The Capitole is a cinema in Lausanne, Switzerland, built in 1928.[1][3] It is the oldest cinema in Lausanne and, with 718 seats, the largest cinema in operation in Switzerland.[1] Since 2024, it has been operated by the Swiss Film Archive.
| Cinéma Capitole | |
.jpg) | |
 Interactive map of Capitole | |
| Address | Avenue du Théâtre 6 Lausanne Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 46°31′07″N 6°38′09″E / 46.5185°N 6.6357°E |
| Operator | Swiss Film Archive |
| Capacity | 736 (Buache room) 140 (Schnegg room)[1][2] |
| Type | Cinema |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1928 |
| Renovated | 1950s 2019-2024[1][3] |
| Architect | Charles Thévenaz |
| Website | |
| www.cinematheque.ch | |
History
edit20th century
editThe building was constructed in 1928 by Charles Thévenaz in response to desires from the city to construct a cinema building.[2][4] The first sound film was projected in 1930 (The Night Is Ours).[3] In 1953, Switzerland’s first panoramic screen was installed in the Capitole.[4]
The building was renovated in 1959 by Gérald Pauchard, which involved the modernization and redecoration of the building.[3][4]
The Capitole had 1,077 in 1928 (802 in the ground floor and 275 on the balcony)[3] and 869 seats before the 2024 renovation.
The theatre was owned by Lucienne Schnegg from 1981 until 2010. She herself had succeeded the previous owner, Matthias Köhn, of Luxembourg.[4] Lucienne Schnegg was hired as a secretary of the cinema in the late 1940s.[3] She never accepted to sell the theatre to developers – for her, it could never be anything other than a cinema.[2][3][4]
21st century
editIn 2010, the city of Lausanne purchased the movie theater to preserve it and make it available to the Swiss Film Archive.[3] The cinema was renovated from December 2019 to February 2024.[1][3] The cost of the renovation was estimated at around 18 million Swiss francs[5], the final cost was 22 millions.[3][4] The existing architectural and decorative were restored and a second projection room was built, with 140 seats, below the historical room.[1][2][5]
See also
editReferences
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Capitole, House of Cinema". Swiss Film Archive. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Stéphane Gobbo (9 February 2024). "À Lausanne, le Capitole est enfin prêt à rallumer ses projecteurs". Le Temps. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Stéphane Gobbo (16 February 2024). "Le Capitole, petite histoire d'un grand cinéma". Le Temps (in French). Retrieved 18 January 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Claudia Jacob (June 2024). "Lausanne's Capitole cinema shines once again". Monocle. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
- 1 2 Geneviève Dentan (14 December 2019). "L'emblématique cinéma Capitole à Lausanne fermé pour travaux". Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS). Retrieved 18 January 2026.
External links
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