EN Voyage pittoresque au lac de Genève ou Léman, 1820

In 1844, Karl Baedeker expressed little enthusiasm for the sights of Geneva in his famous travel guide. After mentioning the tomb of John Calvin (1509-1564) and the birthplace of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), among others, he writes: "A visit to all these sights will hardly take more than a day; on the whole, they are so insignificant that Geneva must take a back seat to many a German provincial town of the same size. However, Geneva is all the more important in intellectual terms. Within its walls, ideas and thoughts came to the fore that shook the foundations of old Europe in the 16th and 18th centuries and can still be recognized today like a red thread in the movements of state life on both sides of the Atlantic ocean."

It took four hours to get from Geneva to Nyon on a road that almost always runs along the shore of the lake. In 1823, Nyon had around 2500 inhabitants living in 333 houses. From the castle and the Terrasse des Marronniers you can enjoy beautiful views. At the foot of the castle is the suburb called Rive, where the port and customs office were located. The intersection of the road from Geneva with a road from Burgundy favored trade. The author of the accompanying text also found the high density of educational establishments for children of both sexes worth mentioning.

Surprisingly, Morges was one of the strongest trading towns in the country in 1820, particularly due to its cannon foundry. The first railway in the canton of Vaud was also established in 1855, connecting Morges with Yverdon. It was the first line that made it possible to travel between Lake Geneva and Lake Neuchâtel. The journey took 1 hour and 22 minutes, including stops. Today, it takes just 23 minutes to cover this distance.

As we cross the lake to Lausanne, we can already see the cathedral, consecrated in 1275, and the castle in the distance. Karl Baedeker describes the interior of the city as less attractive, as it is all uphill and downhill. However, this did not deter rich foreigners, as Johann Gottfried Ebel writes: "The magnificent location and the witty society among its inhabitants [...] had made Lausanne, one could say for centuries, the favorite place to stay for rich foreigners from all nations. In particular, many young Englishmen and other rich youths have always lived here, whose sole purpose was to learn the foreign language and the refined customs of society."

The vineyards of Lavaux, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, can be seen here bathed in the evening light. From the 12th century, Cistercian monks cultivated the land by creating terraced vineyards on the steep terrain. The retaining walls, steps and vineyard cottages still shape the character of the landscape today. In 1844, Karl Baedeker wrote the following about the road on the left below: "The country road from Lausanne to Vivis is mostly enclosed between vineyards and offers neither shade nor a view; it is very tiring for pedestrians and is much more conveniently covered by bus or steamboat." In 1820, however, when this view appeared, neither of these existed.

According to the author of the lines that accompany this view, Vevey enjoys an absolutely unique location, which makes it possible to live less luxuriously and more cheaply than in Lausanne, but to be just as urban. In the distance, we can see the church of St. Martin, an architectural masterpiece of late Gothic architecture that dominates the town. Vevey is famous for its winegrowers' festival, which has been held since 1797 to celebrate viticulture. It is still a special event today, as it only takes place every 14 to 20 years.

In the background of this view of Montreux, Johann Jakob Wetzel also depicts the Dent-de-Jaman, a peak in the Vaud Pre-Alps. It took about three hours to reach the summit (1 hour and 45 minutes today), but it was also possible to ride to the top on horseback. However, the route on foot was more pleasant and shorter, but you needed a guide. Old guidebooks sometimes also give us some information about the position of women in the 19th century. In the accompanying text to this view, we read: "The path is neither strenuous nor dangerous, even for those who travel it on horseback, and women often pass by."

The first written mention of Chillon Castle dates back to 1150, when the fortifications belonged to the House of Savoy. The building does not quite meet the criteria of the so-called Savoy castles, as these were built on a square ground plan. The architecture of Chillon Castle, on the other hand, matches the oval shape of the rocky island on which it was built. The name "Chillon" means "rock platform". Between the 16th and the end of the 18th century, the castle became the property of the Bernese. The coat of arms of the city of Bern was placed on the façade on the lake side, but today we can only see part of the bear's ears. On January 10, 1798, Chillon Castle was taken over by Vevey and Montreux, and a few weeks later the canton of Vaud declared its independence. Chillon became world-famous when Lord Byron visited in June 1816. He wrote "The Prisoner of Chillon", a poem inspired by the story of the prisoner François Bonivard (1493-1570). Other personalities were also inspired by Chillon, such as Rousseau, Victor Hugo, William Turner and Salvador Dali.

St-Gingolph has long been a divided town: Today, one half lies in France, the other in Switzerland, with the right bank of the Morge, which flows through the town, forming the border. When Johann Jakob Wetzel drew this view shortly before 1820, Valais was already part of the Swiss Confederation and the other part was in the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont.

According to Johann Gottfried Ebel, Thonon-les-Bains, the old capital of the Chablais region, was particularly famous for the view from its terrace over Lake Geneva at one of its widest points. According to Ebel, the distance between Thonon and Rolle on the opposite shore of Lake Geneva is 3 1/4 hours - about 15.6 km. In fact, the distance on the map of Switzerland is around 14 km.