ABOUT

The Brasserie du Cygne opened in 1902 in the Chauderon district. At that time, the square still hosted livestock fairs, and a tramway connected it to the city center. To get down to the lake or the train station, the Chemin des Mines (Mines Road) linked the district to Montbenon, whose Palace wasn't even at the planning stage yet, passing through the bottom of the Flon valley.

Along this road stood a chocolate factory and a marble workshop. More than a century later, Le Cygne still stands, proud and serene. The walls of the brasserie still echo with those years of discussions, aperitifs, drinking sessions, fraternal gatherings, and unrestrained meals. What could the workers building the Chauderon bridge have been saying to each other in 1905, and what topics sparked the debates of the post-war boom? What laughter, what arguments, what romances filled the various alcoves of the brasserie in the 1960s?

The same people today? In any case, the spirit of the place remains unchanged…