Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of
SwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and is the capital of the
cantonThe 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of
VaudVaud is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and is located in Romandy, the French-speaking southwestern part of the country. The capital is Lausanne. The name of the Canton in Switzerland's other languages are Vaud in Italian , Waadt in German , and Vad in Romansh.-History:Along the lakes,...
. The seat of the
district of LausanneLausanne District is a district in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. The seat of the district is the city of Lausanne.-Geography:Lausanne has an area, , of . Of this area, or 27.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 30.9% is forested...
, the city is situated on the shores of
Lake GenevaLake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
. It faces the French town of
Évian-les-BainsÉvian-les-Bains or Évian is a commune in the northern part of the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France...
, with the
Jura mountainsThe Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...
to its north-west. Lausanne is located 62 km (38.5 mi) northeast of
GenevaGeneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
.
Lausanne has a population of , making it the fourth largest city of the country, with the entire agglomeration area having over 330,000 inhabitants. The Metropolitan Area of Lausanne-Geneva is over 1.2 million inhabitants. The headquarters of the
International Olympic CommitteeThe International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
are located in Lausanne – the IOC officially recognises the city as the
Capitale Olympique – as are the headquarters of the
Court of Arbitration for SportThe Court of Arbitration for Sport is an international arbitration body set up to settle disputes related to sport. Its headquarters are in Lausanne and its courts are located in New York, Sydney and Lausanne, Switzerland...
. It lies in the middle of a wine region. The city has a
28-station metro systemThe Lausanne Metro system includes two lines in Lausanne, Switzerland, owned by two distinct companies and operated by a third. The Line M1 is a light metro, while the Line M2 is a fully automated metro which opened on 27 October 2008. A third line M3 is in planning...
, making it the smallest city in the world to have a
rapid transit systemA rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
.
History
The
RomansThe Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
built a military camp, which they called
Lousanna, at the site of a
CeltThe Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic settlement, near the lake where currently Vidy and
OuchyOuchy is a commune, port, and popular lakeside resort located south of the city of Lausanne in Switzerland at the edge of the Lake Léman ....
are situated; 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.)
PrillyPrilly is a municipality in Switzerland in the canton of Vaud, located in the district of Ouest Lausannois. It is one of the western suburbs of the city of Lausanne.-History:...
,
PullyPully is a municipality in Switzerland in the canton of Vaud, located in the district of Lavaux-Oron.It is one of the eastern suburbs of the city of Lausanne, located on the shores of Lake Geneva and at the foot of the vineyards of Lavaux on the road to Vevey and Montreux.-Prehistory:In 1826 a...
,
LutryLutry is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Vaud, located in the Lavaux-Oron.-History:Lutry is first mentioned in 908 as in Lustraco villam. In 1124 it was mentioned as monasterium Sancti Martini cum villa quae dicitur Lustriacus and in 1147 it was Lustriey.-Prehistory:In 1835 and again in...
, etc.). By the 2nd century AD it was known as
vikanor[um] Lousonnensium and in 280 as
lacu Lausonio. By 400 it was
civitas Lausanna and in 990 it was mentioned as
Losanna.
After the fall of the
Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, insecurity forced the transfer of Lausanne to its current centre, a hilly, easier to defend site. The city which emerged from the camp was ruled by the Dukes of Savoy and the
Bishop of LausanneThe Bishop of Lausanne was a Prince-Bishop of the Holy Roman Empire and the Ordinary of the diocese of Lausanne, Switzerland .Bern secularized the bishopric in 1536....
. 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 NantesThe Edict of Nantes, issued on 13 April 1598, by Henry IV of France, granted the Calvinist Protestants of France substantial rights in a nation still considered essentially Catholic. In the Edict, Henry aimed primarily to promote civil unity...
in 1685, Lausanne became (along with Geneva) a place of refuge for French
HuguenotThe Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s. 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
MontaubanMontauban is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse....
in 1808, and the Lausanne seminary was finally closed on 18 April 1812. During the
Napoleonic WarsThe Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, the city's status changed. In 1803, it became the capital of a newly formed Swiss canton,
VaudVaud is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and is located in Romandy, the French-speaking southwestern part of the country. The capital is Lausanne. The name of the Canton in Switzerland's other languages are Vaud in Italian , Waadt in German , and Vad in Romansh.-History:Along the lakes,...
under which it joined the Swiss Federation.
Modern history
In 1964 the city hosted the 'Swiss National Exhibition', displaying its newly found confidence to host major international events.
From the 1950s to 1970s a large number of
ItaliansThe Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
,
SpaniardsThe Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
and
PortugueseThe Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
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 old very sleepy self, until the protest against the
G8The Group of Eight is a forum, created by France in 1975, for the governments of seven major economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1997, the group added Russia, thus becoming the G8...
meetings in 2003.
