The small mountain village of Caux was awash in people this weekend for the European Heritage Days (13-14 September). The Initiatives of Change conference centre in Caux was the star site for the canton of Vaud, on this year’s theme ‘places of delight’, and an estimated 5,600 visitors poured through the house during the two days.

Two actors in historic costume during the European Heritage Days in Caux (Photo: Philipp Thueler)A group of a dozen guides, archivists and historians in period costume presented a tour of the house in the form of a partly improvised theatrical presentation: one played the part of the architect, another the director, a third a guest, another the wife of one of the building workers from the glory days of the Caux Palace Hotel around its opening in 1902.

European Heritage days Caux (Photo: Philipp Thueler)Hundreds of visitors made their own tours, with a detailed map of the house and the village in hand, following a clearly numbered route, with illustrated signs explaining details of the history and of the different rooms, and points of interest in the village: the bobsleigh run, the skating rink, the Catholic and Protestant Chapels. People from the village, also in period or national costumes ran stands offering cakes, sausages and hot drinks – much appreciated in the unseasonal cold.

European Heritage Days Caux (Photo: Philipp Thueler)There were non-stop showings of a short documentary film about the Initiatives of Change (IofC) centre and of newsreel footage about the area from the Swiss National Film Archive. Specialists gave talks in the Great Hall about the restoration work on the paintings there, and in the theatre, there were talks about CAUX-Initiatives of Change, and about Caux during the Second World War. Three ladies from the village exposed their collections of old photos and postcards in the CAUXexpo.

There was an excellent coordination and teamwork between the impressive group of inhabitants of the village of Caux, the some forty volunteers of the ‘Friends of Caux’ association, and of Initiatives of Change, and the hotel school which rents the building, European Heritage Days Caux (Photo: Philipp Thueler)and is now in session. The students and some of the staff of the hotel school were a little taken by surprise by this massive invasion of the normally peaceful village. The small mountain road was blocked with cars and the police had to call in reinforcements to try to sort out the chaos. The Montreux-Oberland Bernois company that run the trains from Montreux to Caux and the Rochers de Naye doubled all their trains through the two days – and they were packed.

The media gave important coverage to these heritage days, often mentioning the Caux-Palace; a radio programme (Radio Suisse Romande) featured Caux (see: www.rsr.ch). The Fribourg newspaper La Liberté ran one full page article on Caux, and a further two-thirds of a page two days later.

TEuropean Heritage Days Caux (Photo: Philipp Thueler)he visitors left with handfuls of documentation about IofC, and Pro Patria, one of the organizations that helped to raise the funds for the restoration of the hall. Hundreds of visitors were able to ask questions of the many volunteers around the visitors’ route, ranging from ‘why are there two wash-basins in a one-bed room?’ to ‘do you really still use these rooms?’ and ‘what are the themes of your conferences?’ There was a senior Italian who told how he and his family had found shelter in the Caux-Palace as refugees during World War II; another visitor recalled playing football with the British interned Prisoners of War; a third turned out to be the grandson of the Swiss army commandant of the internment camp in Caux during the war. There were hundreds of personal talks and encounters. Despite the poor weather over the two days, the experience was an unbridled success, attracting far more people than the number estimated in advance.

European Heritage Days Caux (Photo: Philipp Thueler)European Heritage Days (EHD) is a joint action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission involving all 49 signatory states of the European Cultural Convention under the motto, Europe: a common heritage. The annual programme offers opportunities to visit buildings, monuments and sites, many of which are not normally accessible to the public. It aims to widen access and foster care for architectural and environmental heritage. These events are also known as Doors Open Days and Open Doors Days in English-speaking countries.

Partners:

• European Heritage Days in the Canton of Vaud
• Pro Patria
• Swiss Hotel Management School SHMS
• Société de Développement de Caux
• Association des Amis de Caux
• European Heritage Days website of the Council of Europe