While traveling through Switzerland and having just arrived in Montreux, we went looking for a monument to Freddie Mercury.
The first meeting was special. Before our eyes, a woman placed a bouquet of roses at its foot, then hugged Freddie's leg, leaned her cheek against it and kissed him. Like a close person. Someone very dear.
Apparently noticing the undisguised emotion on my face, she handed me her camera. I looked through the lens at both of them, at the woman and Freddy… and it wasn’t about the monument at all. You understand, right?
I hope those pictures turned out well:)
The Freddie Mercury Memorial in Montreux is located on the Place du Marché, a luxurious promenade on Lake Geneva. It is a special place for any Queen fan.
Freddie settled in Montreux for 13 years, until his last days.
The Queen musicians first came here in 1978 to record Queen's 7th album "Jazz", and in 1979 they purchased the Mountain Studios recording studio here. And Freddie Mercury, in love with the local beauty, bought an apartment and a small chalet with a view of the lake on the Montreux Riviera.
They say that he was initially skeptical about this serene resort town. But a little later Mercury's catchphrase became famous: "If you want peace of soul, come to Montreux."
Mountain Studios was located in the Casino de Montreux building (Rue du theatre, 9) and occupied two floors.
Let's drop in for a drink?:)
The studio was closed for a long time. A year ago, in December 2013, it reopened as a small museum. In its original location.
Today, anyone can visit Mountain Studios. Feel free to enter the Montreux Casino and turn left.
Entrance to the Queen Studio Museum is free. That is, free, without any prior registration or group applications.
What was especially surprising was that there was no security check at the entrance to the casino, nor was there a need to leave cameras in a storage room (as, for example, in the Monte Carlo casino).
This recording studio belonged to the band 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.
At 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.
The atmosphere of Mountain Studio is very unusual... Remember what they used to say in childhood? "He didn't die, he just went out for a smoke."
Here you can also find Freddie's incredible stage costumes.
And, of course, it was here in Montreux that Queen's last album, "Made in Heaven", was created and recorded, released after the musician's death.
It is interesting that the chalet and the monument are depicted next to each other on the album cover - but this is a montage. This "summer cottage" of Freddie is located near Montreux, and the new owners are not very fond of tourist pilgrimages. Therefore, they say that it is not so easy to find this place.
Freddie passed away on November 24, 1991. He died in London, although he lived in Montreux until his last days, working on the recordings for "Made in Heaven". He even stayed overnight in the studio when he didn't have the strength to return home.
For four years after the tragic date, the Queen musicians were looking for a place for a monument to Freddie in London. But they were refused. Therefore, the first monument to the great musician was opened in Switzerland, on the embankment of Montreux, on November 25, 1996. And only in 2003 the memorial appeared in London.
"To the greatest artist on earth. I love you, Freddie."
"You live in my heart"
The last song Freddie Mercury recorded was "A Winter's Tale". A very tender song about a fairytale city on Lake Geneva, which became his second home. A farewell song.
Freddie's presence is still felt in Montreux.
Especially in his last November, when "So quiet and calm, peaceful and blissful, magic in the air, a truly mesmerizing view... A breathtaking picture... when the dreams of the whole world are in the palm of your hand.... Incredible! Am I dreaming this? Am I dreaming this?.. Ohhh, this is happiness...".
Source: travel.ru