Nadezhda Eremenko in Montreux
Switzerland is an amazing country that contains, probably, an unprecedented number of picturesque places. The French part of the Swiss countryside has become attractive to a huge number of talented individuals. So, for example, after the great Charlie Chaplin was explained on board the Queen Elizabeth liner in 1952 that he was not expected in the USA upon returning from London from the world premiere of Footlights, he took a fancy to the picturesque town of Vevey, where he lived until the end life.
Not far from Vevey, on the shores of Lake Geneva, there is another small town - Montreux. If you are ever on a weekend, this is the first place to go to explore the surrounding area. The town is located 100 kilometers from Geneva, and can be easily reached by rented car or direct trains from Geneva train station. The road lies along Lake Geneva, surrounded by mountains (snow-capped at the top and bright green almost all year round closer to the foot). It will take plus or minus an hour and a half and certainly will not tire you. When I came here for the first time and went out for an evening walk, I froze before the view of the sunset. Two cloud-shrouded mountain ranges nestle into the lake on opposite sides, and as the sun sets between them, bathing the landscape in a palette of red, blue, purple and pink, the sky appears to open up over the lake.
Montreux has a population of only 23 thousand people, but this did not stop it from becoming a Mecca for musicians, writers and poets. Although ancient Roman coins were also discovered here during excavations at the end of the 19th century, one of the first mentioned admirers of this magnificent place were the Dukes of Savoy. They are credited with owning the Chillon Castle, built on the shore of the lake in 1160. By the way, it was his dungeons that Lord Byron described in “The Prisoner of Chillon.” On the Montreux embankment there is a “Byron’s bench”, which offers a wonderful view of the castle, lake and mountains. It’s difficult to say with certainty whether this is the same shop that the poet loved in his time, or whether it’s a trick for tourists - the legend doesn’t spoil the view at all.
Since the end of the 19th century, Montreux can perhaps be called a center of attraction for great artists. It was here in 1897 that Georges Méliès (one of the founders of world cinema) founded the Star Film studio, where he began producing films. Vladimir Nabokov and his wife lived here from 1960 until his death. There is a concert hall and the street of Igor Stravinsky, who at one time also took a fancy to Montreux. Recognizable from the first notes, “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple was written here, capturing the events of December 1971, when a Frank Zappa fan, particularly keen on special effects, fired a charge from a flare gun at the Montreux casino, where as part of a jazz festival his concert was taking place. The casino building was destroyed by fire from the explosion, and the title of the composition reflects the picture that the Deep Purple artists observed from the hotel window: smoke from the burning casino was spreading over Lake Geneva.
Five years later, the casino was restored and opened with a recording studio that met the most sophisticated professional tastes - Mountain Studios, located on the second floor of the building. The studio's arrangement and design were developed by the American recording legend Tom Hidley. David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Led Zeppelin, Nina Simone, Bryan Ferry, AC/DC, The Rolling Stones and many others recorded their albums here, not to mention the music that was created during the annual (and, perhaps, one of the most iconic) Jazz Festival in Montreux. And yet, the history of this studio is most associated with the legend of British rock - Queen and its immortal leader Freddie Mercury.
Queen, formed in 1970 in London, was preparing to record its seventh album, Jazz, by July 1978. Where, if not in Montreux, was it possible to record an album with that name? In June 1978, the group came to Mountain Studios for the first time for this purpose. The relative peace from the persistent attention of the press, coupled with the area inspiring creativity, did their job, and the London four decided to purchase a studio. In early 1979, Mountain Studios, led by producer David Richards, found new owners.
By the way, one of the top hits of the album “Bicycle race” was written by Freddie under inspiration from the 18th edition of the Tour de France in 1978, which passed through Montreux during the recording of the above-mentioned album. For the video for the song, Queen staged a women's cycling race at Wimbledon Stadium, which featured 65 completely naked models. The photo from the run became the cover of the cover. It was said that whenever Queen included the single "Bicycle Race" on their concert tour, stores would sell out of bicycle bells - fans would fly them off the shelves just to ring them during the song at a concert.
Between 1979 and 1993, the group recorded six more albums at Mountain Studios, including the last, Made in Heaven, the final release of which Freddie never heard. It was here that such legendary tracks as We will Rock you, Love of my Life, Don’t Stop me now, We Are the Champions, A Kind of Magic, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Show Must go on and many others were recorded. Including Mother Love - Freddie's last track, which he recorded here in early November 1991, a few weeks before leaving. Mother Love was included in Queen's last album, Made in Heaven, released in 1993. The band members dedicated the album to the immortal spirit of Freddie Mercury.
