Throwback: Who Won the Very First Eurovision Song Contest?

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If you’ve ever wondered where the glitter, drama, and unforgettable pop moments of the Eurovision Song Contest all began, you have to travel back to 1956. Long before LED stages, massive crowds, and viral performances, Eurovision started as a much simpler experiment in pan-European entertainment. And the very first winner? None other than Switzerland’s own Lys Assia with the song Refrain.

Let’s rewind to the beginning of Europe’s biggest music tradition.

A European Music Experiment Is Born

The idea behind Eurovision didn’t come out of nowhere. Organisers were inspired by Italy’s hugely popular Sanremo Music Festival, which showed that a televised song competition could capture the public’s imagination.

The concept for a Europe-wide contest was officially discussed and approved by the European Broadcasting Union during a meeting in Monaco. From there, the plan was set: the very first contest would be staged the following year in the Swiss resort town of Lugano.

Eurovision...Built for Radio

The inaugural Eurovision took place on 24th May 1956. Today the contest is a television spectacle, but back then things were very different.

In the mid-1950s, radio was still the main form of home entertainment, so the show was designed primarily for radio listeners. Television existed, of course, but very few households actually owned a TV.

Because of that, only one camera was allowed in the studio. It was there mainly for the small number of viewers lucky enough to be watching on television across Europe.

The Original Eurovision Rules

Eurovision in 1956 looked quite different from the modern contest.

Here’s how the first edition worked:

- Only seven countries competed

- Each country performed two songs

- Only one performer was allowed on stage per song

- Songs had a maximum length of 3 minutes and 30 seconds

- The entire programme lasted 1 hour and 40 minutes

The voting process was also a mystery compared with today’s flashy scoreboard. The results were kept secret, and the individual points were never revealed.

In fact, Luxembourg couldn’t send judges to the event and asked Switzerland to vote on their behalf.

The 1956 Eurovision Line-Up

Only seven countries took part in the first contest:

- Switzerland (Winner)

- Netherlands

- Belgium

- Germany

- France

- Luxembourg

- Italy

Compared with the 30+ countries that compete today, it was a very intimate start.

And the Winner Was...

The very first Eurovision champion was Lys Assia, representing Switzerland, with the song Refrain. The song was written by Émile Gardaz and Géo Voumard, and performed in French.

Interestingly, Assia had already performed another song earlier that evening - Das alte Karussell, sung in German. Remember, each country had two entries in the competition.

After an interval act, the presenters simply announced Refrain as the winner. No ranking of the other songs was revealed, and the number of points awarded remains unknown to this day.

A Winner with a Big Heart

Decades later, in 2011, Lys Assia revealed something remarkable: she had donated all the royalties from Refrain to charity.

Not a bad legacy for the very first Eurovision champion.

From seven countries and a single camera to one of the biggest live music events on the planet, Eurovision has come a long way since 1956. But every dazzling performance, outrageous costume, and unforgettable pop anthem traces back to that first night in Lugano - and to Lys Assia’s historic win.