Cinéma Capitole
The Capitole is a cinema in Lausanne built in 1928. It is the oldest cinema in Lausanne and, with 718 seats, the largest cinema in operation in Switzerland. Since 2024, it has been operated by the Swiss Film Archive.
History
20th century
The building was constructed in 1928 by Charles Thévenaz in response to desires from the city to construct a cinema building. The first sound film was projected in 1930. In 1953, Switzerland’s first panoramic screen was installed in the Capitole.The building was renovated in 1959 by Gérald Pauchard, which involved the modernization and redecoration of the building.
The Capitole had 1,077 in 1928 and 869 seats before the 2024 renovation.
The theatre was owned by Lucienne Schnegg from 1981 until 2010. She herself had succeeded the previous owner, Matthias Köhn, of Luxembourg. Lucienne Schnegg was hired as a secretary of the cinema in the late 1940s. She never accepted to sell the theatre to developers – for her, it could never be anything other than a cinema.