Lausanne

Resort and capital of Vaud canton, west Switzerland, above the north shore of Lake Geneva, 65 km/40 mi from Geneva; population (2001 est) 125,000. It is a major railway junction on the Paris–Milan route through the Simplon Pass. The city is an important financial and tourist centre. Industries include publishing, computing, electronics, chemicals, media, and the manufacture of chocolate and scientific instruments. The city hosts international fairs and conferences, and is the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee. The canton is mainly French-speaking and Protestant.

Features The Notre Dame Cathedral (Protestant since the Reformation) dates back to the 13th century; its restoration was completed in 1926. There is also a 15th-century castle, a museum of natural history, an art gallery, and an Olympic Museum (1993). The city is the seat of the Federal Supreme Court.

Famous people The French author Voltaire, and English writers Byron and Charles Dickens paid extended visits to Lausanne. The English historian Edward Gibbon wrote part of his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empirein the city. The area is still an intellectual and cultural centre, with numerous professional schools, the University of Lausanne (1537), and theatres.