Denis de Rougemont founded the European Festivals Association (EFA) in Geneva in 1952 together with the eminent conductor Igor Markewitch, with fifteen festivals making up the core (Aix-en-Provence, Bayreuth, Berlin, Besançon, Bordeaux, Florence, Holland, Lucerne, Munich, Perugia, Strasbourg, Venice, Vienna, Wiesbaden and Zurich).