Chateau d'Oex

Chateau d''Oex is a famous place for ballooning. The jetstream gets very low here, and picks you up for a big tour. The world famous "Balloon Week" is held each year since 1979 in the last week of January. The Breitling Orbiter 3, the first hot air balloon to circumnavigate the earth, took-off from Château-d''Œx on March 1, 1999.

The Dutch graphic artist M. C. Escher and his wife, Jetta Umiker, spent several years in the town.

David Niven, the British actor who played Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film), lived much of his life in Château-d''Œx. He died at his chalet on July 29, 1983 of motor neurone disease (Lou Gehrig''s Disease) at age 73.

Source: Wikipedia