Montreux

Origin of the name Montreux

The name is thought to come from the Latin "monasteriolum", diminutive of "monasterium" (small monastery). The oldest known mention, "Monasteriolo", dates from the 11th century, followed by "Mustruel" in 1215. The old German name is "Muchtern". The monastery the name may refer to has not been identified (to be cross-checked).

Founding of Montreux

For a long time Montreux was not a town but a parish grouping some twenty villages and hamlets scattered across the slope, linked by a network of paths. Together with Veytaux, this parish formed a single church community in the Middle Ages, in the orbit of Chillon Castle and Savoy, then under Bernese rule from 1536. Politically, the territory was divided between the communes of Le Châtelard and Les Planches. The modern town grew out of the tourist boom of the 19th century and then from the merger of these two communes in 1962, which created the commune of Montreux; Veytaux declined to take part.

History of Montreux

11th century. Oldest known mention, in the form "Monasteriolo".

1215. The name appears in the form "Mustruel".

1416. The territory has about 200 hearths (households).

1536. The region comes under Bernese rule with the conquest of Vaud.

1751. Construction of the lakeside road.

1761. Jean-Jacques Rousseau sets his novel "Julie, or the New Heloise" in Clarens, which makes the place famous.

1764. The territory has 2'103 inhabitants.

1816. Lord Byron visits the area, further increasing the fame of Clarens and the Montreux shore.

1835. Opening of the first real hotels (the Visinand and Verte Rive guesthouses).

1861. Opening of the Lausanne-Villeneuve railway line, which triggers unprecedented urban growth.

1850-1900. Hotel boom: the number of hotels and guesthouses rises from 8 in 1850 to about 70 in 1900.

1883. Opening of the Territet-Glion funicular.

1887. Opening of the Grand Hôtel de Territet.

1888. An electric tramway linking Vevey, Montreux and Chillon goes into service, one of the first in Switzerland.

1900. The territory has 14'144 inhabitants.

16 December 1901. Opening of the Montreux-Oberland Bernois railway (MOB) as far as Les Avants, extended to Zweisimmen in 1905.

1906. Opening of the Montreux Palace.

1909. Opening of the Montreux-Glion line.

1946. Creation of the Septembre musical.

1961. Creation of the Rose d'Or television festival; on 16 April, vote on merging the communes of the parish, accepted by Le Châtelard and Les Planches, rejected by Veytaux.

1962. The merger of Le Châtelard and Les Planches comes into force, creating the commune of Montreux.

1967. Claude Nobs founds the Montreux Jazz Festival.

4 December 1971. The casino (Kursaal) burns down during a Frank Zappa concert; the event inspires Deep Purple's song "Smoke on the Water".

1996. Unveiling of the statue of Freddie Mercury, singer of Queen, who lived and recorded in Montreux for many years.

2000. The commune has 22'454 inhabitants.

Population of Montreux

Population of Montreux

1764	2'103
1900	14'144
1990	22'917
2000	22'454
2025	27'166

Historic sites in Montreux

Quays and the Belle Époque. The flower-lined quays and grand hotels such as the Montreux Palace (1906) and the Grand Hôtel de Territet (1887) bear witness to the golden age of tourism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Clarens. Former village of Le Châtelard, mentioned from 1280, made famous by Rousseau's "New Heloise" (1761); it keeps the Villas Dubochet (1874-1876) and the Château des Crêtes (1864).

Montreux Jazz Festival. Founded in 1967 by Claude Nobs, it has become one of the best-known music festivals in the world and takes place every July.

Freddie Mercury statue. Erected in 1996 on the quays in tribute to the Queen singer, who recorded in Montreux, notably at Mountain Studios.

Mountain railways. The Territet-Glion funicular (1883), the MOB (1901-1905) and the line to the Rochers-de-Naye link the town to the heights and illustrate the tourist boom.

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Montreux »
• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Clarens »
• Wikipédia FR, « Montreux »
• Commune de Montreux, « Un héritage à redécouvrir » (plan directeur communal)
• Archives de Montreux, « Inauguration d'une voie de chemin de fer moderne et emblématique » (MOB)
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »

Localities of the municipality with a page

• Brent
• Caux
• Chailly-Montreux
• Chamby
• Chernex
• Clarens
• Glion
• Le Châtelard
• Les Avants
• Les Planches
• Territet
• Villard-sur-Chamby

Other villages near Montreux

• Territet (VD)
• Glion (VD)
• Chernex (VD)
• Les Planches (VD)
• Veytaux (VD)