The first steam-engine powered craft in Switzerland sailed its maiden voyage over Lake Geneva in the early 1800s. Edward Church, an American diplomat, had grasped the importance of offering steamboat services and sailed his “William Tell” from the 1st of July 1823. The following year saw the “Wilhelm” begin service across the Lake of Constance and in 1826, the “Union” became active between Yverdon and Bienne, while the Kingdom of Sardinia’s “Verbano” started journeys on Lago Maggiore. Less than ten years later, in 1835, the “Minerva” steamer began courses over the Lake of Zürich. Two years later, it was Lake Lucerne’s turn to hail the advent of steam navigation with the “Ville de Lucerne” and soon, every lake and navigable waterway saw the paddle-wheel steamboat service on its waters, small level-deck crafts some 40 m. long and 9 m. wide, drumming the happy rhythms of their typical paddle wheel design.

"La Belle Epoque"
The development of railway services greatly influenced Swiss navigation. In its early days, railways brought travellers and goods directly to shores from which boats handled the remaining journey but later, it became a direct competitor of steamboat for commercial transportation services. It was only during the final 30 years of the 1800s, at the beginning of “La Belle Epoque” that tourism really flourished, with a proportional increase in pleasure cruises, mostly on the Lakes of Geneva, Brienz and Lucerne. For the many foreign guests, lavish on-board salons were built, in perfect accordance with the tastes and fashion of the day. Designers of these original and stylish floating salons such as the Bros. Sulzer of Winterthur or Escher Wyss of Zürich gained worldwide fame.