2024-01-24 19:29:18
– Pierre Schwitzguebel, radical energy for tourism
The man who embodied Lausanne’s bid for the 1994 Olympic Games died on Sunday in his 84th year.
Published today at 8:29 p.m.
Pierre Schwitzguebel in his office, at the turn of the century.
VQH
A figure in Vaudois tourism, Pierre Schwitzguebel died on Sunday in his 84th year. Born in 1940 in Goumoëns-la-Ville, to a pastor father, it was in the Vaudois Alps that he began his career. In 1973, the young radical trustee from Lausanne Jean-Pascal Delamuraz spotted him. He wants this dynamic promoter of Leysin and Diablerets to be at the head of tourism in the capital.
“He was a character who was both directive and endearing.”
Olivier Français, former municipal and advisor to the PLR States
From 1976 to 1994, Pierre Schwitzguebel directed the structure now called Lausanne Tourisme. He spent another decade there as president. The Tourism House, in Ouchy, was built under his leadership. A fairly firm leadership: “He was a character who was both directive and endearing,” remembers Olivier Français, former municipal councilor and advisor to the PLR States, who met him as a contractor on the site. An officer in the army, at the time when the latter served as a school of leaders, Pierre Schwitzguebel was a member of the Radical Party, the heart of his network. “He was overflowing with energy,” according to Denis Pittet, former head of the Vaud section of “24 Heures”.
Lausanne first
At the time, the Vaudois Tourist Office did not carry much weight compared to that of Lausanne. Pierre Schwitzguebel is the indisputable captain. The Jeunotel (youth hostel) is emerging, the project for an International Sports Center is taking shape. And we host international sporting events, thanks to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Lausanne is then in the era of Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the IOC from 1980 to 2001.
Above all, Pierre Schwitzguebel embodies Lausanne’s candidacy for the 1994 Winter Olympics. “During a public session at the Aula of the Collège de Béthusy, he had to give an hour of presentation, then another hour of questions and answers with the public, remembers Denis Pittet. In fact, carried away by his enthusiasm, he spoke for 1 hour 55 minutes…”
The “Lausanne” Olympics are rather those of the canton of Vaud, because Lausanne must only host ceremonies and ice sports. The problem is that the city assumes the financial aspect. In 1988, the people of Lausanne said no by almost two to one. On the day of the defeat, Pierre Schwitzguebel spoke of a “foolish vote” in front of the media. “It was seen as a betrayal of the people of Lausanne,” remembers Olivier Français. “A huge divide between Lausanne and the Alps, because for the latter, the 94 Olympics were a lifeline,” confirms Denis Pittet. It was only with the opening of the Olympic Museum in 1993 that the boss of Lausanne tourism recovered from this failure, he assures.
In the 2000s, Pierre Schwitzguebel devoted his energy to the tourist revitalization of Diablerets, associated with powerful investors. But this plan failed in the face of local resistance.
Jerome Cachin has been a journalist in the Vaud section since 2019, specializing in politics. He was responsible for the Vaud page of Freedom from 2003 to 2019. He is the author ofVaud political institutions, with Mix & Remix.More info
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