Lausanne

Lausanne
Lausanne - View on Lausanne
View on Lausanne
Country Switzerland Coat of Arms of Lausanne
Canton Vaud
District Lausanne
Population 125,885 (Dec 2009)[1]
- Density 3,043 /km2 (7,881 /sq mi)
Area  41.37 km2 (15.97 sq mi)
Elevation 495 m (1,624 ft)
  - Highest 929.4 m - Jorat
  - Lowest 372 m - Lake Geneva
Postal code 1000-1018
SFOS number 5586
Mayor (list) Daniel Brélaz (as of 2008) GPS
Demonym Les Lausannois
Localities Le Chalet-à-Gobet, Montblesson, Montheron, Ouchy, Vernand-Dessous, Vernand-Dessus, Vers-chez-les-Blanc
Surrounded by Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Ecublens, Epalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), Maxilly-sur-Léman (FR-74), Montpreveyres, Morrens, Neuvecelle (FR-74), Prilly, Pully, Renens, Romanel-sur-Lausanne, Saint-Sulpice, Savigny
Website www.lausanne.ch
Profile, SFSO statistics
Lausanne is located in Switzerland
Lausanne
View map of Lausanne

Lausanne (French pronunciation: [loˈzan]) is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Leman (French: Lac Léman).[2] It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west. Lausanne is located 62 km (39 mi) northeast of Geneva.

The population of the city is over 134,000, with the entire agglomeration area having 400,000 inhabitants. The Metropolitan Area of Lausanne-Geneva is over 1.2 million inhabitants. The headquarters of the International Olympic Committee are located in Lausanne – the IOC officially recognises the city as the Capitale Olympique[3] – as are the headquarters of the Court of Arbitration for Sport. It lies in the middle of a wine region. The city has a 28-station metro system, making it the smallest city in the world to have a rapid transit system.

Contents

History

The Romans built a military camp, which they called Lousanna, at the site of a Celtic settlement, near the lake where currently are Vidy and Ouchy; on the hill above was a fort called 'Lausodunon' or 'Lousodunon' (The 'y' suffix is common to many place names of Roman origin in the region (e.g.) Prilly, Pully, Lutry, etc.).[4]

After the fall of the Roman Empire, insecurity forced the transfer of Lausanne to its current center, a hilly, easier to defend site. The city which emerged from the camp was ruled by the Dukes of Savoy and the Bishop of Lausanne. Then it came under Bern from 1536 to 1798 and a number of its cultural treasures, including the hanging tapestries in the Cathedral, were permanently removed. Lausanne has made a number of requests to recover them.

After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, Lausanne became (along with Geneva) a place of refuge for French Huguenots. In 1729 a seminary was opened by Antoine Court and Benjamin Duplan. By 1750 ninety pastors had been sent back to France to work clandestinely; this number would rise to four hundred. Official persecution ended in 1787; a faculty of Protestant theology was established at Montauban in 1808, and the Lausanne seminary was finally closed on 18 April 1812.[5] During the Napoleonic Wars, the city's status changed. In 1803, it became the capital of a newly formed Swiss canton, Vaud under which it joined the Swiss Federation.[6]

Modern history

In 1964 the city hosted the 'Swiss National Exhibition',[7] displaying its newly found confidence to host major international events. From the 1950s to 1970s a large number of Italians, Spaniards and Portuguese immigrated, settling mostly in the industrial district of Renens and transforming the local diet.

The city has been traditionally quiet but in the late 1960s and early 1970s there were a series of mainly youth demonstrations confronted by the police. The next vigorous demonstrations took place to protest against the high cinema prices and since then the city returned to its very sleepy self, until the protest against the G8 meetings in 2003.

Geography

View of Laussane (Lausanna) - An 1837 woodcut print

The most important geographical feature of the area surrounding Lausanne is Lake Geneva (Lac Léman in French). Lausanne is built on the southern slope of the Swiss plateau, with a difference in elevation of about 500 meters (1,640 ft) between the lakeshore at Ouchy and its northern edge bordering Le Mont-sur-Lausanne and Epalinges. Lausanne boasts a dramatic panorama over the lake and the Alps.

In addition to its generally southward-sloping layout, the center of the city is the site of an ancient river, the Flon, which has been covered since the 19th century. The former river forms a gorge running through the middle of the city south of the old city centre, generally following the course of the present Rue Centrale, with several bridges crossing the depression to connect the adjacent neighborhoods. Due to the large differences in elevation, visitors should make a note as to which plane of elevation they are on and where they want to go, lest they find themselves tens of meters below or above the street which they are trying to travel on. The name Flon is also used for the Metro station located in the gorge.

Lausanne is located at the limit between the extensive wine-growing regions of Lavaux (to the east) and la Côte (to the west).

The population of the greater Lausanne area (grand Lausanne) is about 316,000 (2007 estimate).

