Geomorphological visit of Lavaux for the Princess of Thailand
The Swiss Geomorphological Society, via its president Christophe Lambiel, had the honour of welcoming Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand for a geomorphological visit on 18 February 2025. The Princess, who is the sister of the King of Thailand, has been a close friend of Switzerland since childhood. A keen geomorphologist, she wanted to take a geomorphological tour of a site in Switzerland. Given the time of year and in order to optimize logistical arrangements, the proposal was made to visit the Lavaux vineyards on the shores of Lake Geneva, a cultural geomorphosite listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.
The visit was organised in collaboration with Prof. Emmanuel Reynard of the University of Lausanne, who has conducted extensive research into the geomorphology of Lavaux and its influence on vine-growing, and who contributed to Lavaux's inclusion on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
The first part of the visit took place at Domaine de Bovy, a winery in Chexbres overlooking Lake Geneva. The meeting began with words of welcome from Michel Chavanne, President of Lavaux World Heritage Site, and Frédéric Herman, Rector of the University and himself a geomorphologist. Christophe Lambiel then took the floor. After introducing the Swiss Geomorphological Society, Dr. Lambiel said a few words about the geomorphological diversity of Switzerland, before going on to explain the geomorphology of Lavaux, from the formation of the Molasse to the shaping of the slopes by glacial advances. After a tour of the winery, the next part of the tour took place outdoors, at a viewpoint overlooking the steepest slopes of Lavaux. Emmanuel Reynard took the floor to demonstrate the geomorphological features of Lavaux and their influence on vine growing.
Despite the morning cold and a tenacious stratus cloud obscuring the view of the Alps, the princess showed great interest in the explanations she was given, taking notes and clearly enjoying discovering the geomorphology of this emblematic site in the Lake Geneva region.