Villars-sur-Ollon, commonly referred to as Villars, is a village in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

in the canton of

Vaud Vaud ( ; french: (Canton de) Vaud, ; german: (Kanton) Waadt, or ), more formally the canton of Vaud, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of ten districts and its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat of arms b ...

, part of the municipality of

Ollon Ollon is a municipality in the district of Aigle in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, sited in the foothills of the mountains to the south-east of the Lake of Geneva. The old German language name ''Olun'' is no longer used. History Ollon is f ...

Description

Geography and skiing network

Villars overlooks the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

valley from an altitude of . The peak of Mont Blanc is clearly visible from parts of the village and from the village's more elevated ski area

Bretaye Bretaye (or ''Col de Bretaye'') is a high mountain pass of the Swiss Alps, located above Villars-sur-Ollon in the canton of Vaud. The pass (1,806 m) is connected to Villars by the Bex–Villars–Bretaye railway, which is the second highest railw ...

(). That area is the center of the skiing network. It is accessible by the BVB railway ( Chemin de fer Bex-Villars-Bretaye), 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 supp ...

to the 'Roc d'Orsay' (). There are around of skiing slopes in the skiing network of Villars with

Gryon Gryon () is a municipality of the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, located in the district of Aigle. History Gryon is first mentioned in 1189 as ''Griuns''. Geography Gryon has an area, , of . Of this area, or 28.3% is used for agricultural ...

, Les Diablerets, and

Glacier 3000 Glacier 3000 (officially Gstaad 3000 AG) is a company that operates several cable cars and ski lifts in the region of the Diablerets in western Switzerland. It was created in 2005 and took over the assets of the then bankrupt ''Glacier 3000 Régi ...

. 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

where the development stopped because of the war. In 1936, the first ski lift was built at the ‘Combe’ on the

Chaux Ronde The Chaux Ronde (2,028 m) is a mountain in the western Bernese Alps, overlooking Villars-sur-Ollon in the canton of Vaud. The mountain is part of a ski area and its summit is easily accessible from Bretaye with the Bex–Villars–Bretaye railw ...

. 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 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 and int ...

made a special stop in

Aigle , neighboring_municipalities= Vaud: Yvorne, Leysin, Ormont-Dessous, Ollon; Valais: Vouvry, Collombey-Muraz , twintowns = L'Aigle (France), Tübingen (Germany), Bassersdorf (Switzerland) } Aigle (French language, French for "eagle", ; frp, ...

for a slalom race that took place at

. 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-sor-Ollon_Primary-School_2020-03-01_13-06

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 remains nowadays: the

Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil, known more informally as Beau Soleil, is a private boarding school in Switzerland. Founded in 1910, it is located above sea level on the Swiss Alps of Villars-sur-Ollon. The college provides a full boardi ...

Aiglon College Aiglon College is a private co-educational boarding school in Switzerland, broadly modelled on British boarding school lines. It is an independent, non-profit school located in the Swiss Alps. It is located 60 km from Lausanne in the alpine vil ...

,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.

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 Club House and an 18-hole course set at and perched on a south-facing plateau with views of Mont Blanc. 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, scootering, wheelchairs, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairsets, q ...

, 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. Lavey-les-Bains is located in the former municipality Lavey. In 1852 Lavey municipality merged with its neighbor to form a new and larger municipality Lavey- ...

, the hottest thermal water baths in Switzerland.

Local attractions and sight seeing

For excursions, the attractive lakeside towns of

Montreux Montreux (, , ; frp, Montrolx) is a Swiss municipality and town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It belongs to the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, and has a population of approximat ...

Évian Evian ( , ; , stylized as evian) is a French company that bottles and commercialises mineral water from several sources near Évian-les-Bains, on the south shore of Lake Geneva. It produces over 2 billion plastic bottles per year. Today, Evia ...

, and Vevey are all close by and boat trips around Lac Leman are easily available. The imposing

Aigle Castle Aigle Castle is a castle in the municipality of Aigle of the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance. History The Barons of Aigle were first mentioned in 1179. At that time they had a small fortif ...

built in the 12th century now houses the local Wine Museum.

Chillon Castle Chillon Castle (french: Château de Chillon) is an island castle located on Lake Geneva, south of Veytaux in the canton of Vaud. It is situated at the eastern end of the lake, on the narrow shore between Montreux and Villeneuve, which gives acc ...

, built in the 13th century on the banks of

Lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial lak ...

, 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 ( no, De 6. olympiske ...

(1923, Villars – 2010, Chesières), alpine ski racer. *

Béatrix Beck Béatrix Beck (14 July 1914 – 30 November 2008) was a French writer of Belgian origin. She was born at Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland, the daughter of the poet Christian Beck. After several jobs, she became the secretary of André Gide ...

(1914, Villars – 2008), French writer of Belgian origin and the daughter of the poet Christian Beck. *

Octav Botnar Octav Botnar (October 21, 1913 – July 11, 1998) was a self-made businessman who founded Datsun UK (later Nissan UK) and its associated car retail business Automotive Financial Group (AFG). He was a noted philanthropist. Early life Botnar w ...

(1913–1998), noted philanthropist, lived in Villars. *

Charlotte Chable Charlotte Chable (born 31 October 1994) is a Swiss former alpine ski racer. She competed at the 2015 World Championships in Beaver Creek, USA, where she placed 15th in the slalom To slalom is to zigzag between obstacles. It may refer to: Spo ...

(b. 1994, Villars), alpine ski racer. *

Jean-Daniel Dätwyler Jean-Daniel Dätwyler (born 2 April 1945) is a Swiss former alpine skier and Olympic medalist. He received a bronze medal in the downhill at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble.Princess Marie of Denmark (b. 1976), daughter-in-law of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. *

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 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 adopted a personal form of ...

(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 Worl ...

(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-servin ...

(1912–1997), orchestral and operatic conductor.

References

External links

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