World of Ships – May 2018

70 I World of Ships I Paddle Steamers

CHAPTER TWELVE

SWITZERLAND

Montreux lying at the inside berth in

Lausanne-Ouchy, after returning to

steam propulsion. (R. Plummer)

ABOVE A 1907 poster for sailings on Lake Geneva.

Unterwalden and Schiller passing Weggis

during a Lake Lucerne Steamer parade.

(Russell Plummer)

L

ong a ship lovers’ paradise,

Switzerland boasts 17

operational paddle vessels

sailing amid magnificent

scenery on six different

lakes, mostly offering

dramatic changes in terrain

within short distances. The first Swiss paddle

steamer appeared on Lake Geneva in 1823,

with Lake Lucerne following in 1837 and

today, together with Lakes Thun, Brienz,

Neuchatel and Zurich, the country boasts

a fascinating selection of steamers, many

centenarians.

In the years immediately following World

War II there were more than 50 paddle vessels

in Swiss service, but numbers declined,

with new motor vessels being brought in.

However, in the 1960s senior management

of the respective fleets started to show a

determination to retain surviving steamers.

The cause was helped by the emergence of a

number of pressure groups, starting in the

1970s with the formation of Aktion Pro-

Raddampfer, when Lake Zurich’s last two

steamers were threatened. Lake Lucerne

enthusiasts followed with a Steamer Friends

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