(Deutsch) Perlen, Parfums und die französische und schweizerische Geschichte von Saint-Gingolph
26 August 2024
The organisation ‘The Most Beautiful Swiss Villages’ (Die schönsten Schweizer Dörfer/Les plus beaux villages de Suisse) portrays villages and small towns. These geographical gems are located in Switzerland’s four language regions and Liechtenstein. However, St. Gingolph (kanton Valais), although not registered as a jewel, is the only village where they have made pearls for over a hundred years.
The village is also unique for another reason: since the Peace of Thonon (4 March 1569), La Morge has separated it into a French and a Swiss part.
The border and La Morge
The treaty between the Duchy of Savoy, the Bishop of Sion and the Seven Zenden of Upper Valais defined the borders of today’s Canton of Valais and the border with France.
Since 1803, the Rhine has also separated the towns of Laufenburg and Rheinfelden (Canton Aargau), but—unlike in St Gingolph—this has led to separate communities, one Swiss and one German.
Since 1569, the French and Swiss have lived and worked together harmoniously in the village of St.Gingolph. Examples of this harmonious cooperation are the pearl industry, shipbuilding, and trade on Lake Geneva. With one exception: the former railway connection is the end of the track nowadays.
The border, end of the Swiss railway line
The museum Musée des traditions et des barques du Léman in the castle displays, among other things, a unique collection of ship models and artefacts from this centuries-old trade on Lake Geneva.
This close relationship also came to the fore during the dark period of the German occupation (1940-1944). Thanks to the intervention of a three-star general of the Swiss army, the French inhabitants were able to cross the border when the occupying forces destroyed the French part of Saint-Gingolph on 22 and 23 July 1944.
History of the village
The village was founded in 755 by Saint Gingolph (Saint Gangolf or Gingolf). For a long time, it belonged to the bishops of Geneva, later to the bishops of Annecy, and then to the Duchy of Savoy. Bern and the Seven Zenden of Upper Valais conquered the village (and parts of Chablais and Faucigny) 1536.
The Peace of Thonon definitively established the borders, although a large proportion of the village’s French inhabitants wanted to join the Swiss Confederation in 1860 (on 22 and 23 April 1860, however, a large majority of the remaining inhabitants of Savoy opted to join France).
The pearls of Saint-Gingolph
The pearls of Saint-Gingolph
Pearls made from oysters have been around for centuries. Lake Geneva contains fresh water and, therefore, no oysters. In Saint-Gingolph, four factories (two in the French part and two in the Swiss part) have been producing beautiful pearls from fish scales since 1920, using a process that dates back to the 18th century. These factories were the main employers in the village for a long time.
La Suisse
The pearls from St Gingolph were world-famous. American and English tourists travelled by boat from Montreux or other places on the lake or flew directly from England to Switzerland by plane to buy pearls. The pearls were indistinguishable from oysters and came in all shapes and sizes, including necklaces.
Long cues of (foreign) buyers and visitors
The four factories: La Perle du Lac, la Perle de St Gingolph, la Perle Orion and la Perle du Léman. Pictures: Musée des traditions et des barques du Léman
After 1970, however, interest in pearls waned, and the last factory closed in 1974. But in 2019, engineer Jean-Loïc Selo resumed pearl production in Saint-Gingolph in the village’s castle. Since then, pearls have been available again in boutiques in Vevey (canton of Vaud), Thonon, and Saint-Gingolph.
The boutique in the castle of Saint-Gingolph
Swiss school of perfumery
Jean-Loïc is also the founder of the Swiss School of Perfumery (Ecole Suisse des Parfumeurs Créateurs), also housed in the castle. Jean-Loïc researches (old) perfumes based on (archival) research and produces (unique) perfumes. He also offers training courses in this field.
Jean-Loïc Selo (on the left) in the Ecole Suisse des Parfumeurs Créateurs
(Source and further information: Commune de Saint-Gingolph; Perles du Leman; Ecole Suisse des Parfumeurs Créateurs)