Caux

Origin of the name Caux

Name origin: old documents refer to the place as « monts de Cau ». The etymology of the name is not explained by the sources consulted.

Founding of Caux

Caux is not a municipality: it is a locality of the municipality of Montreux, in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut, at about 1'000 metres above Lake Geneva, at the foot of the Rochers de Naye. No founding act is known. The « monts de Cau » were part of the lower pastures cleared by the first settlers and were used for cattle farming. With the improvement of the road network from the 17th century, settlement in Montreux spread towards the lakeshore, then towards the heights of Caux and Les Avants. The resort was born of tourism: in 1875 a modest chalet was turned into an inn to welcome walkers coming from Glion and Montreux, then the arrival of the rack railway in 1892 made it possible to build large hotels, including the Grand-Hôtel and the Caux-Palace.

History of Caux

17th century. With the improvement of the road network, Montreux spreads towards the lakeshore, then towards the heights of Caux and Les Avants.

1875. A modest chalet is turned into an inn to welcome the growing number of walkers coming from Glion and Montreux.

1883. Opening of the Territet-Glion funicular, the first stage of rail access to the heights.

1890-1893. Construction of the Grand-Hôtel, designed by the architect Louis Maillard and presented at its opening as « le plus bel hôtel du monde »; it is raised by additional storeys in 1899.

around 1892. Completion of a new carriage road coming from Glion.

1892. Opening of the Glion-Rochers-de-Naye rack railway, with a station at Caux.

1900-1902. Construction of the Caux-Palace by the architect Eugène Jost; with 300 to 350 rooms, at its inauguration it is the largest and most luxurious hotel in Switzerland.

1905-1906. Construction of the Saint-Michel chapel, originally an Anglican chapel.

1907-1908. Construction of the Catholic chapel of Saint-Joseph.

1909. The rack railway is extended down to Montreux.

1913. An inventory lists more than 500 beds in the resort, at the height of the Belle Époque (1893-1914).

1930. Caux hosts the first bobsleigh world championship (to be cross-checked).

1939. The outbreak of the Second World War destroys most of the resort's hotel economy. During the war, the hotels house refugees and internees, including about 1'600 Jews from the Kasztner train (to be cross-checked).

1946. The Moral Re-Armament movement buys the Caux-Palace, renamed Mountain House, to turn it into an international conference centre; it is now run by Initiatives of Change.

1978. The former Grand-Hôtel, meanwhile renamed Hôtel Regina, is bought by the Lectorium Rosicrucianum, which turns it into a conference centre.

2013. Second version of the record of the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites (ISOS), which ranks Caux among the sites of national importance.

Historic sites in Caux

Caux-Palace (Mountain House). Hotel built from 1900 to 1902 by the architect Eugène Jost, the largest and most luxurious in Switzerland at its inauguration. Bought in 1946 by Moral Re-Armament, it became an international conference centre (Initiatives of Change) and also houses a hotel management school.

Former Grand-Hôtel. The resort's first large hotel, built from 1890 to 1893 by the architect Louis Maillard and raised in 1899. Renamed Hôtel Regina, it was bought in 1978 by the Lectorium Rosicrucianum.

Saint-Michel and Saint-Joseph chapels. Two chapels from the early 20th century: Saint-Michel (1905-1906), originally Anglican, and the Catholic chapel of Saint-Joseph (1907-1908).

Caux station. Station of the Glion-Rochers-de-Naye rack railway, opened in 1892 and extended to Montreux in 1909.

Sources

• Inventaire fédéral des sites construits d'importance nationale (ISOS), « Caux », fiche 4760, 2e version 2013
• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Montreux »
• Wikipedia (EN), « Caux, Switzerland »
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
• geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux swisstopo (coordonnées)

Other villages near Caux

• Glion (VD)
• Territet (VD)
• Veytaux (VD)
• Les Avants (VD)
• Montreux (VD)