-- T. PINDERO, VAUGHAN
A: There are a couple of neat Swiss connections to super sleuth Sherlock Holmes, the main character in a series of books penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
The first involves the demise of the great detective, who met his end in Reichenbach Falls near Meiringen, Switzerland.
The other is a fabulous museum dedicated to Holmes. Sir Arthur's son, Adrian Conan Doyle, lived in a historic castle in Lucens in the Swiss region of la Broye. Adrian established the Sherlock Holmes Musuem at the castle. After Adrian's death in 1970, the museum was moved to a house in Lucens, which is about halfway between Lausanne and Lake Neuchatel (lucens.ch/TOUR/Sherlock.html).
The museum is said to house a vast collection of memorabilia and personal items that once belonged to Sir Arthur. Also on display is an exhibit of the Baker St. drawing room no. 221B, home base for Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
Adrian meticulously put pieces together for this room. Fans will find a resident cat named Watson on the premises, too.
Museum curator Vincent Delay once told the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation's online portal SwissInfo.ch, "I see it as my job to see that the spirit of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is respected," and added that what makes his museum different from others is this Swiss museum concentrates as much on the writer as on the fictional sleuth.
The building that houses the Sherlock Holmes Museum is known locally as the Red House. The address is Case postale 221 B; CH-1522 LUCENS -- Suisse. Phone +41 (0)21-906-7333.
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