Burial place of Pierre de Coubertin

Updated April 15, 2024

Bois-de-Vaux cemetery – Lausanne Tourisme – Official Website

## Burial Place of Pierre de Coubertin in Lausanne: A Quiet Pilgrimage for Olympic History Fans

On a low hill at the Bois-de-Vaux Cemetery in Lausanne, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, is buried in a simple but dignified family grave. The cemetery is one of Lausanne’s most peaceful green spaces, carefully designed with long tree-lined avenues, ponds, and geometric hedges. Tourisme – Official Website

For travellers interested in sports history, this spot is one of the most meaningful places you can visit in the “Olympic Capital.”

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## Who Was Pierre de Coubertin – and Why Is He Buried in Lausanne?

Pierre de Coubertin (1863–1937) was a French educator and reformer who led the revival of the Olympic Games in 1894 and served as president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

From the early 1900s, he developed a close relationship with Lausanne and the Lake Geneva region. In 1915, during the First World War, he made Lausanne the official headquarters of the IOC – a decision that eventually led to the city being recognised as the Olympic Capital decades later. Tourisme – Official Website

Coubertin settled in Lausanne in the 1920s, working from the villa “My-Rest” (Mon-Repos), where the first Olympic Museum was also housed. Tourisme – Official Website

He died of a heart attack in Geneva on 2 September 1937. His funeral took place in the church Notre-Dame of Valentin in Lausanne, and he was buried at the Bois-de-Vaux Cemetery, designed by architect Alphonse Laverrière. Tourisme – Official Website

At his request, his heart was removed several months later and placed in a monument at Olympia in Greece, close to the archaeological site where the ancient Games were held.

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## Bois-de-Vaux Cemetery: Context for the Grave

### A Designed Landscape, Not Just a Burial Ground

Bois-de-Vaux is Lausanne’s principal cemetery and a cultural property of national importance. It was laid out between 1922 and 1951 by Alphonse Laverrière as a vast, ordered landscape south of the city, with around 20 acres of grounds and space for about 26,000 plots.

Key features you’ll notice as you walk in:

– Central avenue of lime trees (linden trees), planted in double rows along the main axis. Tourisme – Official Website
– Banks of flowers and ponds with fish and water lilies, giving the place more the character of a park than a strictly formal cemetery. Tourisme – Official Website
– Forty kilometres of manicured hedges, dividing the cemetery into distinct areas. Tourisme – Official Website
– Wildlife such as birds, foxes, badgers, squirrels and hedgehogs living in the trees and hedges, which adds to the feeling of a semi-natural landscape.

Official tourism information highlights that the cemetery is also the resting place of several other notable figures, including fashion designer Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel and lexicographer Paul Robert, along with various artists and public figures. Tourisme – Official Website

> Accessibility note: Paths are wide and generally flat, but surfaces and gradients can vary. For the latest access details (including any temporary works or closures), it’s best to check current information via the City of Lausanne or Lausanne Tourisme before your visit, as facilities and policies can change over time. Tourisme – Official Website

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## Locating the Grave of Pierre de Coubertin

Within Bois-de-Vaux, Pierre de Coubertin is buried in area 9, plots 153–154.

Useful factual details if you like precise navigation:

– Cemetery GPS (approx.): 46.518184, 6.602721 of World Famous People
– Grave GPS (approx.): 46.519766, 6.601484 of World Famous People

The grave is a vertical stone surrounded by neatly trimmed hedges, often photographed and occasionally decorated with flowers by visitors connected to the Olympic movement. Tourisme – Official Website

Because layout maps at cemeteries can change and on-site signage can be updated, it’s wise to:

– Start at the main entrance and look for section/area plans.
– Ask staff (if present) for “Pierre de Coubertin, section 9” – they are usually familiar with the location.

