Vevey Vevey with the Nestlé headquarters in the foreground Country Switzerland Canton Vaud District Vevey 46°28′N 6°51′E / 46.467°N 6.85°E / 46.467; 6.85Coordinates: 46°28′N 6°51′E / 46.467°N 6.85°E / 46.467; 6.85 Population 18,001 (Dec 2009)1 - Density 7,532 /km2 (19,507 /sq mi) Area  2.39 km2 (0.92 sq mi) Elevation 383 m (1,257 ft) Postal code 1800 SFOS number 5890 Mayor Laurent Ballif Surrounded by Corseaux, Corsier-sur-Vevey, La Tour-de-Peilz, Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz Website www.vevey.ch Profile, SFSO statistics Vevey View map of Vevey Old Town Aerial view taken from the road north of the town Tourism Office in Vevey Vevey and surrounding mountains Alimentarium Museum Hungry Charlie Chaplin

Vevey is a town in Switzerland in the canton Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, not far from Lausanne. It is the seat of the district of the same name. It is part of the French-speaking area of Switzerland. Vevey is bordered on the west by the River Veveyse and to the east by the River Oyonnaz. Vevey is the site of the world headquarters of the food giant Nestlé, founded here in 1867. Milk chocolate was invented in Vevey by Daniel Peter in 1857. Contents 1 History 2 Main sights 3 Festivals 4 Market 5 Literary references 6 Notable residents past and present 7 Infrastructure 8 Twin towns 9 See also 10 References 11 External links // History A piloti settlement existed here as early as the 2nd millennium BC.

Under Rome, it was known as Viviscus or Vibiscum. It was mentioned for the first time by the ancient Greek astronomer and philosopher Ptolemy, who gave it the name Ouikos. In the Middle Ages it was a station on the Via Francigena. It was then ruled by the bishopric of Lausanne, and later under the Blonay family. Vevey lived a period of prosperity after the Vaud Revolution of 1798. In the 19th century industries of mechanic constructions (ateliers mécanique de Vevey), food (Nestlé) and tobacco (Rinsoz & Ormond) were founded in the town. Main sights The Grande Place is dominated by a granary known as La Grenette, built in 1803 in the Neo-Classical "rustic" style. Behind La Grenette is the restaurant La Clef, in which Jean-Jacques Rousseau used to eat. The table at which he sat is still to be seen in the restaurant.

St Martin's Church, a few minutes' walk away from the Grande Place, contains the bodies of a number of those who condemned King Charles I of England to death - especially that of Edmund Ludlow who escaped to Vevey after the death of Oliver Cromwell. The Alimentarium Museum, a modern museum opened in 1985 by the Nestlé foundation, features a permanent exhibition of cooking, eating, purchasing food, digesting, and a history of Nestlé. Festivals The Confrérie des Vignerons (Brotherhood of Winegrowers) organises the Winegrowers' Festival (Fête des Vignerons) four or five times each century (one per generation) to celebrate its wine-growing traditions and culture. On those occasions an arena for 16,000 spectators is built in the marketplace — the Grande Place, which is the second-biggest marketplace in Europe, after Lisbon, Portugal. The festivals date from the 18th century; the last five were in 1905, 1927, 1955, 1977 and 1999. Market

The town is also known for its large market on Tuesday and Saturday mornings. The Vevey folk markets,known locally as the Marchés Folkloriques, normally has up to 2000 visitors each Saturday over a period of two months. (Second week of July to end August). Visitors can buy a wine-glass and drink to their heart's content while listening to brass bands, Swiss folk music, and watching traditional craftsmen at work. These Folk Markets are organised by the Société de développement de Vevey. (www.sdvevey.ch) Literary references Vevey is one of two locations that comprise the setting of Henry James' novella Daisy Miller. It is also mentioned in Little Women, the classic American novel by Louisa May Alcott, as the location of the young Theodore "Laurie" Laurence's early studies at boarding school. Notable residents past and present Olga Baclanova, Russian-born actress. Charlie Chaplin, British director and actor. Escapee from American McCarthyism (Corsier-sur-Vevey) Peter Cowie, film historian Romantic movement Fyodor Dostoevsky, Russian novelist Nikolai Gogol, Russian novelist Graham Greene, British writer (Corsier-sur-Vevey) Clara Haskil, Swiss Romanian classical pianist Bruno Hoffmann, German glass harp player Victor Hugo, French poet and writer Edouard Jeanneret Le Corbusier, Swiss architect Paul Juon, Germanised Russian composer Oskar Kokoschka, Austrian painter Edmund Ludlow, general and politician in Oliver Cromwell's government and enemy of King Charles I Jules Massenet, French composer (while composing Esclarmonde) James Mason, actor, (Corsier-sur-Vevey) Thomas Medwin, Writer and biographer of Percy Byssche Shelley Henri Nestlé, German citizen, founder of Nestlé Claude Nicollier, first Swiss astronaut Daniel Peter, inventor of milk chocolate and chocolate bar Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Swiss writer and philosopher. Arguably the father of the European Romantic movement Percy Scholes, English musician and writer Thabo Sefolosha, basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder Henryk Sienkiewicz, Polish writer (Quo Vadis?) Statue in the garden of the Grand Hôtel du Lac. Henry Philip Tappan, first President of the University of Michigan Infrastructure

Vevey railway station, the first station to be "automated" in 1956, is served by several routes of the Léman RER commuter rail system. It has frequent trains to Blonay, Lausanne, Geneva, Montreux and Villeneuve, among others. The number 1 bus is run every 10 minutes during day and goes from the Funicular to Villeneuve. The number 13 bus goes up to Châtel-Saint-Denis and Bossonnens. These also late night Petit Prince buses. Vevey is also well connected on the lake with boats going to all the major harbours like Le Bouveret, Saint Gingolph, Evian, Lausanne and more. Twin towns Carpentras, France Müllheim, Germany See also Vevay, Indiana, United States References ^ Swiss Federal Statistical Office, MS Excel document – Bilanz der ständigen Wohnbevölkerung nach Kantonen, Bezirken und Gemeinden (German) accessed 25 August 2010 External links Official website (French) Pictures of Vevey and surrounding places Media related to Vevey at Wikimedia Commons

v · d · eMunicipalities in the district of Vevey Blonay | Chardonne | Corseaux | Corsier-sur-Vevey | Jongny | Montreux | Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz | La Tour-de-Peilz | Vevey | Veytaux Canton of Vaud | Districts of the canton of Vaud | Municipalities of the canton of Vaud

v · d · eMunicipalities in the district of Vevey Blonay | Chardonne | Corseaux | Corsier-sur-Vevey | Jongny | Montreux | Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz | La Tour-de-Peilz | Vevey | Veytaux Canton of Vaud | Districts of the canton of Vaud | Municipalities of the canton of Vaud

v · d · eMunicipalities in the district of Vevey Blonay | Chardonne | Corseaux | Corsier-sur-Vevey | Jongny | Montreux | Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz | La Tour-de-Peilz | Vevey | Veytaux Canton of Vaud | Districts of the canton of Vaud | Municipalities of the canton of Vaud

v · d · eMunicipalities in the district of Vevey Blonay | Chardonne | Corseaux | Corsier-sur-Vevey | Jongny | Montreux | Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz | La Tour-de-Peilz | Vevey | Veytaux Canton of Vaud | Districts of the canton of Vaud | Municipalities of the canton of Vaud