Now located among the quays, the neo-gothic palace that is the Château d’Ouchy hotel is a symbol of lakeside Lausanne and the local hotel industry. It was built between 1888 and 1893 by the architect Francis Isoz in the location of a medieval fortress, whose keep was the only part that was conserved and modernized.
Tourism developed very quickly in Lausanne following the arrival of the railway in 1856 and reached its peak in 1914. Many luxury hotels were built in a wide variety of styles, but nearly always with the utmost concern for their decoration. In this context, besides the construction of several hotels, Ouchy was completely revamped with the installation of a cable car in 1877 and quays in 1901, which became promenades for city dwellers.
The medieval castle, dating back to the 13th century, was one of several castles on the lake, like Chillon. It shared several of its characteristics, like its central keep, luxurious rooms overlooking the lake, a double ring of walls and circular towers on the land side. Built by the bishops of Lausanne, it was a reaction to the affirmation of bourgeois power and the Savoys’s growing power in the region.
