Casino de Montbenon in Lausanne was built between 1908 and 1909 by private investors to plans by architect Henri Meyer. With its rotunda and two towers, its design reminds the Palais du Trocadero in Paris. Despite its name, the Casino has never been used as a gambling house.
Casino de Montbenon, Lausanne - facade
After its inauguration on September 15 1909, the Lausanne Symphony orchestra started to give two daily concerts here ! Unfortunately, it went bankrupt only a year later in 1910. The city of Lausanne bought the building and in 1915, Baron Pierre de Coubertin set up here the first headquarters of the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne (before moving to the Villa Mon-Repos in 1922).
Casino de Montbenon, Lausanne - rotunda and towers
Casino de Montbenon, Lausanne - murals
The Casino continued to see sometimes difficult times and its demolition was planned more than once during the 1950 and 1960. Since the 1980s it is used by the Cinémathèque Suisse and since 2014, after extensive renovations, its rotunda is home to the restaurant Brasserie de Montbenon.
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