In the center of the Montreux embankment, on a pedestal stands a bronze statue with a microphone in his hand and a concert costume. The plaque on the monument reads: “Freddie Mercury - Lover of Life, Singer of Songs” (“Freddie Mercury is a lover of life, singer of songs,” website note). After the release of the last album, David Richards (the same producer and sound engineer with whom Queen acquired the studio almost 15 years earlier) bought Mountain Studios from the remaining band members, where he continued to work until 2002. In 2002, the studio moved to another city.
Four and a half years ago, I came to Montreux for the first time, learned that the local casino had a recording studio for Freddie Mercury and Queen, and thought how wonderful it would be if I could visit there, if I could travel back in time . The universe, apparently, still hears us and fulfills our wishes. Two years ago (in December 2013), on the site of this studio, right in the casino, they opened a mini-museum dedicated to the work of the group, where you can (and completely free of charge) not only look at Freddie’s costumes and read about what inspired the group members to write this or that song, but also to be in the place of a sound engineer, arranging the legendary Queen tracks to your taste.
The monument to Freddie Mercury, leader of the world-famous band Queen, stands on the embankment of the quiet Swiss city of Montreux. The legendary singer is depicted in his most famous pose - right hand raised in the air, left hand clutching a microphone - from a concert at London's Wembley Stadium (1986). It was in this position that Freddie Mercury ended his concert. The figure reaches a height of 3 meters. The singer faces Lake Geneva. The author of the project is the Czech-British artist and sculptor Irena Sedlecka.
History of the monument
Freddie Mercury passed away on November 24, 1991, he was 45 years old. He spent his last years in Montreux recording an album, but before his death he went to London and died there. For four years, the Queen musicians were looking for a place for a monument in London, but the authorities refused, so the first monument to the singer was erected in the city of Montreux in Switzerland.
The opening of the monument took place on November 25, 1996, five years after the singer’s death. Mercury's friend, Spanish opera singer Montserrat Caballe, was present at the ceremony. Many note the amazingly accurately depicted face of the musician and the character conveyed in the monument.
Funds from the singer’s parents and former members of the musical group were spent on the production of the Mercury monument. The singer’s figure looks especially impressive at sunset, when the river is filled with pink - one can feel the strong and exciting emotions that Freddie Mercury charged during Queen’s performances.
Fans of the singer’s work regularly gather at the monument - bringing flowers on his birthday and on the day of the great artist’s death.
In 2003, a monument to the singer, about 8 meters high, appeared in London, the city where the legendary performer died.
Freddie Mercury and Montreux
It was assumed that the sculpture would be installed in London, but the authorities refused, so the choice fell on Montreux - one of Mercury’s favorite cities, where Queen recorded the album “Jazz” in 1978, and subsequently acquired the Mountain Studios recording studio there at the address: Rue du theater, 9. The studio was located in the casino building and occupied two floors; it belonged to the group until the end of the 90s. It was here that the cult hits were recorded - “Under pressure”, “A kind of Magic”, “Who wants to live forever?” and many others. The last, fifteenth album of the group “Made in heaven”, which was released after the death of Freddie Mercury, was also recorded in this studio. The album cover depicts the singer's house in Montreux, his monument near Lake Geneva and the rest of the group standing as if at a distance from their leader.
The studio was closed for a long time, but in 2013 it opened its doors as a museum. To get there, you need to go to the Montreux casino and turn left. Admission is free, without prior registration. Everything in the studio seemed to have been preserved from yesterday’s band rehearsal: there are no museum shelves or precise order. On the contrary, here there are musical instruments, papers, books, dishes, and games in a chaotic order. It is especially interesting to look at the stage costumes of the group leader that have been preserved here.
Route from the monument to the studio (a distance of 400 meters can be covered in 5 minutes):
In love with the beauty of the local area, Freddie Mercury bought an apartment and a small chalet overlooking the lake on the Montreux Riviera. In the last years of his life, the city became a second home for Freddie - he lived here for 13 years. Surprisingly, the serene resort town appealed to the eccentric musician. Fans believe that the last song recorded by the singer, “A Winter’s Tale,” is dedicated to the fairy-tale city in Switzerland, which became a cozy, calm, quiet home for him. The new owners of the lake house where the singer lived are not very welcoming of fans' efforts to find the house and say it is not easy to find.
The singer’s quote about the city is widely known: “If you want peace of soul, come to Montreux” (“If you want to find peace of mind, come to Montreux”).
Every year a festival is organized in Montreux in honor of Freddie Mercury and the British rock band Queen. The first event took place in 2003, and now it takes place every first weekend of September. Famous rock musicians perform at the festival, and a large number of Queen fans gather here.
How to get to the Freddie Mercury monument in Montreux
The monument is located in Montreux, Switzerland, on Place Marché, near the Rouen embankment.
You can get there in different ways:
- By bus No. 201, 204, 205, 206, 291, stop “Montreux, casino” - you will need to walk 5 minutes to the monument. And if from the stop you immediately turn to the embankment, then go out to the Montreux casino, where the Queen recording studio museum is located.
