The south rose
Thirteenth-century glass depicting the medieval cosmos.
Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France — CC BY 2.0 · Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France — CC BY 2.0 · Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France — CC BY 2.0 · Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France — CC BY 2.0
Stand in the cathedral square shortly before ten at night. On each hour from 22:00 until 02:00 the watchman climbs to the tower balcony and calls out with his own voice — "this is the watchman, the hour has struck…" — to each of the four directions in turn. Entirely free, it takes a few minutes, and it is among the most authentic experiences in Switzerland: a tradition unbroken since 1405, even through both world wars.
It sits at the top of the old town, and walking up is a little tiring. The easiest route: **metro m2** to Riponne–Maurice Béjart, then ten minutes uphill through the lanes, or climb the historic **covered market stairs** (Escaliers du Marché), an experience in itself. Lausanne is a steep city in general — comfortable shoes are essential.
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The Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Lausanne is **Switzerland's most important Gothic monument** and its finest: built between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries on a hill above the old town and consecrated in 1275 in the presence of the pope and the emperor. It became Protestant after the Reformation of 1536 and its Catholic ornament was stripped, but its architecture survived entire. Its treasure is the **south rose window** — thirteenth-century stained glass that remains original, depicting the order of the cosmos as the medieval mind conceived it: the elements, the seasons, the zodiac and the rivers. Its carved entrance (the "painted portal") still holds traces of its original colour, which is rare in Europe. The tower can be climbed (224 steps) for a view over city, lake and the Savoy mountains. Strangest of all is a living tradition: a **night watchman** calls the hours from the top of the tower every night between ten and two, with his own voice, to the four directions — unbroken since 1405, and among the few such customs left anywhere in the world. Stand in the square before ten and listen.
Thirteenth-century glass depicting the medieval cosmos.
A human voice calling the hours nightly for six centuries.
Carvings still carrying traces of their original colour.
Place de la Cathédrale, 1005 Lausanne