Territet

Origin of the name Territet

Name origin: early form « Tarritet » in 1618. The etymology is not explained by the sources consulted.

Founding of Territet

Territet is not a municipality: it is a locality of the municipality of Montreux (district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut), on Lake Geneva between the centre of Montreux and Veytaux. It belonged to the municipality of Les Planches until the latter merged with Le Châtelard to form Montreux. No founding act is known from the sources consulted: in 1693 it was only a hamlet of five houses in the parish of Montreux. Territet developed in the mid-19th century thanks to tourism, driven by the hotelier and politician Ami Chessex (1840-1917) and his brother-in-law Alexandre Emery, who were behind the rapid growth of the Montreux hotel trade.

History of Territet

1618. First known written form of the name: « Tarritet ».

1693. Territet is a hamlet of five houses in the parish of Montreux.

1841. Opening of the modest Chasseur des Alpes inn (1840 according to another source).

1848. Arrival of the first foreign tourists.

1855. The Chasseur des Alpes becomes the Hôtel des Alpes.

1861. Opening of Territet station on the Simplon line.

1865-1866. Construction of the landing stage (1865 or 1866 depending on the source).

1874-1875. Construction of the English church (1874 or 1875 depending on the source).

1879. The first telephone in Switzerland is installed in Territet (to be cross-checked).

1883. The Territet-Glion funicular enters service.

1888. The hotel becomes the Grand Hôtel et Hôtel des Alpes; the Vevey-Chillon tramway enters service.

1893. Visit of Emperor Franz Joseph; Empress Elisabeth of Austria stays in Territet four times.

1894. The first tennis court in Switzerland is laid out (to be cross-checked).

1902. Erection of the monument to Empress Elisabeth of Austria, a white marble statue by Antonio Chiattone.

1910. Opening of the Territet-Mont-Fleuri funicular.

1931. Pact of Territet, an attempt at reconciliation between rival branches of the Spanish Bourbons, never implemented.

1933. Founding of the Association des Intérêts de Territet (AIT) by shopkeepers and hoteliers.

1961-1962. End of the municipality of Les Planches, which merges with Le Châtelard to form Montreux; Territet is henceforth part of Montreux.

Population of Territet

Population of Territet

1693

5 houses

Historic sites in Territet

Grand Hôtel et Hôtel des Alpes. Grew out of the Chasseur des Alpes inn (1841), became the Hôtel des Alpes in 1855 and then the Grand Hôtel et Hôtel des Alpes in 1888, enlarged in 1895, 1904 and 1911 under Ami Chessex.

St John's English church. Anglican church built for the British clientele, a witness to Belle Époque tourism.

Monument to Empress Elisabeth. White marble statue by Antonio Chiattone erected in 1902 in memory of the Austrian empress's stays in Territet.

Territet-Glion funicular. Opened in 1883, it links the lakeshore to the heights of Glion.

Port and landing stage. Landing stage from the 1860s served by the Compagnie générale de navigation sur le lac Léman.

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Territet »
• Wikipédia (FR), « Territet »
• Wikipedia (EN), « Territet »
• Ville de Montreux, « Territet »
• Archives de Montreux, « Territet à la Belle Époque, 1896-1902 »
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
• geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux swisstopo (coordonnées)

Other villages near Territet

• Veytaux (VD)
• Glion (VD)
• Les Planches (VD)
• Montreux (VD)
• Caux (VD)