Montreux

From Freepedia

For the town in France, see Montreux, Meurthe-et-Moselle.

Image:Montreux-blason.png
Canton	Vaud
District	Vevey
Coordinates	46°26′ N 6°55′ E
Population	22,897   (2003)
Area	33.40 km²
Elevation	390 m
Postal code	1820
Mayor
Website	www.montreux.ch

Image:Montreux dot.png

Montreux is a resort town in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, on Lake Geneva with a population of 22,897.

Montreux hosts several noteworthy festivals:

• The Montreux Jazz Festival; annually in July since 1967;
• The Golden Rose Festival, annually in spring (1961-2003), which awarded the Golden Rose of Montreux, an international award for television;

Montreux boasts one of the most beautiful walks along the lake, stretching from Villeneuve all the way towards Vevey. The main square of the town, Place du Marché, features a statue of Queen singer Freddie Mercury facing Lake Geneva. Some of the numerous small villages around Montreux include La Tour-de-Peilz, Clarens, Territet, and Villeneuve. Chateau Chillion provides a marvelous view of the entire Lake of Geneva and can be easily accessed via bus, foot or boat.

Deep Purple made Montreux famous with their song "Smoke on the Water", which tells the events of 1971, when a Frank Zappa fan with a flare gun set the Montreux Casino on fire.

We all came out to Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline

To make records with a mobile - We didn't have much time

Frank Zappa & the Mothers were at the best place around

But some stupid with a flare gun burned the place to the ground

Smoke on the water, fire in the sky

The Casino was reopened in 1975.

Montreux is the home of Mountain Studios, the recording studio used by several artists. In 1978, the band Queen bought the studio, which now is still owned by Queen producer David Richards. Queen also appeared in 1984 and in 1986 at the Golden Rose Festival and Queen guitarist Brian May appeared in 2001 at the Jazz Festival.

Montreux was also the subject of the 1995 Queen single A Winter's Tale of the album of the same year Made In Heaven, with the adjacent music video showing images of the city, continuing the story of the band's adoration for the city.

Russian-American writer Vladimir Nabokov resided with his wife Vera in a suite at the Montreux Palace Hotel from 1960 until his death in 1977.