A monument to Freddie Mercury, the leader of the world-famous band Queen, stands on the embankment of the quiet Swiss city of Montreux. The legendary singer is shown in his most famous pose, right arm raised, left clutching a microphone, from a concert at London's Wembley Stadium (1986). It was in this position that Freddie Mercury ended his concert. The figure reaches a height of 3 meters. The singer faces towards Lake Geneva. The author of the project is the Czech-British artist and sculptor Irena Sedletska.
Freddie Mercury died on November 24, 1991, he was 45 years old. He spent the last years in Montreux recording an album, but before his death he went to London and died there. For four years, Queen musicians have been looking for a place for a monument in London, but the authorities refused them, so the first monument to the singer was erected in the city of Montreux in Switzerland.
The opening of the monument took place on November 25, 1996, five years after the death of the singer. The ceremony was attended by Mercury's girlfriend, Spanish opera singer Montserrat Caballe. Many note the amazingly accurately depicted face of the musician and the character conveyed in the monument.
The funds of the singer's parents and former members of the musical group were spent on the manufacture of the Mercury monument. The figure of the singer looks especially impressive at sunset, when the river is filled with pink color - one can feel the strong and exciting emotions that Freddie Mercury charged during Queen's performances.
Admirers of the singer's work regularly gather at the monument - they bring flowers on his birthday and on the day of the great artist's death.
In 2003, a monument to the singer about 8 meters high appeared in London, the city where the legendary performer died.
It was supposed that the sculpture would be installed in London, but the authorities refused, so the choice fell on Montreux - one of Mercury's favorite cities, where Queen recorded the Jazz album in 1978, and subsequently acquired the Mountain Studios recording studio there at Rue du theatre, 9. The studio was located in the casino building and occupied two floors, it belonged to the group until the end of the 90s. It was here that cult hits were recorded - "Under pressure", "A kind of Magic", "Who wants to live forever?" and many others. This studio also recorded the last, fifteenth album of the group "Made in heaven", which was released after the death of Freddie Mercury. The cover of the album depicts the singer's house in Montreux, his monument by Lake Geneva and the rest of the band, standing as if at a distance from their leader.
The studio was closed for a long time, but in 2013 it opened its doors as a museum. To get into it, you need to go to the Montreux casino and turn left. Entrance is free, without pre-registration. In the studio, everything seems to have been preserved after yesterday's rehearsal of the group: there are no museum shelves and a verified order. On the contrary, there are musical instruments in a chaotic order, papers, books, dishes, games. It is especially interesting to look at the stage costumes of the group leader preserved here.
The route from the monument to the studio (a distance of 400 meters can be walked in 5 minutes):
In love with the beauty of the local area, Freddie Mercury bought an apartment and a small chalet overlooking the lake on the Montreux Riviera. In the last years of his life, the city became Freddie's second home - he lived here for 13 years. Surprisingly, the serene resort town fell in love with the eccentric musician. Fans believe that the last song recorded by the singer - "A Winter's Tale" is dedicated to the fairy tale city in Switzerland, which has become a cozy, calm, quiet home for him. The new owners of the lake house, where the singer lived, do not welcome the desire of fans to find this house and say that it is not easy to find it.
The singer’s quote about the city is widely known: “If you want peace of soul, come to Montreux” (“If you want to find peace of mind, come to Montreux”).
Every year Montreux hosts a festival in honor of Freddie Mercury and the British rock band Queen. The first event took place in 2003 and now takes place every first weekend in September. Famous rock musicians perform at the festival, and a large number of Queen fans gather here.
The monument is located in the Swiss Montreux, on Marche Square, not far from the Rouen embankment.
You can get to it in different ways:
Many come to Switzerland by train while traveling through Europe. From the railway station to the monument - about 10 minutes on foot.
You can drive up to the monument using a taxi service: Uber, Taxi-phone SA Geneva, AA Genève Central Taxi are available in Montreux, Switzerland.
Map-scheme of the walking route from the bus stop to the monument to Freddie Mercury:
Panoramic view of the embankment with a monument:
Arriving in Montreux, we immediately went to look for the monument to Freddie Mercury.
The first meeting was special. In front of our eyes, a woman placed a bouquet of roses at its foot, and then she hugged Freddie's leg, leaned her cheek and kissed him. Like a close person. Someone very dear.
Apparently, noticing the undisguised tenderness on my face, she handed me her camera. I looked through the lens at both of them, at the woman and at Freddie.... and it was not about the monument at all. Do you understand?
I hope those pictures are good :)
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The Freddie Mercury Memorial in Montreux is located on the Place du Marché, on the luxurious waterfront of Lake Geneva. These are special places for any Queen fan.
Freddie settled in Montreux for 13 years, until his last days.
For the first time Queen musicians came here in In 1978, to record Queen's 7th album "Jazz", already in 1979 they acquired the Mountain Studios recording studio here. And Freddie Mercury, who is in love with the local beauty, buys an apartment and a small chalet overlooking the lake on the Montreux Riviera.
They say that initially he was skeptical about this serene resort town. But a little later, Mercury’s phrase became winged: “If you want peace of soul, come to Montreux” (“If you want to find peace of mind, come to Montreux”).