Geography
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 plateauThe Swiss Plateau or Central Plateau constitutes one of the three major landscapes in Switzerland alongside the Jura mountains and the Swiss Alps. It covers about 30% of the Swiss surface...
, with a difference in elevation of about 500 metres (1,640 ft) between the lakeshore at Ouchy and its northern edge bordering
Le Mont-sur-LausanneLe Mont-sur-Lausanne is a municipality in the district of Lausanne in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.It is a suburb of the city of Lausanne.-Geography:...
and
EpalingesEpalinges is a municipality in the district of Lausanne in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.It is a suburb of the city of Lausanne.-Geography:...
. Lausanne boasts a dramatic panorama over the lake and the
AlpsThe Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....
.
In addition to its generally southward-sloping layout, the centre 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 neighbourhoods. Due to the considerable differences in elevation, visitors should make a note as to which plane of elevation they are on and where they want to go, otherwise they will find themselves tens of metres below or above the street which they are trying to negotiate. The name
Flon is also used for the
MetroThe Lausanne Metro system includes two lines in Lausanne, Switzerland, owned by two distinct companies and operated by a third. The Line M1 is a light metro, while the Line M2 is a fully automated metro which opened on 27 October 2008. A third line M3 is in planning...
station located in the gorge.
The municipality includes the villages of Vidy, Cour, Ouchy, Mornex, Chailly, La Sallaz, Vennes, Montblesson, Vers-chez-les-Blanc, Montheron and Chalet-à-Gobet (871 m (2,857.6 ft)) as well as the exclave of Vernand.
Lausanne is located at the limit between the extensive
wineWine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
-growing regions of
LavauxThe Lavaux is a region in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, in the district of Lavaux. Although there is some evidence that vines were grown in the area in Roman times, the actual vine terraces can be traced back to the 11th century, when Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries controlled the area...
(to the east) and
la CôteLa Côte is part of the sloping Lake Geneva north shore, stretching from Nyon to Lausanne in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.-Extent:Well known for its picturesque vineyards, it enjoys the most spectacular view towards the high Alps across the lake....
(to the west).
Lausanne has an area, , of 41.38–41.33 km² (16–16 sqmi) (depending on calculation method). Of this area, 6.64 km² (2.6 sq mi) or 16.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while 16.18 km² (6.2 sq mi) or 39.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 18.45 km² (7.1 sq mi) or 44.6% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.05 km² (12.4 acre) or 0.1% is either rivers or lakes and 0.01 km² (2.5 acre) or 0.0% is unproductive land.
Of the built-up area, industrial buildings made up 1.6% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 21.6% and transportation infrastructure made up 12.5%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 1.4% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 7.5%. Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 11.1% is used for growing crops and 4.2% is pastures. All the water in the municipality is in lakes.
The municipality was part of the old Lausanne District until it was dissolved on 31 August 2006, and it became the capital of the new district of Lausanne.
Demographics
Lausanne has a population of . , 39.1% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1999–2009 ) the population has changed at a rate of 9.9%. It has changed at a rate of 8.3% due to migration and at a rate of 2.6% due to births and deaths. The population of the greater Lausanne area (
grand Lausanne) is about 316,000 (2007 estimate).
Most of the population speaks
FrenchFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
(98,424 or 78.8%), with
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
being second most common (5,365 or 4.3%) and
ItalianItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
being third (4,976 or 4.0%). There are 62 people who speak Romansh.
Of the population in the municipality 34,460 or about 27.6% were born in Lausanne and lived there in 2000. There were 18,697 or 15.0% who were born in the same canton, while 22,099 or 17.7% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 44,948 or 36.0% were born outside of Switzerland.
In there were 840 live births to Swiss citizens and 623 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 862 deaths of Swiss citizens and 127 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 22 while the foreign population increased by 496. There were 9 Swiss men and 57 Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland. At the same time, there were 2230 non-Swiss men and 1802 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was an increase of 883 and the non-Swiss population increased by 2221 people. This represents a population growth rate of 2.6%.
The age distribution, , in Lausanne is; 11,818 children or 9.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 12,128 teenagers or 9.7% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 21,101 people or 16.8% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 22,158 people or 17.6% are between 30 and 39, 18,016 people or 14.4% are between 40 and 49, and 13,940 people or 11.1% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 11,041 people or 8.8% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 8,277 people or 6.6% are between 70 and 79, there are 5,896 people or 4.7% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 1,171 people or 0.9% who are 90 and older.
, there were 58,100 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 48,990 married individuals, 7,797 widows or widowers and 10,027 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.64 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.61 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 6.5% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a
mortgageA mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
or a rent-to-own agreement).
