Culture

In Lausanne, the development of the city is bound up with culture!
The abundance and variety of Lausanne's cultural provision are exceptional in a town of this size. But it's not just sheer quantity that sets Lausanne apart – it's also the quality, originality and accessibility of that provision.

Useful information

Palud square

HeritageShopping
In the centre of the square is the town’s oldest fountain, adorned with a statue representing justice. Close by, a clock presents the history of Vaud in animated scenes every hour from 9:00 to 19:00. On Wednesday and Saturday mornings this is the site of the country market, which also sets up shop in the neighbouring pedestrian streets. Every first Friday of the month, it plays host to a craft market. Typical cafes, boutiques and large, elegant shops complement what this high-class district, which is completely pedestrianised, has to offer.
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Mosto

LocalWine
Discover the Mosto wine shop that offers local wine, cider and beer that are respectful of nature.
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La Cité

ArchitectureHistoryHeritageShopping
This is a quarter full of typical small bistros and craft shops. To the north of the Cité hill, at Place du Tunnel, avenue César-Roux avenue and Place de l’Ours, shops and quirky bistros cry out to be discovered. It is around the Cité hill, sculpted by the Flon and Louve rivers, that the mediaeval town grew. Its cobble-stoned pedestrian streets as well as its monuments, the Cathedral of Lausanne, the St-Maire Castle and the Old academy, bear witness to that.
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Lausanne Cathedral

Heritage
At the heart of the old town, the majestic Lausanne Cathedral overlooks the city. Seen as one of the most beautiful gothic art monuments in Europe, it attracts more than 400,000 visitors every year.
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More info

Cultural production in Lausanne covers every sphere of the arts, although dance, opera and theatre give the city a particularly high profile on the Swiss and international stages. Prestigious institutions such as the Ballet Béjart, the Lausanne Opera and the Vidy-Lausanne Theatre thus play the role of ambassadors for Lausanne abroad.

Among the twenty or so of the town‟s museums are some that are utterly unique, such as the Olympic Museum or the Collection of Art Brut, a point of reference for marginal art. There is also the Elysée Museum, dedicated entirely to photography, the only one of its kind in French-speaking Switzerland.

Cultural heritage is omnipresent in Lausanne. At the heart of the city it is embodied by the majestic Gothic cathedral and the historical Cité district, while the remains of ancient Roman dwellings can be found on the outskirts. Finally, thanks to the multitude of festivals and the innumerable small drama companies and experimental theatres that bring life to the districts, culture is permanently within everyone‟s grasp here.

In the area