In 1942, in the midst of World War 2, a young Swiss, Philippe Mottu noted in a time of quiet reflection: ‘If Switzerland is spared by the war, our task will be to make available for Moral Re-Armament a place where Europeans, torn apart by hatred, suffering and resentment, can come together. Caux is the place.’ In the spring of 1946, Mottu with a group of friends took the decision to buy the run-down former Caux-Palace Hotel. They raised the money and started its transformation into an international conference centre. Initiatives of Change Switzerland is an independent foundation that still owns the complex, and since 1946 it has organized conferences here every year, bringing together tens of thousands of people from around the world.