Ollon-Villars
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Villars-sur-Ollon, commonly referred to as Villars, is a village in
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 ...
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 ...
, part of the municipality of
Ollon Ollon is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Aigle (district), Aigle in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud in Switzerland, sited in the foothills of the mountains to the south-east of Lac Leman, the Lake of Gen ...
.


Description


Geography and skiing network

Villars overlooks the
Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...
valley from an altitude of . The peak of
Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount E ...
is clearly visible from parts of the village and from the village's more elevated ski area Bretaye (). That area is the center of the skiing network. It is accessible by the BVB railway (
Chemin de fer Bex-Villars-Bretaye Chemin or Le Chemin may refer to: Arts and media * ''Le Chemin'' (Emmanuel Moire album), 2013 album by French singer Emmanuel Moire * ''Le Chemin'' (Kyo album), 2003 album by French band Kyo ** "Le Chemin" (song), title song from same-titled Kyo a ...
), featuring a cogwheel train, and by a
gondola lift A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate suppo ...
to the 'Roc d'Orsay' (). There are around of skiing slopes in the skiing network of Villars with
Gryon Gryon () is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality of the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud in Switzerland, located in the district of Aigle (district), Aigle. The entire village of Gryon and the Taveyanne area are designated as part ...
,
Les Diablerets Les Diablerets is a village and ski resort located in the municipality of Ormont-Dessus in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. The village lies at an altitude of on the north side of the massif of the Diablerets, , in the Swiss Alps. It can be a ...
, and
Glacier 3000 Glacier 3000 (officially Gstaad 3000 AG) is a company that operates several cable cars. It was created in 2005 and took over the assets of the then bankrupt , founded in 1993. The company is now based in Gstaad (Switzerland). The main cable car ...
. The slopes on Glacier 3000 offer year round skiing. Furthermore, the ticketing system of Villars is part of the Magic Pass skiing area that covers 30 resorts in the larger area.


History and culture

During the 12th and 13th centuries, a notable demographic upsurge motivated the monks from the Abbey of Saint-Maurice to assist the local peasants in conquering and clearing mountain pastures. Tourism in Villars started in 1856 when the first summer only hotel 'Chalet de Villars' was opened by a colonel who had owned a chalet since 1830. In 1901 the railway reached Villars. In 1913 it was continued by a mountain cog-train to Bretaye where the development stopped because of the war. In 1936, the first ski lift was built at the ‘Combe’ on the Chaux Ronde. This was a first in Switzerland, and skiers had to fasten themselves on with a large leather belt in order to go back up the mountain. In 1938, Villars was classified as one of the prime skiing resorts of Europe. On 13 December 1936, the
Orient Express The ''Orient Express'' was a long-distance passenger luxury train service created in 1883 by the Belgian company ''Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits'' (CIWL) that operated until 2009. The train traveled the length of continental Europe, w ...
made a special stop in
Aigle Aigle ( French for "eagle", ; ) is a historic town and a municipality and the capital of the district of Aigle in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. The official language of Aigle is Swiss French. Geography Aigle lies at an elevation of a ...
for a slalom race that took place at Bretaye. That same year a ski lift was built in the form of a sledge. This lift could transport 12 skiers to the peak of the Grand Chamossaire and was in use until 1953. During the fifties and early sixties, the Ollon-Villars Hillclimb was a round in the European Hill Climb championship and attracted racing drivers from all over the world. They would race of mountain road from Ollon up to Villars. In recent years a revival of the hillclimb has begun to attract race car collectors and racing enthusiasts.


Public schools and private boarding schools

Villars is known to host some of the most expensive private international boarding schools in the world, the industry having started in the early post-WWII years. Four such schools remain nowadays: the
Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil, known informally as Beau Soleil, is a private boarding school in Switzerland. Founded in 1910 by Madame Bluette Ferrier, it is located above sea level on the Swiss Alps of Villars-sur-Ollon. The college p ...
,
Aiglon College Aiglon College is a private co-educational boarding school in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. Founded in 1949 by former Gordonstoun School teacher John C. Corlette, it is in the alpine village of Chesieres, close to the ski resort of Villars ...
,The World's Most Expensive Boarding Schools, in: The Telegraph, 15th Aug 2018.
/ref> La Garenne School, and Préfleuri. The village also features a public primary school (Collège d'En-Haut) that is built into the Villars Sports Center right next to a skiing and sledging slope. Older children go to the second primary school (Collège d'En-Bas) close to the Ice Skating Rink or take the bus to the central school in Ollon.


Villars Institute Foundation

Villars is also known to host the
Villars Institute Villars Institute is an international non-profit foundation and non-governmental organization (NGO) located in the Swiss Alps in Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland. The nonprofit acts primarily as a community development organization with a focus o ...
, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to accelerate the transition to a net zero and nature positive economy.