, there were 62,258 private households in the municipality, and an average of 1.9 persons per household. There were 31,205 households that consist of only one person and 2,184 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 63,833 households that answered this question, 48.9% were households made up of just one person and there were 306 adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 13,131 married couples without children, 11,603 married couples with children There were 3,883 single parents with a child or children. There were 2,130 households that were made up of unrelated people and 1,575 households that were made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing.
there were 1,833 single family homes (or 23.1% of the total) out of a total of 7,925 inhabited buildings. There were 3,634 multi-family buildings (45.9%), along with 1,955 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (24.7%) and 503 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (6.3%). Of the single family homes 324 were built before 1919, while 153 were built between 1990 and 2000. The greatest number of single family homes (498) were built between 1919 and 1945. The most multi-family homes (933) were built before 1919 and the next most (906) were built between 1919 and 1945. There were 180 multi-family houses built between 1996 and 2000.
there were 69,383 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 3 rooms of which there were 22,408. There were 9,579 single room apartments and 7,388 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 61,056 apartments (88.0% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 6,840 apartments (9.9%) were seasonally occupied and 1,487 apartments (2.1%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 2.1 new units per 1000 residents.
the average price to rent an average apartment in Lausanne was 1064.08
Swiss francThe franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...
s (CHF) per month (US$850, £480, €680 approx. exchange rate from 2003). The average rate for a one room apartment was 597.46 CHF (US$480, £270, €380), a two room apartment was about 792.33 CHF (US$630, £360, €510), a three room apartment was about 1044.64 CHF (US$840, £470, €670) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 2024.55 CHF (US$1620, £910, €1300). The average apartment price in Lausanne was 95.3% of the national average of 1116 CHF. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.17%.
Transport
Lausanne is served by extensive local, national and international
public transportPublic transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
. National and international passenger
trainA train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
s depart from Lausanne's
CFFSwiss Federal Railways and SFR are not in official use) is the national railway company of Switzerland headquartered in Bern. Formerly a government institution, it is since 1999 a special stock corporation with all shares held by the Swiss Confederation or the Swiss cantons...
railway stationLausanne railway station is the main intercity and regional railway station for the city of Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland. It is often known as Lausanne CFF to distinguish it from others in the town....
, which is also the hub of the Réseau Express Vaudois commuter rail system, and a stop on the city's
metroA rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
. The metro and local
busA bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es are operated by
TL , with many routes run using
trolleybusA trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
es. Additional commuter trains are run by
LEB from
Lausanne-Flon stationLausanne-Flon is a railway and metro station in the Flon district of central Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the hub of the Lausanne Metro system....
. Ships across Lake Geneva are provided by
CGN .
Lausanne became the first city in Switzerland to have a
rubber-tyred metroA rubber-tyred metro is a form of rapid transit system that uses a mix of road and rail technology. The vehicles have wheels with rubber tyres which run on rolling pads inside guide bars for traction, as well as traditional railway steel wheels with deep flanges on steel tracks for guidance through...
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 14Line 14 of the Paris Métro system connects the stations Saint Lazare and Olympiades on a north-west south-east diagonal across the centre of Paris. It is the twelfth busiest of sixteen lines on the network, and as of 2011, the only one to be operated completely automatically; the second such line...
.
Lausanne is connected to the
A1The A1 is a motorway in Switzerland. It follows Switzerland's main east-west axis, from St. Margrethen in northeastern Switzerland's canton of St. Gallen through to Geneva in southwestern Switzerland...
motorway on its west side (Geneva -
ZurichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake 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 AirportLausanne Airport is located in the north of Lausanne in Canton Vaud, SwitzerlandThe runway has a slope so the maximum length for takeoff/landing varies depending on the direction between 775 and 805m.There is a Boeing 737 simulator onsite...
is located at Blécherette, and also houses a Boeing 737 Simulator. The city is also directly linked by train to the Geneva International Airport, four times an hour, in 42min.
