Lausanne, whose 127,000 inhabitants make it the second-largest city on Lake Geneva and the fifth-largest in Switzerland, is built on three hills overlooking the lake, called Lac Léman by the city's inhabitants. The upper and lower towns are connected by a small metro (subway).
Lausanne has been inhabited since the Stone Age (it was the ancient Roman town of Lousanna). In 1803 the canton of Vaud, of which Lausanne is the capital, became the 19th to join the Swiss Confederation.
For centuries Lausanne has been a favorite spot for exiles and expatriates, attracting, among others, deposed monarchs. Lausanne flourished particularly in the Age of Enlightenment, when it was associated with Rousseau and Voltaire, two of the leading writers in the 18th century. Even today the city is cited by many French-speaking Swiss as the place they would most like to live because of its low-key elegance and sense of grace. Regrettably, it's no longer a center of the intellectual or artistic elite. Voltaire and the likes have given way to water-skiers, swimmers, and "Sunday sailors," most of whom have never heard of Rousseau, much less read him. Even so, Lausanne retains an aesthetic charm and a cultural tradition -- today it's the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee.
GETTING THERE
Lausanne doesn't have an airport, so most visitors fly to Cointrin Airport in Geneva and then travel on to Lausanne. The train from Geneva leaves for Lausanne every 20 minutes and the trip takes 45 minutes.
In addition, between late May and late September a lake steamer cruises several times a day in both directions between Geneva and Saint-Gingolph, Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux, and Nyon. Sailing time from Geneva is about 3 1/2 hours.
If you're driving, Lausanne is connected by freeway (N1) to Geneva. The Great Saint Bernard road tunnel is 113km (70 miles) to the southeast, reached along E2, which becomes E21 during your final approach.
THINGS TO SEE AND DO
The cathedral of Lausanne, place de la Cathédrale, is the focal point of the Upper Town and one of the finest medieval churches in Switzerland. North of the cathedral, at the end of the Upper Town, is the Château Saint-Marie. It was built of brick and stone in the 14th and early 15th centuries. Powerful bishops lived here until they were replaced by the Bernese bailiffs, who turned Lausanne into a virtual colony of Bern. Today the château is used for the canton's administrative offices.
In the center of town is place de la Palud. Located on the square is the Hôtel de Ville (town hall), which has a 17th-century Renaissance facade; it was completely restored in the late 1970s. Today it's the headquarters of the Communal Council. Also on the square is the Fountain of Justice, dating from 1726. A clock with animated historical scenes presents a drama daily every hour on the hour from 9am to 7pm. A traditional market is held here every Wednesday and Saturday. To visit the cathedral, take the Escaliers du Marché, a covered flight of medieval stairs on one side of the square.
North of place de la Palud is place de la Riponne, where you can visit the Italianate Palais de Rumine, built in 1906. It contains several museums, a university founded in 1537, and the university and cantonal library with some 700,000 volumes.
On the east side of town, Mon Repos Park contains landscaped gardens and the Empire Villa, where Voltaire performed his work Zaïre for a group of friends. The Tribunal Fédéral is in the northern area of the park; it was constructed in the 1920s and today houses Switzerland's highest court.
To the north, the Signal de Sauvabelin, known popularly as le signal, rises above the town. At 637m (2,125 ft.), it has a restaurant and a belvedere opening onto Lake Geneva, with the Fribourg Alps in the distance. It's a 20-minute hike from town.
Ouchy is the lakeside resort and bustling port of Lausanne. Its tree-shaded quays have flower gardens that are nearly half a mile long. The small harbor contains a 700-boat marina, and the Savoy Alps are visible on the opposite shore. The Château d'Ouchy is now a hotel and restaurant. The Allies, Greece, and Turkey signed a peace treaty here in 1923. The 13th-century keep is still standing. In the Hôtel d'Angleterre, formerly the Auberge de l'Ancre, is a plaque commemorating the stay of Lord Byron, who wrote The Prisoner of Chillon here. In the Beau-Rivage, the Treaty of Lausanne was ratified in 1923; it settled the final reparations disputes after World War I.
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