Eurovision Song contest 1956 - wikipedia Eurovision Song contest 1956 Eurovision Song Contest 1956 Dates Final 24 May 1956 Host Venue Teatro Kursaal Lugano, Switzerland Presenter ( s ) Lohengrin Filipello Conductor Fernando Paggi Directed by Franco Marazzi Executive supervisor Rolf Liebermann Host broadcaster Radiotelevisione svizzera di lingua italiana ( RTSI ) Interval act Les Joyeux Rossignols & Les Trois Ménestrels Participants Number of entries 14 ( 7 countries performed 2 songs each ) Debuting countries Belgium France Germany Italy Luxembourg Netherlands Switzerland Participation map Participating countries Vote Voting system Two - member juries from each country awarded two points to their favourite song. Winning song Switzerland `` Refrain '' Eurovision Song Contest 1957 → The Eurovision Song Contest 1956 was the first edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Teatro Kursaal in Lugano, Switzerland on Thursday 24 May. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union, the pan-European music competition was inspired by the Italian Sanremo Music Festival. Lohengrin Filipello hosted the first contest which lasted approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes. Seven countries participated, with each of them performing two songs. Two jury members from all participating countries cast their votes in secret, based on which song was their favourite. This first edition of the Eurovision Song Contest included several procedures that were not repeated in any subsequent edition : Two songs for each country, secret voting, double voting of one country on behalf of another, optional inclusion of the jury members ' own represented country in their voting, only `` Grand Prix '' title reception for the winner, and a single male presenter to host the show. Contents 1 History 2 Location 2.1 Venue 3 Format 3.1 Voting controversy 3.2 Lost tapes 4 Participating countries 4.1 Conductors 5 Results 6 International broadcasts 7 References 8 External links History Main article : History of the Eurovision Song Contest During a meeting in Monaco in 1955, members of the European Broadcasting Union discussed ideas to organise a pan-European music competition, taking inspiration from the Italian Sanremo Music Festival. From that meeting, the concept of the Eurovision Song Contest was born. A decision was reached to hold the first ever contest the following year in Lugano, in the Italian cultural region of Switzerland. Location Further information on the host city : Lugano Lugano Location of Lugano in Switerzland, which hosted the inaugural contest. Lugano is a city in southern Switzerland, located in the Italian speaking canton of Ticino. The 9th largest Swiss city, it is the largest in Ticino and largest with an Italian speaking majority outside Italy. The city lies on Lake Lugano, surrounded by the mountains of the Lugano Prealps. Venue The inaugural Eurovision Song Contest took place at the Teatro Kursaal, a casino and former theatre, on 24 May 1956. The theatre, designed by Italian architect Achille Sfondrini, was used for theatrical and musical performances, ballroom dance and other shows. The theatre closed shortly after the last show in April 1997 and was demolished in 2001 to make room for the extension of the Casino. Now known as Casinò Lugano, it opened again on 29 November 2002. Format The programme was hosted in Italian by Lohengrin Filipello, making it the only Eurovision Song Contest to have a solo male presenter and up until the 2017 edition with a male trio, the only edition without a female presenter. The programme lasted approximately one hour and 40 minutes. Although it was mainly a radio programme, there were cameras in the studio for the benefit of the few Europeans who possessed a television. Only solo artists were allowed to enter the contest, and their songs were not to exceed three and a half minutes in length, and were accompanied by a 24 - musician orchestra, which was led by Fernando Paggi, along with four guest conductors, which came from Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Italy. The interval act, whistling by the Joyeux Rossignols, had to be extended due to a delay in the voting procedure. It had been strongly recommended that each participating country have a preliminary national song contest. Voting controversy Further information : Voting at the Eurovision Song Contest Two jury members from each participating country travelled to Lugano to cast their vote on the songs, except for Luxembourg which was unable to send juries. The EBU conducted a secret voting and a system allowing the juries to also vote for the two songs representing their own country, as well as allowing the Swiss jury to vote on behalf of Luxembourg. Claims were raised that the Swiss entry won as a result of these procedures. This system was never repeated, as from the second edition of the contest onwards the voting is