Activities


Skiing

Many people visit Villars for skiing during the winter months.


Summer activities

The greater Villars area features more than of marked hiking trails and for mountain biking. The Villars Golf Club, established in 1922, has a clubhouse and an 18-hole course set at and perched on a south-facing plateau with views of
Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount E ...
. The Villars Sports Centre has 5 outdoor tennis courts and three indoor with an indoor sports hall for volleyball, badminton, and football. The facility also houses indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a wellness and spa area, a bowling and billiard lounge, a pumptrack
skatepark A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, Freestyle scootering, scootering, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairw ...
, and an all season ice skating arena. There are spas and wellness centres in and around Villars, including
Lavey-les-Bains Lavey-les-Bains is a village in the district of Aigle in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France ...
, the hottest thermal water baths in Switzerland.


Local attractions and sightseeing

For excursions, the attractive lakeside towns of
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 ...
,
Évian Evian (, ; , stylized as evian) is a French brand that bottles mineral water from several sources near Évian-les-Bains, on the south shore of Lake Geneva. Evian is owned by Danone, a French multinational corporation. In addition to the miner ...
, and
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 ...
are all close by and boat trips around Lac Leman are easily available. The imposing Aigle Castle built in the 12th century now houses the local Wine Museum.
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 ...
, built in the 13th century on the banks of
Lake Geneva Lake Geneva is a deep lake on the north side of the Alps, shared between Switzerland and France. It is one of the List of largest lakes of Europe, largest lakes in Western Europe and the largest on the course of the Rhône. Sixty percent () ...
, used to serve as a residence for the noble counts during the Middle Ages. The Gruyère-Pays d'Enhaut National park is also nearby.


Notable people

*
Olivia Ausoni Olivia Ausoni (20 April 1923 – 15 May 2010) was a Swiss alpine skier. She competed at the 1948 Winter Olympics and the 1952 Winter Olympics The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games (; ) and commonly kno ...
(1923, Villars – 2010, Chesières), alpine ski racer. *
Béatrix Beck Béatrix Beck (14 July 1914 – 30 November 2008) was a French writer of Belgium, Belgian origin. She was born at Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland, the daughter of the poet Christian Beck (poet), Christian Beck. After several jobs, she becam ...
(1914, Villars – 2008), French writer of Belgian origin and the daughter of the poet Christian Beck. *
Octav Botnar Octav Botnar (born Oswald Bundorf; October 21, 1913 – July 11, 1998) was a self-made businessman who founded Datsun UK (later Nissan, Nissan UK) and its associated car retail business Automotive Financial Group (AFG). He was a noted philanthro ...
(1913–1998), noted philanthropist, lived in Villars. * Charlotte Chable (b. 1994, Villars), alpine ski racer. *
Jean-Daniel Dätwyler Jean-Daniel Dätwyler (born 2 April 1945) is a Switzerland, Swiss former Alpine skiing, alpine skier and Olympic medalist. He received a bronze medal in the downhill at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble.Princess Marie of Denmark Princess Marie of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat, (born Marie Agathe Odile Cavallier; 6 February 1976) is a member of the Danish royal family. She is the second wife of Prince Joachim of Denmark, the younger brother of King Frederik X of Denmar ...
(b. 1976), daughter-in-law of Queen
Margrethe II of Denmark Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is a member of the Danish royal family who reigned as Queen of Denmark from 14 January 1972 until Abdication of Margrethe II, her abdication on 14 January 2024. Ha ...
. *
Fernand Grosjean Fernand Grosjean (5 May 1924 – 19 August 2015) was a Swiss alpine skier who competed at the 1948 and at the 1952 Winter Olympics. In 1948 he finished eighth in the alpine skiing downhill competition and 16th in the combined event. Four years ...
(1924–2015), alpine ski racer. *
Ferdinand Hodler Ferdinand Hodler (March 14, 1853 – May 19, 1918) was a Swiss painter. He is one of the best-known Swiss painters of the nineteenth century. His early works were portraits, landscapes, and genre paintings in a realistic style. Later, he ad ...
(1853–1918), one of the best known Swiss painters of the 19th century. *
Fanny Smith Fanny Smith (born 20 May 1992) is a Swiss freestyle skier. She represented Switzerland at the 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 Winter Olympics. As of January 2023, she has 29 victories and 67 podiums on the World Cup circuit. She won gold at the World ...
(b. 1992, Aigle), freestyle skier, world champion, and Olympic medalist. *
Georg Solti Sir Georg Solti ( , ; born György Stern; 21 October 1912 – 5 September 1997) was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor, known for his appearances with opera companies in Munich, Frankfurt, and London, and as a long-servi ...
(1912–1997), orchestral and operatic conductor.


References


External links


Official tourist office
{{authority control Villages in the canton of Vaud Ski areas and resorts in Switzerland Venues of the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics