European Heritage Days 2025: Discover the Caux Palace

Celebrate the European Heritage Days with us at the Caux Palace on Saturday, 13 and Sunday, 14 September 2025! Come and discover this jewel of the Belle Epoque, enjoy its breathtaking view from the heights of Montreux in the village of Caux, and discover our cultural programme and activities for young and old!

The full programme will be coming up soon - stay tuned!

The Caux Palace  is one of the largest hotels in Switzerland. Built in 1902 by Eugène Jost, also architect of the Palace de Montreux, it is built on a terrace more than 500 metres long and is nestled in the heights of Montreux, at an altitude of 1000 metres, offering breathtaking views of the entire Lake Geneva basin.

During one of our guided tours, you will discover prestigious spaces, like the theatre and the Main Hall and explore behind-the-scenes areas, such as the laundry and the construction workshops.

You will also find out more about the international networks of the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation and its activities in Switzerland and abroad.

VISIT OUR INSPIRING EXHIBITIONS

"Democracy? What democracy?!"

Location: The Galleries (4th floor), Caux Palace – Rue du Panorama 2 – 1824 Caux

At a time when the core values of democracy are being radically challenged, the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation is presenting an exhibition of around forty cartoons on this theme, by the cartoonists Gado (Godfrey MWAMPEMBWA) and Nadia KHIARI, also Willis from Tunis.

Through the sharp, ironic and sometimes cynical eyes of these two artists from the African continent, the exhibition shows snapshots of European and world political events in recent years.

The drawings reveal how democracy has become a concept emptied of its original meaning, and misappropriated, flouted, reinterpreted or exploited. Like freedom, democracy is fast becoming a hackneyed term, whose deeper meaning is lost in the twists and turns of an increasingly elusive global political chessboard. 

This exhibition is organised in collaboration with Freedom Cartoonists - Dessins pour la liberté.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Godfrey MWAMPEMBWA, known professionally as Gado, was born in 1969, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He is a graphic journalist, independent editorial cartoonist, animator, and TV producer. His work has appeared in The EastAfrican, The Standard, and Daily Nation (Kenya), Le Monde and Courrier International (France), Deutsche Welle (Germany), The Continent (South Africa), among others. Gado is the co-founder of Buni Media, an independent multimedia company based in Nairobi. A trained classical animator from Vancouver Film School, he is the creator and producer of the popular weekly satirical puppet show The XYZ Show, which has aired on Kenyan television since 2009.

He is the recipient of several prestigious awards. In 2007, he was named a Prince Claus Laureate, and in 2011, he received the Visionaries Award from the Ford Foundation for his innovative work on the frontlines of key social issues. In 2016, he was awarded the Cartooning for Peace International Editorial Cartoon Award, and in 2018, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism from the Kenya National Human Rights Commission. Gado was also named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Africa by NewAfrican magazine in both 2014 and 2016. In May 2022, he was honored by the French government with the title Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters).

Gado is a member of the Cartoonists Rights Network (CRN), Cartooning for Peace, and the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ). He has been a fellow at the Bellagio Center (2016) and the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) in 2024.

Nadia KHIARI, also known as Willis from Tunis, is from Tunisia. Willis from Tunis, the iconic cartoon cat, was born on 13 January 2011, during a televised speech by the deposed Tunisian president, Ben Ali, who—ironically—promised freedom of expression. Originally created as a way for the author to share her reactions to Tunisia's historic moment with her close circle on social media, the cat quickly evolved into a sharp, satirical commentator on current events. Since then, the daily chronicle has continued without interruption.

Nadia Khiari is a press cartoonist, a visual arts teacher at the secondary level, and a professor of press cartooning at Sciences Po in Menton. She has published several collections of her drawings and contributed to numerous collaborative works. Since 2011, her work has appeared regularly in Siné Mensuel (including international news and a column on astronomy), and she also publishes in Courrier International. She sits on the board of directors of Cartooning for Peace.

Her work has been widely recognized: she received the Honoré Daumier Prize at the second Cartooning for Peace meeting in Caen (2012), was named Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Liège (2013), and won the International Prize for Political Satire in Forte dei Marmi (October 2014). In 2016, she received the irreverent "Couilles au cul" award at the Off Off Off Festival in Angoulême, and in 2018, the Sokol Prize from the Caricature Museum in Krems, Austria.

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"Dialogues on Humanity"

An exhibition produced thanks to a partnership between Photo Elysée - Lausanne, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

• Location: Outdoor Esplanade in the gardens of the Caux Palace – Rue du Panorama 2 – 1824 Caux

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

How can photography help us understand humanitarian principles? Humanitarian crises around the world make the headlines every day. The images associated with these tragedies are often linked to tears, suffering, hunger, despair, loneliness, separation and desolation. We sometimes feel powerless and overwhelmed by the images of crises, violence, armed conflicts and natural disasters. 

This contemporary art exhibition is a reaction to these feelings. The three partners mentioned above have developed a concept that allows us to take a step back from the images that surround us and to pause, reflect and feel. The idea is to provide a space for discussion about humanitarian principles, and to share opinions on the evolution of the world in which we live.

Access to the Caux Palace

• By train: "Caux" train stop on the Montreux-Rochers de Naye train
• By car: from Montreux drive up to Glion / Caux
• Parking: Carpark available nearby
• PRM: Wheelchair access and PRM toilets. Find out more about our reduced mobility access. 

STAY TUNED FOR THE FULL PROGRAMME