has
         village quite separate from Lausanne, which then only extended as   with a powerful aesthetic emotion. By chance, such a situation                                                                      a slightly strange function. It actually interrupts the inventory of
          far as Place Saint-François. Contemporary guides clearly show this   arose soon afterwards and was subsequently mentioned in all the                           OUCHY (near Lausanne)                   services on offer by inviting those looking at the advert to extend
          distinction and refer to Ouchy as a place ‘in the neighbourhood’ of   guidebooks. It was at this very inn that ‘Lord Byron, delayed by bad                    HÔTEL BEAU-RIVAGE                        the list in their imagination. Perhaps this is an echo of one of the
         Lausanne and an interesting destination for a ‘drive’ or an ‘excursion’.  weather, wrote in two days on June 1816 his beautiful poem The Prisoner           Post and Telegraph Office in the Hotel. –   functions of travel guides, namely to offer possibilities while also
         Also, before 1823 when the first steamers came into service on Lake   of Chillon’. (Joanne 1841, p. 157) Some doubt the veracity of this         Magnificent terrace, Splendid views of the Lake and Alps. – Concerts   leaving room for readers to dream and experiment for themselves.
         Geneva, Ouchy was not on a well-trodden route to Lausanne but   anecdote. However, historical truth is not the most remarkable                    every evening in Beau-Rivage park and dances every Tuesday and   In any case, it sharply underlines the problems confronting the
          somewhat remote from the city centre. The main road from Geneva   aspect of the story. True or otherwise, it was an event that all the         Saturday in the hotel’s spacious public rooms. – Special terms for families   writer of any guidebook – to provide as much information as
          led to Montbenon and the road from Vevey to the top of the Rue   guides seized upon and relayed to their audience of travellers. And                      wishing to stay during the summer season.    possible as concisely as possible. After all, the book is intended to
          de Bourg, while those linking the town to Berne and Yverdon ran   while, at the beginning, the story appeared in the English, French                         – Special winter rates including meals.   be portable and to fit in a bag or pocket rather than be kept on a
          above it. After 1823, Ouchy’s status changed dramatically, from an   and German guides, despite their cultural differences, its durability                                                             bookshelf. Apart from cramming details into an even smaller space,
          out-of-the-way village to a threshold, a gateway to or a point of   varied from one culture to the other. There was no mention of it                     A. MARTIN-RUFENACHT, manager.                 changing prices and altering the name to Beau-Rivage Palace
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          departure from Lausanne (fig. 6).                       in Baedeker’s 1859 edition,  although it featured in the Joanne                                   (Joanne, 1882, advertising supplement)       following the enlargement of the hotel in 1908, the information
          Godefroy Engelmann, View of Ouchy harbour below Lausanne. Engraving, 1823.                                                                     Hotel d’Angleterre, villa Longchamp and Beau-Rivage. Photograph, c.1860-68.  Fig. 8 >
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 J. J. Friederich (drawing), Hôtel Beau-Rivage by Lake Geneva. Engraving, published in
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Geneva by Frédéric Margueron, 1861. This type of image combines and, perhaps unwittingly,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 perpetuates the two myths that underpinned the creation of the Swiss Confederation in
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 1848. Firstly, the myth of a traditional Alpine people, and secondly that of an original
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 lakeside culture, the latter supported by recent archaeological excavations of palafittes
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 – prehistoric lakeside dwellings – near Zurich and in the Neuchâtel region.
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