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Mountain Studios located in the Montreux casino building/ Casino de Montreux (Rue du theatre, 9) and occupied two floors.
Shall we go to the fire? :)
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The studio has been closed for a long time. A year ago, in December 2013, it reopened as a small museum. At its original location.
Today anyone can visit Mountain Studios. Feel free to enter the Montreux Casinoand turn left.
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Admission to the Queen Studio Museum is free. That is, free, without any pre-registration and group applications.
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What was especially surprising is that at the entrance to the casino there is neither inspection nor the need to hand over cameras to the storage room (as, for example, in the Monte Carlo casino).
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This recording studio was owned by Queen from 1979 until the late nineties.
Songs from the albums "Hot Space" (1982), "A Kind of Magic" (1986), "The Miracle" (1989), "Innuendo" (1990) were recorded here.
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In the legendary Mountain Studios Freddie Mercury recorded such great hits as"Under Pressure" with David Bowie, "A Kind of Magic", "Who Wants To Live Forever?" and "One Vision" and many, many others.
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The atmosphere of Mountain Studio is very unusual... Do you remember how they used to say in childhood? "He didn't die, he just went out for a smoke."
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Freddie's incredible stage costumes can also be found here.
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And, of course, here, in Montreux, the last Queen album "Made in Heaven" was created and recorded, published after the death of the musician.
It is interesting that the chalet and the monument on the album cover are depicted side by side - but this is a montage. This Freddie's "country house" is located near Montreux, and the new owners do not really like tourist pilgrimages. Therefore, they say that finding this place is not so easy.
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Freddie passed away on November 24, 1991. He died in London, although he lived until his last days in Montreux, working on the recordings for "Made in Heaven". And he even stayed overnight in the studio when he didn’t have the strength to return home.
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For four years after the tragic date, Queen musicians were looking for a place in London for a monument to Freddie. But they were refused. Therefore, n The first monument to the great musician was unveiled in Switzerland, on the embankment of Montreux, on November 25, 1996. And only in 2003 the memorial appeared in London.
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"To the greatest artist on earth. I love you, Freddie."
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"You live in my heart"
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The last song Freddie Mercury recorded was"A Winter's Tale". A very gentle song about a winter fairy-tale city, which has become his second home. Goodbye song.
Freddie's presence is still felt in Montreux.
Especially in November. When "So quiet and calm, peaceful and blissful, there is magic in the air, a truly bewitching view ... A breathtaking picture ... when the dreams of the whole world are in your palm .... Incredible! Am I dreaming? I am dreaming of this ?..Oooh, this is happiness ... ".
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Other posts about Switzerland.
A few years ago I went to the Swiss town of Montreux. With a very understandable goal - to visit the places where most of Queen's albums were created, and where the group actually lived for several years. Montreux's Mountain Studio recorded Jazz (1978), Hot Space (1982), A Kind of Magic (1986), The Miracle (1989), Innuendo (1991) and Made in Heaven (1995). The famous album Barcelona with Montserrat Caballe also comes from Montreux. So you yourself understand - it was simply impossible not to visit there (who else was written in Mountain Studio, the list is impressive).
All visitors first of all go to the sculpture of Mercury, but it was the studio that interested me. In 2013, the Queen studio experience museum was opened in its premises, but this is a purely tourist story, from the present there are only some Queen artifacts and walls. All equipment was sold in the late nineties when the studio was closed. There are no signs to the former studio either, the casino parking guard showed me the way. But apparently I'm not the only one who found this place.
The door is still the same.
The Russian man also reached Montreux.
Now in the studio, I repeat, the museum of the mercuryphoenixtrust foundation. All the money raised, minus the cost of maintaining the museum, goes to the fight against AIDS.
And once inside it was like that.
At first, Mercury stayed at the Excelsior Hotel, and then rented an apartment near the studio. But I visited the hotel regularly, there are a lot of photos of the group taken on its balconies on the Web. I could not figure out a specific balcony, but I did find a pontoon where the group posed in 1988.
Here he is.
There are flowers on the same bench.
I had to eat after work. One of Freddie's favorite restaurants was The Brasserie Bavaria. I went there in the morning, right after the opening. The hostess, a middle-aged woman, remembers Freddie and showed him his favorite place. It is in the very back of the room. From it you can see everything that happens in the restaurant and on the street, but from the outside you can’t make out this table with all your desire. Freddie was a seasoned introvert, and, oddly enough, was not enthusiastic about manifestations of adoration from unfamiliar fans.
Of course, it was impossible not to sit down at that very table. It is still reserved. They are waiting for someone.
Unfortunately, the original building was demolished in 2007, I made it in time. The restaurant has been recreated in a new location, and everything is very similar in design. But Freddie was never there.
And, of course, the statue. You have all seen her.
It probably reflects what Mercury wanted to be. But in real life he was very different. For a creative person, such diversity is absolutely normal.
About Freddie's London House. The Miracle and Innuendo albums were planned to be recorded in London, because by that time Freddie already felt average, he didn’t want to dangle. But the attention of the press to the appearance of Mercury was forced to go to Montreux and live there for the last three years. Mercury returned to London only in the spring of 1991.
It was a good life, since 24 years after it ended, we are happy to listen to his songs and get excited, touching the scenery that surrounded him.
