Lausanne 2

Lausanne is located about 60 kilometres northeast of Geneva and is the capital of Canton Vaud (Waadt in German) in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situated in a privileged position on the north shore of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman in French), Lausanne boasts breathtaking panoramic views and faces the town of Evian-les-Bains on the opposite French shore. Lausanne itself has a population of around 125,000, the Lausanne agglomeration over 330,000. Lausanne’s rise to becoming a world-renowned city began in the fourth century BC, when the Romans built a military camp named Lousonna on the site of today’s suburb of Vidy. The town became an important economic and religious centre In the Middle Ages, ruled over by the Dukes of Savoy and the Bishop of Lausanne. Much of its importance was lost when the city of Bern took over the town in 1536 and ruled it, together with the area forming today’s Canton Vaud, until 1798. When Vaud became an independent canton in 1803, Lausanne became its capital. Today, it is the fifth largest city in Switzerland and, after Geneva, the main economic and administrative centre of the French-speaking part of the country.