Plouf ! A history of swimming on Lake Geneva
6 April 2017 - 6 January 2020
During the summer months, a few rays of sunshine are enough to make the 121 bathing sites around Lake Geneva crowded. But the lake has not always been so popular. Frightened or disgusted, bathers have often gone elsewhere. Others would have liked to take a dip in this little Alpine sea, but their time did not allow it. This was due to beliefs, pollution or morality. This exhibition tells the rich and colourful history of swimming in Lake Geneva. It talks about architecture, water quality, fashion and hygiene... You will meet sportsmen, spa-goers, tourists and washerwomen, but also Voltaire, Hergé, Courbet, Louis XVIII, and Brigitte Bardot... You will embark on a grand tour of the lake over the centuries, with stops in Vevey, Lausanne, Geneva, Montreux, not forgetting Thonon and Evian... les-Bains.