Ernest Burnat (7 October 1833 – 3 December 1922) was a Swiss architect based in

Vevey Vevey (; ; ) is a town in Switzerland in the Vaud, canton of Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Leman, near Lausanne. The German name Vivis is no longer commonly used. It was the seat of the Vevey (district), district of the same name until 200 ...

, in the canton of

Vaud Vaud ( ; , ), more formally Canton of Vaud, is one of the Cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of Subdivisions of the canton of Vaud, ten districts; its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Biography

Born to a family of independent means, Ernest Burnat studied at the private ''Gymnase libre'' in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

before attending the industrial design school (école de dessin industriel) in

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; ; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ''Mìlhüsa'' ; , meaning "Mill (grinding), mill house") is a France, French city of the European Collectivity of Alsace (Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region of France). It is near the Fran ...

, where he worked alongside architect Émile Müller, known for designing a famous type of workers' housing. He later studied at the

École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in nor ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

from 1855 to 1860. Returning to Switzerland, he practiced architecture in

from 1861 to 1881, partnering with Charles Nicati starting in 1861. Burnat taught architecture at the École spéciale in

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

from 1863 to 1865. He was a member of the restoration commission for

Chillon Castle Chillon Castle (, ) is a medieval island castle located on Lake Geneva, south of Veytaux in the Swiss canton of Vaud. It is situated at the eastern end of the lake, on the narrow shore between Montreux and Villeneuve, which gives access to the ...

and the technical commission for

Lausanne Cathedral The Cathedral of Notre Dame of Lausanne is a Church architecture, church located in the city of Lausanne, in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is owned by the Evangelical Reformed Church of the Canton of Vaud. History Construction of the ...

, playing a significant role in the restoration of these major landmarks. A bust of him, sculpted by Raphaël Lugeon, adorns the main portal of the cathedral. A portrait of Burnat, painted in oil by Charles Giron in 1876, is housed in the Historical Museum of Vevey.

Notable Works

Burnat, in collaboration with Nicati, designed several significant hotels and historic villas, including: * ''Hôtel des Crêtes'' in Clarens (1864) * ''Hôtel du Lac'' in

(1866–1868) * ''Hôtel des Salines'' in

Bex Bex (; ; ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland, located in the Aigle (district), district of Aigle. It is a few kilometers south of its sister town municipality of Aigle. History Bex is first ment ...

(1869–1872) * ''Hôtel National'' (1872–1874) and the neo-Moorish ''Kursaal'' (1880–1881) in

Montreux Montreux (, ; ; ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, Swiss municipality and List of towns in Switzerland, town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Swiss Alps, Alps. It belongs to the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut (district), Riviera-Pays ...

* Villa Zina in

(1877–1878)

References

Bibliography

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burnat, Ernest 1833 births 1922 deaths Swiss architects People from Vevey École des Beaux-Arts alumni 19th-century Swiss architects 20th-century Swiss architects