Renaissance of the Belle Epoque Steamers on Lake Geneva
The Local Award Ceremony for the conservation of the Belle Époque Steamers on Lake Geneva in Switzerland, winner of a Europa Nostra Award 2014, was held on 25 May, precisely on the day of the impressive annual Naval Parade hosted by the Compagnie Générale de Navigation. Over 10,000 people gathered on the banks of Vevey to admire the superb naval choreography. The 6 boats, originally built in the beginning of the 20th century, welcomed nearly 2,000 passengers on board.
Local Award Ceremony for the conservation of the Belle Époque Steamers on Lake Geneva in Switzerland, winner of a Europa Nostra Award 2014. Photo: Courtesy of CGN.
This festive day began with the unveiling of the Europa Nostra Awards 2014 commemorative plaque aboard the Vevey steamer, which is the last one of this heritage fleet which has been painstakingly restored and adapted for its use in 21st century, in line with today’s security and environment protection requirements. During the ceremony, Nuria Gorrite, State Councilor, Maurice Decoppet, President of the Association of Friends of Lake Geneva Steamers (ABVL) and CGN Belle Époque subsidiary company, Rossana Bettinelli, Board Member of Europa Nostra, and Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General of Europa Nostra, addressed the 100 specially invited guests.
The Compagnie Générale de Navigation’s heritage fleet of paddle steamers is a familiar and much-loved sight on Lake Geneva. The 8 steamers were originally built between 1904 and 1927, and by the turn of the millennium were naturally showing their age. Different kinds of repairs and renewals were required. But 6 out of the 8 boats of this fleet as a whole can now be enjoyed again, and for many years to come, journeying between two countries, France and Switzerland, and providing to their passengers a unique experience, recapturing the serenity of less frenetic times. The restoration of the vessel Italie is expected to start in Autumn 2014, to be followed in a couple of years by the restoration of the last Belle Époque steamer Helvetie.
The Europa Nostra Award also recognizes the key role played by the Association of Friends of Lake Geneva Steamers for making these impressive restorations possible, through various activities of fund-raising, lobbying and raising public awareness. Thanks to their efforts, as well as those of the Lake Geneva Heritage Museum in Nyon, and of course not forgetting the vital commitment and contribution by the public authorities and the owners themselves (CGN company), a highly distinctive and extremely lively “floating museum” of Europe’s culture and history has been preserved for the next 100 years offering its passengers/visitors the delight of voyages on the lake.
The 2014 Parade Naval, organised in collaboration with the city of Vevey, attracted thousands of steamer lovers, families and tourists. The audience appreciated the expertise and technical prowess of the crews. During the 90-minute aquatic ballet, Didier Zuchuat, President of the Heritage Association of Geneva, shared with passion the history of the steamers, which are considered unique in the world. After a crasher collective whistle and the joyful release of 2,600 biodegradable balloons, the Belle Époque steamers left Vevey for their respective ports.
