Palais de Rumine & Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts
Overview
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Intro
The palace on the edge of Lausanne's Old Town, just around the corner from the cathedral, is an architectural masterpiece, a showcase of the Florentine Renaissance – and a place full of charm.
It feels like being in another time as you walk through the majestic palace, pause by the pool in the atrium, climb the huge stone staircase and stroll through the magnificent galleries. The Palais de Rumine is a window on the past – and worth visiting just for the architecture: with its Florentine Renaissance style and grand proportions, it dominates the Place de la Riponne on the western edge of the Old Town. Until 1970 it served as the main building of Lausanne University, and now houses five museums including the renowned Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts. The art museum holds the largest collection by the Vaud artist, Félix Vallotton.
The palace was named after Gabriel Rumine, a civil engineer of Russian origin who was born in Lausanne. He died in 1871 at the age of just 30, bequeathing 1.5 million Swiss francs to the city. As luck would have it, the gift coincided with plans to expand the Lausanne Academy into a fully-fledged university with a respectable headquarters. Opened in 1906, the building became a historic location 17 years later: it was here that the Treaty of Lausanne was signed, establishing among other things the present-day borders of Turkey and Greece.
Discover the surroundings
Contact
Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts
Place de la Gare 16
Palais de Rumine
1003
Lausanne
Switzerland
Phone
+41 (0)21 316 34 45
info.beaux-arts@vd.ch
mcba.ch
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