- By car: there is a parking lot near the monument on the embankment.
Many people come to Switzerland by train when traveling around Europe. From the train station to the monument it takes about 10 minutes on foot.
You can get to the monument using a taxi: Uber, Taxi-phone SA Geneva, AA Genève Central Taxi are available in Montreux, Switzerland.
Map of the walking route from the bus stop to the Freddie Mercury monument:
Panoramic view of the embankment with the monument:
“If you are looking for peace of mind, come to Montreux,” said the musician. Freddie Mercury worked and vacationed on the Swiss Riviera, namely in the picturesque town of Montreux, on the embankment of which there is now a famous monument. Tourists come here in droves, those who idolize the musician and those who simply decided to visit one of the most popular attractions. The monument was opened five years after Mercury's death.
The choice of location for the iconic sculpture was not accidental; it was on the shores of Lake Geneva, in the Mountain Studio, that many Queen albums were recorded: Jazz (1978), Hot Space (1982), A Kind of Magic (1986), The Miracle (1989), Innuendo (1991) and Made in Heaven (1995).
In 2013, the Queen studio experience museum was opened in the studio. Finding out the place will not be difficult - all the nearby walls are painted by fans.
In the city itself, the musician’s favorite place was the Excelsior Hotel, where Freddie stayed during his trips. Subsequently, he began to rent an apartment not far from the studio. It's also worth checking out your favorite restaurant, The Brasserie Bavaria, but unfortunately it's just a recreated copy of the place; the original building was demolished in 2007.
London, Great Britain
Much of Freddie Mercury's life was, of course, connected with London, where his family moved from Zanzibar in 1962. Here he studied at the Ealing Art School, lived, worked, and performed.
The house where he lived for many years and where he died is located in Kensington, at 1 Logan Place. Every Queen fan comes here. The house is now owned by his close friend Mary Austin. Near the door, under glass, are hundreds of notes from fans.
We couldn’t ignore the great singer and musician at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. So everyone has the opportunity to take a photo with the singing sculpture of Mercury (Planetarium hall).
Barcelona, Spain
In Barcelona in March 1987, Freddie Mercury's first fateful meeting with Montserrat Caballe took place. Freddie dedicated one of his most famous songs to his hometown of Caballe. And already in April they began working on a joint album.
It all started with Freddie giving the diva a cassette with several of his recordings. Obviously, Caballe liked the songs, she even performed one of them at a concert in Coven Garden, which turned out to be a pleasant surprise for Mercury.
In October 1988, Freddie Mercury made his last appearance on stage in Barcelona; the singer sang three songs with Caballe at the La Nit festival, knowing that he was terminally ill with AIDS.
Ibiza, Spain
In addition to the famous Ku Club, where at the music festival Mercury and Caballe performed the song “Barcelona” for the first time in public and together, the memory of the singer is kept by the rock and roll hotel Pikes hotel, where the musician was a regular and where he celebrated his birthday on a grand scale in 1987
This was a grandiose party with seven hundred guests and rivers of champagne; as they said, the budget was the last thing they thought about here. The hotel still celebrates Freddie's birthday, on which he encourages people to do all sorts of eccentric madness. You can, for example, put on a mustache and dance with a guitar in a rock star's old bedroom.
A few years ago I went to the Swiss town of Montreux. With a very clear goal - to visit the places where most of Queen's albums were created, and where the band actually lived for several years. In Montreux, at Mountain Studio, Jazz (1978), Hot Space (1982), A Kind of Magic (1986), The Miracle (1989), Innuendo (1991) and Made in Heaven (1995) were recorded. The famous album Barcelona with Montserat Caballe also comes from Montreux. So you understand - it was simply impossible not to visit there (who else wrote in Mountain Studio, the list is impressive).
All visitors first go to the Mercury sculpture, but it was the studio that interested me. In 2013, the Queen studio experience museum was opened in its premises, but this is a purely tourist story, from the present there are only some Queen artifacts and walls. All equipment was sold in the late nineties when the studio was closed. There are no signs to the former studio either; the casino parking guard showed me the way. But, apparently, I was not the only one who found this place.
The door is still the same.
The Russian man also reached Montreux.
Now in the studio, I repeat, the museum of the mercuryphoenixtrust foundation. All money collected, minus the costs of maintaining the museum, goes to fight AIDS.
And once upon a time it was like this inside.
At first, Mercury stayed at the Excelsior Hotel, and then rented an apartment not far from the studio. But I visited the hotel regularly; there are many photographs of the group on the Internet, taken on its balconies. I was unable to locate the specific balcony, but I did find the pontoon where the group posed in 1988.
Here he is.
There are flowers on that same bench.