visible, excludes the jury 's own competing country from their voting and includes individual jury members for each country. Lost tapes While the contest was shown and recorded for television broadcasting in certain European countries ( as television sets were somewhat uncommon still at this time ), no copies have survived, with the exception of Lys Assia 's repeat performance at the end of the contest. It is one of only two contests to not have survived completely, along with the 1964 contest ( of which the tapes were destroyed in a fire ). Participating countries Further information : List of countries in the Eurovision Song Contest Seven countries participated in the first ever contest, each were represented with two songs. Two more countries, Austria, and Denmark were also expected to take part in the contest, but they missed the submission deadline and therefore could not take part. Although it was thought that the United Kingdom had also missed the participation deadline, it was later revealed by the EBU in January 2017 that it was a mythical fact created by fans of the contest. The EBU further went on to explain that the `` Festival of British Popular Song '', a contest created by the BBC for the United Kingdom, was the inspiration that brought in changes to the contest format from 1957. Conductors Each performance had a maestro who conducted the orchestra. The conductors listed conducted both performances for the indicated countries. Netherlands -- Fernando Paggi Switzerland -- Fernando Paggi Belgium -- Léo Souris Germany -- Fernando Paggi France -- Franck Pourcel Luxembourg -- Jacques Lassry Italy -- Gian Stellari Results Except for the winning song, the results have never been published. Simon Barclay 's book The Complete and Independent Guide to the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 includes a table with what appears to be the rankings, but the author does not give a source. Under the chart he writes that `` the votes awarded have never been disclosed. '' According to writer Jan Feddersen, `` Im Wartesaal zum großen Glück '' was probably voted No. 2 behind Lys Assia. Draw Country Artist Song Language Place 01 Netherlands Jetty Paerl `` De vogels van Holland '' Dutch 02 Switzerland Lys Assia `` Das alte Karussell '' German 03 Belgium Fud Leclerc `` Messieurs les noyés de la Seine '' French 04 Germany Walter Andreas Schwarz `` Im Wartesaal zum großen Glück '' German 05 France Mathé Altéry `` Le temps perdu '' French 06 Luxembourg Michèle Arnaud `` Ne crois pas '' French 07 Italy Franca Raimondi `` Aprite le finestre '' Italian 08 Netherlands Corry Brokken `` Voorgoed voorbij '' Dutch 09 Switzerland Lys Assia `` Refrain '' French 10 Belgium Mony Marc `` Le plus beau jour de ma vie '' French 11 Germany Freddy Quinn `` So geht das jede Nacht '' German 12 France Dany Dauberson `` Il est là '' French 13 Luxembourg Michèle Arnaud `` Les amants de minuit '' French 14 Italy Tonina Torrielli `` Amami se vuoi '' Italian International broadcasts The participating national broadcasters sent commentators to the contest, in order to provide coverage of the contest in their own native language. Details of the commentators and the broadcasting station that they represented are shown in the table below. Netherlands -- Piet te Nuyl ( NTS ) Switzerland -- Georges Hardy ( TSR ) Belgium -- Janine Lambotte ( INR ), Nand Baert ( NIR ) Germany -- Wolf Mittler ( ARD ) France -- Michèle Rebel ( RTF ) Luxembourg -- Michèle Rebel ( Télé - Luxembourg ) Italy -- Franco Marazzi ( Programma Nazionale ) Austria ( non-participating country ) -- Wolf Mittler ( ORF ) Denmark ( non-participating country ) -- Gunnar Hansen ( Statsradiofonien TV ) United Kingdom ( non-participating country ) -- Wilfred Thomas ( BBC Television Service ) References ^ Jump up to : `` Eurovision History -- Lugano 1956 ''. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 5 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` List of Major Cities in Switzerland on Population ''. www.worldlistmania.com. Retrieved 10 July 2018. Jump up ^ `` History - Casinò Lugano ''. www.casinolugano.ch. Retrieved 10 July 2018. Jump up ^ Jordan, Paul ( 27 February 2017 ). `` Let 's hear it for the boys ! Meet the hosts of Eurovision 2017 ''. eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 27 February 2017. ^ Jump up to : Jan Feddersen : Ein Lied kann eine Brücke sein. 1. Auflage. Hoffmann und Campe Verlag, Hamburg 2002, ISBN 3 - 455 - 09350 - 7. S. 374. ^ Jump up to : Jordan, Paul ( 11 January 2017 ). `` Shining a light on the United Kingdom : 60 Years at Eurovision ''. eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 13 January 2017. Contrary to popular fan myths, the UK did not intend to enter in 1956 as the BBC had previously created their own separate contest, the Festival Of British Popular Songs Jump up ^ `` http://www.andtheconductoris.eu ''. Retrieved 10 July 2018. External link in title = ( help ) Jump up ^ Barclay, Simon ( 17 June 2010 ). The Complete and Independent Guide to the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. Silverthorn Press. p. 24. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4457 - 8415 - 1. Jump up ^ `` Eurovision Song Contest 1956 ''. The Diggiloo Thrush. Retrieved 4 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Lugano 1956 - Eurovision Song Contest Lisbon 2018 ''. eurovision.tv. Retrieved 2018 - 07 - 26. Jump up ^ `` Eurovision 1956 Cast and Crew Details ''. IMDb. Retrieved 5 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Nederlandse televisiecommentatoren bij het Eurovisie Songfestival ''. Eurovision Artists ( in Dutch ). Jump up ^ `` Concours Eurovision de la Chanson 1956 '' ( in French ). Songcontest.free.fr. 23 March 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2012. Barclay, Simon ( 17 June 2010 ). The Complete and Independent Guide to the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. Silverthorn Press. p. 24. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4457 - 8415 - 1. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eurovision Song Contest 1956. Official website Eurovision Song Contest Entries History Host cities Languages Presenters Rules Voting Winners Winners discography Contests 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 2017 2018 2019 Countries Active Albania Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Israel Italy Latvia Lithuania Macedonia Malta Moldova Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Ukraine United Kingdom Inactive Andorra Bosnia and Herzegovina Luxembourg Monaco Morocco Slovakia Turkey Former Lebanon Serbia and Montenegro Yugoslavia Relations Armenia -- Azerbaijan Russia -- Ukraine National selections Current Albania Armenia Belarus Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Hungary Iceland Israel Italy Latvia Lithuania Malta Moldova Montenegro Norway Poland Portugal Romania Serbia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Ukraine United Kingdom Former Austria Azerbaijan Belgium Bosnia & Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Estonia Finland Greece Ellinikós Telikós Eurosong - A MAD Show Ireland The Late Late Show You 're a Star Israel Latvia Eirodziesma Dziesma Lithuania Macedonia Malta Montenegro Netherlands Serbia and Montenegro Spain Switzerland United Kingdom Yugoslavia Other awards Marcel Bezençon Awards OGAE OGAE Video Contest OGAE Second Chance Contest Barbara Dex Award Television and concerts Eurovision Song Contest Previews Songs of Europe Kvalifikacija za Millstreet Congratulations : 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest Best of Eurovision Eurovision Song Contest 's Greatest Hits Portal Eurovision Song Contest 1956 Countries Final ( in order of appearance ) Netherlands Switzerland Belgium Germany France Luxembourg Italy Artists First performance Jetty Paerl Lys Assia Fud Leclerc Walter Andreas Schwarz Mathé Altéry Michèle Arnaud Franca Raimondi Second performance Corry Brokken Lys Assia Mony Marc Freddy Quinn Dany Dauberson Michèle Arnaud Tonina Torrielli Songs First performance `` De vogels van Holland '' `` Das alte Karussell '' `` Messieurs les noyés de la Seine '' `` Im Wartesaal zum großen Glück '' `` Le temps perdu '' `` Ne crois pas '' `` Aprite le finestre '' Second performance `` Voorgoed voorbij '' `` Refrain '' `` Le plus beau jour de ma vie '' `` So geht das jede Nacht '' `` Il est là '' `` Les amants de minuit '' `` Amami se vuoi '' ( Note : all countries performed twice ) Coordinates : 46 ° 00 ′ N 8 ° 57 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 46.000 ° N 8.950 ° E ﻿ / 46.000 ; 8.950 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eurovision_Song_Contest_1956&oldid=852094069 '' Categories : Eurovision Song Contest 1956 1956 in music 1956 in Switzerland 20th century in Lugano Eurovision Song Contest by year Events in Lugano First events May 1956 events Music in Lugano Hidden categories : CS1 errors : external links CS1 Dutch - language sources ( nl ) CS1 French - language sources ( fr ) Use dmy dates from April 2018 Coordinates on Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages Azərbaycanca Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Bosanski Català Čeština Dansk Davvisámegiella Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto فارسی Français Gaeilge Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית ქართული Кыргызча Latviešu Lëtzebuergesch Lietuvių Magyar Македонски Malti Mirandés Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Română Русский Scots Shqip Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog ไทย Türkçe Українська Vepsän kel ' Tiếng Việt 中文 48 more Edit links This page was last edited on 26 July 2018, at 15 : 49 ( UTC ). 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Question: when was the first eurovision song contest held
Answer: 1956