Transport

Lausanne Metro train (1:10 scale model), of the same type as used on Paris' line 14. A front view is also available.
Trolleybus in Lausanne

Lausanne is served by extensive local, national and international public transport. National and international passenger trains depart from Lausanne's CFF railway station, which is also the hub of the Réseau Express Vaudois commuter rail system, and a stop on the city's metro. The metro and local buses are operated by TL (French), with many routes run using trolleybuses. Additional commuter trains are run by LEB (French) from Lausanne-Flon station. Ships across Lake Geneva are provided by CGN (French).

Lausanne became the first city in Switzerland to have a rubber-tyred metro system, with the m2 Line which opened in October 2008. The rolling stock is a shorter version of the one used on Paris Métro Line 14.

Lausanne is connected to the A1 motorway on its west side (Geneva - Zurich axis) and to the A9 on its north and east side (for transit with Italy and France); the interchange between these two motorways is on the north-west side of the city.

Lausanne Airport is located at Blécherette, and also houses a Boeing 737 Simulator[8]. The city is also directly linked by train to the Geneva International Airport, four times an hour, in 42min.

Economy

Education

Palais de Rumine, place de la Riponne

Lausanne enjoys some world class education and research establishments, including private schools attended by students from around the world.

Culture

Lausanne Cathedral
Waterfront view of Ouchy, just south of Lausanne
Place de L'Europe, Flon, by night

The Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and the Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne provide a diverse and rich musical life. The latter has been under the direction of Michel Corboz for many years.

In January, the Prix de Lausanne, a famous dance competition, takes place at the Théâtre de Beaulieu over a one-week period. The event attracts dancers and some of the big names in dance from all over the world.

The town hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 1989.

Each July, the "Festival de la Cité" is held in the old part of town. There are also film and music festivals, such as the Lausanne Underground Film and Music Festival and the Bach Festival, Le Festival et Concours Bach de Lausanne, which follows "La Nuit de Musées" (museums' night, occurring in May) in the fall season.

Lausanne is also the home of the Béjart Ballet.

Monuments

Museums

Lausanne is also the site of many museums:

Art galleries

Main contemporary art galleries:

Art centers or artist-run galleries:

Music

Sports

Sporting activities are very popular in Lausanne, with water sports available on the nearby lake and mountaineering in the nearby mountains. Cycling is also a popular pastime, with the vineyards in the surrounding hills providing spectacular views and challenging routes. There is an annual track and field meeting (Athletissima), road running through the city (the 20 km de Lausanne(French)), the Tour de Romandie road cycling race, marathon (website) and triathlon competition, among other sports events. The two most important sports are ice hockey and football.

Local
International

Notable people

Jean-Pascal Delamuraz was Mayor of Lausanne before becoming member of the Federal Council
The writer C.F. Ramuz was born in Lausanne
Auguste Piccard (on the right), physicist, inventor and explorer was a resident of Lausanne
The choreographer Maurice Béjart established the "Béjart Ballet Lausanne" in 1987

Lausanne is the birthplace of:

Notable residents:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Swiss Federal Statistical Office, MS Excel document – Bilanz der ständigen Wohnbevölkerung nach Kantonen, Bezirken und Gemeinden (German) accessed 25 August 2010
  2. ↑ Clarey, Christopher. "Introduction to Lausanne". The New York Times. http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/europe/switzerland/lausanne/overview.html?st=cse&sq=Lausanne&scp=3. Retrieved 2008-04-20. 
  3. ↑ "Welcome to International Sports Federations". International Sports Federations. http://www.ifsports-guide.ch/english/navigation/bienvenue_en.html. Retrieved 2009-09-27. 
  4. ↑ Lousonna in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
  5. ↑ Lasserre, Claude (1997) (in French). Le séminaire de Lausanne, 1726-1812 : instrument de la restauration du protestantisme français : étude historique fondée principalement sur les documents inédits. Bibliothèque historique vaudoise, no 112. Lausanne: Bibliothèque historique vaudoise. ISBN 9782884541121. OCLC 39222660.  Also OCLC 39228676
  6. ↑ Lausanne 1313-2006 in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
  7. ↑ "Lausanne 1964: Two ideas, one Expo". Swiss National Exhibitions - Expo-Archive. swissinfo/Swiss Radio International (SRI). http://www.expo-archive.ch/eng/index.html?siteSect=1000. Retrieved 2009-09-27. 
  8. ↑ [1]
  9. ↑ "Where to find us." Philip Morris International. Retrieved on 19 October 2009.
  10. ↑ http://www.ittf.com/
  11. ↑ http://www.internationalbandy.com/viewNavMenu.do?menuID=69

External links

Municipalities in the district of Lausanne, Switzerland

Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne | Epalinges | Jouxtens-Mézery | Lausanne | Le Mont-sur-Lausanne | Romanel-sur-Lausanne

Canton of Vaud | Districts of the canton of Vaud | Municipalities of the canton of Vaud

 Coat of Arms of the Canton of Vaud
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