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## Practical Information: How to Reach the Burial Place

### Address and General Location

The location details you provided are consistent with official information for Bois-de-Vaux:

– Address: Chem. du Bois-de-Vaux 19D, 1007 Lausanne, Switzerland
– The main cemetery address is also listed as Route de Chavannes 2, 1006 Lausanne, which refers to the same cemetery complex. Tourisme – Official Website

The cemetery lies a short distance south-west of central Lausanne, between the railway lines and the lakeside area.

### Public Transport

The local transport operator (tl) and Lausanne tourism office mention the following lines for access to Bois-de-Vaux: Tourisme – Official Website

– Bus / trolleybus tl 1 and tl 6 – stop: Maladière
– Bus tl 25 – stop: Bois-de-Vaux

Rome2Rio confirms a short bus ride (around 2 km) between central Lausanne and the Bois-de-Vaux area, with regular services connecting the city to the “Lausanne, Bois de Vaux” stop.

If you’re staying in a registered accommodation in Lausanne, the Lausanne Transport Card generally gives free use of local public transport during your stay; check current terms when you arrive, as conditions can evolve. Tourisme – Official Website

> Data freshness warning: public-transport routes, line numbers and stop names can be revised over time. Always confirm the latest routes and timetables via official tl or Lausanne Tourisme resources before you set out. Tourisme – Official Website

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## How to Visit Respectfully

You’re visiting an active cemetery and not a tourist “attraction” in the theme-park sense. A few grounded, factual points:

– Bois-de-Vaux is the main municipal cemetery of Lausanne and continues to receive burials.
– The site is recognised as a heritage property at the national level in Switzerland, which underlines its cultural and architectural importance.

Because of that status and its ongoing use, standard cemetery etiquette applies:

– Keep voices low and behave in a way that recognises the cemetery’s primary role as a place of mourning.
– Follow any posted rules at the entrance (these can cover dogs, cycling, photography and placing objects on graves; they are set by the city and may change).
– If you bring flowers or a small token in honour of Coubertin, place it so that it does not damage the stonework or the planting around the grave.

This is also one of Lausanne’s quieter green spaces. You can combine your stop at Coubertin’s grave with a slow walk along the central avenue and ponds, staying on the official paths to protect the planting and wildlife.

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## Linking the Grave to a Wider Olympic Itinerary

For RealJourneyTravels readers, this burial site makes most sense as part of a broader Olympics-focused day in Lausanne:

– Olympic Museum & lakeside Ouchy – The Olympic Museum, on the shores of Lake Geneva at Ouchy, tells the story of the modern Games and the IOC’s presence in Lausanne. It directly connects with Coubertin’s vision and the iconography he helped create, such as the Olympic rings. Tourisme – Official Website
– Coubertin landmarks in Lausanne – Sites like the former IOC headquarters at villa Mon-Repos (“My-Rest”) and the City Hall where Lausanne officially became IOC headquarters are all part of the same historical arc. Tourisme – Official Website

To support internal linking on your site, you could connect this article to:

– An in-depth Lausanne Olympic Museum guide
– A broader Lausanne city guide covering Ouchy, Mon-Repos Park and other Olympic heritage stops

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## Summary: Why This Grave Matters

Factually, here’s what makes the burial place of Pierre de Coubertin worth a stop:

– It marks the resting place of the founder of the modern Olympic Games, in the city that became the permanent home of the IOC. Tourisme – Official Website
– It sits inside Bois-de-Vaux, Lausanne’s principal cemetery, a designed landscape with significant architectural and ecological value. Tourisme – Official Website
– His body is here, but his heart is buried in Olympia, Greece, creating a symbolic link between Lausanne and the birthplace of the ancient Games.
– Access is straightforward from central Lausanne using local tl services to Maladière or Bois-de-Vaux stops. Tourisme – Official Website

Everything else – the reflection, the meaning you attach to the place – is up to the reader. But for anyone who cares about Olympic history, this quiet corner of Lausanne is one of the most tangible links you can visit.

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