Clarens, Switzerland

Clarens is a village in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is part of the municipality of Montreux.

It was made famous throughout Europe by the immense success of the book La Nouvelle Héloïse by Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

Whilst in Clarens, the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky wrote his ballets The Rite of Spring and Pulcinella and in March 1878, Tchaikovsky wrote his Violin Concerto.

Paul Kruger, hero of South African independence from Britain, died here. For this reason, a village in South Africa was given the same name.

The anarchist and geographer Élisée Reclus resided in Clarens.

Writer Vladimir Nabokov is buried there.

The 19th century writer, diplomat and MP David Urquhart of Braelangwell, who introduced the Turkish bath to Britain, is buried here.