After work I needed a snack. One of Freddie's favorite restaurants was The Brasserie Bavaria. I came there in the morning, right after it opened. The owner, an elderly woman, remembers Freddie and showed him his favorite place. It is in the very depths of the hall. From it you can see everything that happens in the restaurant and on the street, but you can’t see this table from the outside even if you try. Freddie was a seasoned introvert, and, oddly enough, he was not enthusiastic about manifestations of adoration from unfamiliar fans.
Of course, it was impossible not to sit down at that very table. It's still reserved. They are waiting for someone.
Unfortunately, the original building was demolished in 2007, I made it in time. The restaurant has been recreated in a new location, and everything is very similar in design. But Freddie was never there.
And, of course, the statue. You all saw her.
It probably reflects what Mercury wanted to be. But in life he was completely different. For a creative person, such diversity is absolutely normal.
About Freddie's London house. It was planned to record the albums The Miracle and Innuendo in London, because Freddie by that time already felt average and did not want to travel around. But the attention of the press to Mercury's appearance forced him to go to Montreux and live there for the last three years. Mercury returned to London only in the spring of 1991.
It was a good life, since 24 years after its end we are happy to listen to his songs and get excited when we touch the scenery that surrounded him.
They may remember that there was something left that was definitely worth returning there for. Yes, I had to see Freddie's lake house (or "duck" house as it is sometimes called) where Freddie found peace of mind and which is featured on the cover of Queen's fifteenth studio album "Made In Heaven", and I did it! (from this trip.)
While the Internet continues to ask questions such as "Where is Freddie Mercury's lake house in Montreux?" the answers are not that numerous. Moreover, some of them will lead you to Territ, which, of course, has something to do with Freddie, because he had an apartment on Quai de Fleurs, but has nothing to do with the mysterious house by the lake, and therefore is of no interest to us . Since I did not find any specific information on this serious issue, I decided to write a detailed guide for those people who one day decide to travel to Montreux.
So, Freddy's lake house is not located in Montreux itself. Moreover, it is located on private property, so it is not possible to get close to it. Although, I think that this fact will not stop people who want to look at the house in any case. The exact address where Freddie's house is located is Rue du Lac 165, Clarens, 1815. Clarens is a small village located in the commune of Montreux quite close to Montreux itself.
You can take bus number 201 from Montreux and get off at the St-Georges stop about 10 minutes later, but if you have time, I wouldn't recommend rushing. If you come to Montreux by train, it only takes 7 minutes to go down to Quai de la Rouvenaz and, heading towards Place du Marché, to reach the Freddie monument. Afterwards, head back in the opposite direction, enjoying this wonderful view along Lake Geneva. After about 30 minutes you will see a large yacht club on the left. We are almost there.
On Rue du Lac (it's quite a long street, so it's hard to miss), we're interested in house 163. That's it, as soon as you see it, it's the right place! Go to where the cars are parked and look down to the right. Freddie's house by the lake will be visible through the tree branches.
You can also walk along the fence along Rue du Lac and after 20-30 meters, looking behind it (you may have to jump a little) you can see Freddy’s house, but from a different angle and without interfering branches. You can see that he now looks almost exactly like he did on the Made In Heaven cover.
Of course, it would be great to go down and get closer to this amazing piece of musical history, but, unfortunately, this is not possible at the moment. According to a well-known fact, the people who now own this piece of land are not very happy to meet such spectators. In any case, you can trust me that after you see Freddy's house at least from a distance, you will feel much better.
The map shows: (A) Montreux Station, (B) Freddie Mercury Monument, (C) Freddie's Lake House, (D) Vevey Pier
Now, I would suggest that you continue your walk in the direction of Vevey. Soon you will see the lake again and enjoy this stunning view. By the way, walking along the lake, you will notice several more traditional Swiss chalets, reminiscent of Freddy's house. On the way to La Tour-de-Peilz, if you are lucky, you can visit the Swiss Games Museum (Musée suisse du jeu), located in the Château de la Tour-de-Peilz (I was not able to do this, as it was closed ). Vevey is reminiscent of Montreux, it is an equally beautiful place (and what can we say, the whole canton of Vaud looks amazing). There you can take a boat and sail to Lausanne, and then board a train and go wherever you want. On the way to Grande Place (where the pier is located), on Quai Perdonnet you can find several interesting monuments, including Charlie Chaplin and even the famous Russian writer Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. The journey from Vevey to Lausanne by boat will take almost an hour, but you will never regret it, as you will get the opportunity to enjoy a truly stunning view.
Previous Facebook comments
- Lada Maslennikova I'll be there soon! :))
- Margarita Shipilo Lada, hello! Have you already visited Montreux?
- Margarita Shipilo Stanislav, thank you! Your tips are very helpful! I'll take them into service!
- Elena Sharova it’s incredible to see this again..... a wonderful moment... and comprehend the life of this person