Shipping – The “Rhône” returns to the waters of Lake Geneva after three years of renovation. The Belle Epoque saloon ship, which will soon be 100 years old, will be the first steamer in the Lake Geneva fleet that can be used at any time of the year.
“The Rhône has not only been restored, it has been brought closer to its original state than ever before,” said Benoît Gaillard, President of the Compagnie Générale de Navigation (CGN) at the inauguration in Ouchy. As an example, he cited the ship’s bow figure, which had fallen down shortly after the inauguration in 1927. It was recast and is now enthroned again in its original place.
The salon ship has an open deck. Thanks to a custom-made sliding glass system, the steamer can now operate all year round. The “Rhône”, the symbol of Lake Geneva, testifies to CGN’s desire to adapt to all seasons, explained Gaillard.
Built by Sulzer in Winterthur
The “Rhône” is the last paddle steamer built entirely in Switzerland. It was built by Sulzer in Winterthur and used for the first time in 1927 during the “Fête des Vignerons”.
The cost of the renovation amounted to almost 16 million francs, which was mainly funded by the Lake Geneva cantons of Vaud, Geneva and Valais, but also by the federal government and the Association des amis des bateaux à vapeur du Léman were funded.
At the inauguration ceremony, Federal Councilor Alain Berset, who is responsible for culture, was impressed by the “wonderful witness to a cultural asset that is closely linked to the history of Switzerland and its landscapes”.
Maurice Decoppet, President of the Association of Friends of Lake Geneva Steamboats (AVBL), recalled that three flagships of the fleet have been renovated since the turn of the millennium: the “Simplon” in 2005, the “La Suisse” in 2009 and the “Italie” in 2016 .
For the exemplary preservation of the Belle Epoque steamer fleet, the Association of Steamboat Friends of Lake Geneva received the EU’s Europa Nostra Prize for Europe’s cultural heritage in 2014. With eight steamboats, the Lake Geneva fleet is the second largest in Europe.
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