Île de la Harpe, Artificial island and cultural property in Rolle, Switzerland

Île de la Harpe is an artificial island in Lake Geneva featuring a stone obelisk as its main structure. The island sits a short distance from shore and serves as a visible landmark of the town.

The idea of an island combining a breakwater with a memorial to Frédéric-César de La Harpe, who died in 1838, grew out of construction of the harbour from 1837. Antoine Veyrassat's design was refined by architect Henri Fraisse; Ferdinand Favre of Nyon built it in 1841-1842, funded by national subscription, using the piles of a Bronze Age lake-dwelling village for the riprap. A white limestone obelisk followed two years later, with a medallion by James Pradier on each face of its base.

The obelisk's base carries a sculpted medallion by James Pradier on each face, added two years after the shaft was completed. Since 1846 students of the Belles-Lettres society have held an annual celebration on the island, and from 2023 the Festival Ile de La Harpe has staged concerts, dance workshops and plays there each September.

Reaching the island requires a boat or personal water transportation since it sits in the lake. The local tourism office in Rolle can provide information and assist visitors planning a visit.

The Late Bronze Age lakeside village stood in the bay of Rolle, not on the island itself. Its wooden piles were reused in 1841-1842 to lay the island's stone embankment, so the prehistoric timbers lie within the base of the present structure.