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| | The Mon-Repos house sits in the centre of the beautiful park of the same name, a green area on the eastern side of Lausanne, also home to the Federal Tribunal since the 1920s. The house and its park are the personal creation of the wealthy financier Vincent Perdonnet (b. 1768 in Vevey, d. 1850 in Mon-Repos), who after making his fortune in Paris, came to the area in 1817 and worked on its transformation until 1827. The park was entirely remodelled, and many outbuildings and monuments were built there (a farm, an orangery, a mock medieval tower, etc.). The house, which dates back to the mid-18th century, was extended with an annex on its northern side and raised up a level into the attic. The outside reflects the most modern neoclassical style. Its general spirit of sobriety is enlivened by more ornate elements, like the attic, with its pediment and pilasters, and the porch, with its black marble columns. The interior was fully refitted in the finest luxury. Designed by landscapers, architects and designers that Perdonnet brought from France and Italy, the Mon-Repos villa had a considerable influence on regional neoclassical architecture.
The City of Lausanne purchased the site in 1910. From 1922 to 1967, the house hosted the International Olympic Committee, and Baron Pierre de Coubertin stayed there. Today it is a reception place for the Municipality of Lausanne and hosts the prestigious Benoist collection of ancient tapestries. The park and its features have been the subject of painstaking restoration to recapture their original feel since 1998.
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