Inhabited since the Neolithic Age, the Lake Geneva Region (canton of Vaud) was colonized by the Romans who founded Avenches, the Helvetic capital. The region became part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation in 1302. Under the domination of Berne, the Lake Geneva Region adopted the Reform in 1536 and welcomed Protestant refugees, particularly the French Huguenots, who encouraged the development of the region. Following Napoleon the First’s conquest, the Lake Geneva Region joined the Swiss Confederation in 1803.

Many outstanding personalities come from the Lake Geneva Region: Henri Nestlé, the inventor of baby powder milk and François-Louis Cailler, the inventor of milk chocolate, writer Charles Ferdinand Ramuz, filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, aerostier Bertrand Piccard and astronaut Claude Nicollier. Many celebrities have chosen the Lake Geneva Region as their residence, such as Napoleon the Third, Igor Stravinsky, Ernest Hemingway, Coco Chanel, Charlie Chaplin, Audrey Hepburn, Georges Simenon, Barbara Hendricks, and Michael Schumacher.