THE
OLYMPIC MUSEUM – LAUSANNE
The Glory of Sport on Lake Geneva
It
is the most visited museum in Switzerland, after the Transport Museum
in Lucerne (see Swiss Transport Museum),
with almost a quarter million
visitors a year and the Olympic Museum which had been closed for renovation has reopened. Founded in a
modern temple of contemporary architecture in a park in Lausanne over-looking
the glistening waters of Lake Geneva, the Olympic Museum is the repository
of the written and visual story of the Olympic Games. In 1894, Baron
Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee, 
inspired
by the
althetic contests of the Greeks held in ancient Olympia in the 5th Century
BC, and the commonality of sports to bring nations together. The first
Olympic Summer Games were held in 1896 in Athens with 241 atheletes representing
14 countires. The Winter Olympics were added to the mission in 1921 with
the first winter games held in 1924 in Chamonix, France, and in more
recent times the Paralympic Games and the Youth Games.
The
Olympic Museum was dedicated in 1993 by then Olympic President Juan Antonio
Samaranch and named Europe’s Museum of the Year two years
later. An architectural gem clad the symbolic white marble from Thassos,
with a swirling ramp from floor to floor under a translucent dome, the
permanent exhibits of the museum take up three open and airy floors,
providing a journey through the Olymic story from the images of the original
Greek
atheletes on a collection of antiquity vases, when olive oil and fine
sand was used on naked bodies for sun screen to the ultra-high tech racing
suits
of today
(some
of them even banned, yet on display). Here you'll find the parabolic
cauldron where the Olympic flame is lit in Olympia from
only
the sun's rays before the torch is passed across the world from runner
to runner. The collection of torches over the years and complete medals
from the games, along with mascots, pins, and official costumes show
the continuity, development, and progress of thought behind the contests
over
the passing years. Over 2500 exhibits and interactive terminals allow
exploring thousands of documents and 
film clips tracing Olympic history
from the
beginning to present day. Interactive displays and activities make
for an active experience, exhibits allowing an opportunity to compare
your
acceleration speed from the starting blocks to an Olympic Champion, or
test hand and eye coordination, speed of a diver into the pool or compare
your lung capacity to an Olympic athelete. An additional floor of the
museum presents temporary exhibits like the science of sport, which change
about
every two years. A varying program of films are shown in the theater
and live events, concerts and exhibitions are held within the park grounds.
The gardens of the Olympic Museum are dotted with statuary and art in
bronze, marble and steel, carrying the sporting theme outdoors, from
the classical
to the modern oblique, with works by Rodin, Arnoldi, Calder and Tinguely.
The Restaurant on the upper terrace around the museum's dome provides
a view of the lake from the Quai d’Ouchy to the Savoy Alps, surrounded
by the tranquil greenery and flowers of the park.
Visiting the Olympic Museum
The
Olympic Museum of Lausanne is open daily from 9am to 6pm, located on
the lake shore, a five minute walk from the new M2 Metro tram stop at
Ouchy,
next
to the
grand hotel of the Beau Rivage Palace of Lausanne, or by city bus 8 or
25 to the Musee Olympique stop. By car, parking is at the Beau-Rivage
Palace garage or Navigation garage. Admission for Adults is 15 CHF, Children
and
Seniors 10 CHF, kids under 6 are free. The Olympic Museum is free with
a Swiss
Pass). For a good view table at the restaurant, a reservation
is recommended. A
less
formal
cafe is
on
the
lower floor
of the museum, or take a sandwich to picnic in the park. The Olympic
Museum can be easly combined with a visit to the Musee E'Elysee just
behind
and above the grounds (see Musee
L'Eysee Photography Museum). © Bargain
Travel Europe
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may not be copied or reprinted without permission.
SEE
ALSO:
FONDATION DE L’HERMITAGE - ART ON THE HILLTOP
ST BERNARD DOG MUSEUM - MARTIGNY
STEAMER CRUISING ON LAKE GENEVA
TOURING THE LAVAUX TERRACE VINEYARDS