Historic Population
The historical population is given in the following chart:
| Historic Population Data |
| Year |
Total Population |
French Speaking |
German Speaking |
Catholic |
Protestant |
Other |
Jewish |
Islamic |
No religion given |
Swiss |
Non-Swiss |
| 13th Century |
8,000-9,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1650–1680 |
ca. 5,100 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1698 |
6,204 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1764 |
7,191 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1798 |
over 9,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1813 |
ca. 13,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1850 |
17,108 |
|
|
970 |
16,101 |
|
|
|
|
16,023 |
1,085 |
| 1870 |
25,845 |
|
|
3,527 |
22,596 |
|
|
|
|
22,353 |
4,167 |
| 1888 |
33,340 |
25,750 |
5,704 |
4,575 |
28,431 |
1,034 |
184 |
|
|
28,205 |
5,135 |
| 1900 |
46,732 |
35,509 |
6,627 |
9,364 |
36,659 |
1,450 |
473 |
|
|
37,231 |
9,501 |
| 1910 |
64,446 |
46,293 |
9,669 |
15,597 |
46,166 |
3,167 |
989 |
|
|
48,647 |
15,799 |
| 1930 |
75,915 |
58,691 |
11,080 |
16,868 |
56,300 |
2,901 |
818 |
|
|
65,231 |
10,684 |
| 1950 |
106,807 |
88,226 |
12,403 |
27,218 |
75,559 |
2,349 |
1,009 |
|
|
97,119 |
9,688 |
| 1970 |
137,383 |
101,555 |
11,964 |
54,993 |
75,093 |
11,670 |
1,394 |
669 |
2,056 |
106,229 |
31,154 |
| 1990 |
128,112 |
95,455 |
6,799 |
56,464 |
48,496 |
19,103 |
919 |
2,775 |
14,548 |
88,905 |
39,207 |
| 2000 |
124,914 |
98,424 |
5,365 |
47,225 |
36,084 |
16,149 |
849 |
7,501 |
21,080 |
80,213 |
44,701 |
Political situation
In the 2011
federal electionFederal elections were held in Switzerland on 23 October 2011.All of the Federal Assembly were to be elected: all 200 seats in the National Council and all 46 seats in the Council of States....
the most popular party was the
SPThe Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
which received 30.14% of the vote (3 % up compard to 2007). The next three most popular parties were the
SVPThe Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
(14.98%), the
FDPFDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....
(14.70%) and the
Green PartyThe Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:...
(13.60%). In the federal election, a total of 25,518 votes were cast, and the
voter turnoutVoter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was 40.3%.
The city of Lausanne has a legislature, the City Council, with 100 members and an executive, the town hall with seven members. The legislature is elected by proportional representation from the Executive and the two-round majority system.
For the 2011-2016 legislative period, 100 members of the City Council
Composition of the Municipal Council are distributed as follows:
- 29 Socialist Party
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
- 24 FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....
- 20 Green
The Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:...
- 14 Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
- 14 extreme left (POP, solidaritéS, the Left Bank)
The 7 members of the Town Hall are shared:
- 3 Socialist Party
- 2 Green
- 1 FDP.The Liberals
- 1 extreme left (POP)
The town has seven departments, each headed by a Municipal Councillor (period 2011-2016):
Photo of members of the municipality
- Daniel Brélaz (Green): general administration
- Oscar Tosato (Socialist Party): childhood, youth and social
- Marc Vuilleumier (POPs): public safety and sports
- Jean-Yves Pidoux (Green): industrial services
- Florence Germond (Socialist Party): finance and parks
- Gregory Junod (Socialist Party): culture and housing
- Olivier Français (FDP.The Liberals): Construction
Economy
, Lausanne had an unemployment rate of 8%. , there were 114 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 25 businesses involved in this sector. 6,348 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 698 businesses in this sector. 83,157 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 6,501 businesses in this sector.
There were 59,599 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 47.4% of the workforce. the total number of
full-time equivalentFull-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
jobs was 75,041. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 93, of which 56 were in agriculture, 34 were in forestry or lumber production and 3 were in fishing or fisheries. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 6,057 of which 1,515 or (25.0%) were in manufacturing, 24 or (0.4%) were in mining and 3,721 (61.4%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 68,891. In the tertiary sector; 8,520 or 12.4% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 2,955 or 4.3% were in the movement and storage of goods, 4,345 or 6.3% were in a hotel or restaurant, 4,671 or 6.8% were in the information industry, 6,729 or 9.8% were the insurance or financial industry, 8,213 or 11.9% were technical professionals or scientists, 5,756 or 8.4% were in education and 14,312 or 20.8% were in health care.
, there were 55,789 workers who commuted into the municipality and 19,082 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 2.9 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. About 1.9% of the workforce coming into Lausanne are coming from outside Switzerland, while 0.1% of the locals commute out of Switzerland for work. Of the working population, 40.9% used public transportation to get to work, and 35.1% used a private car.
- Philip Morris International
Philip Morris International is an international tobacco company, with products sold in over 160 countries. In 2007, it held a 15.6% share of the international cigarette market outside of the USA and reported revenues net of excise taxes of $22.8 billion and operating income of $8.9 billion.Until...
, a tobacco company, has its international headquarters in Lausanne.
- Tetra Laval
Tetra Laval is a private multinational corporation of Swedish origin, owned by the Rausing family. In the 1980s Tetra Laval relocated its headquarters to Lausanne, Switzerland....
, a multinational packaging corporation, has its international headquarters in Lausanne.
- Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
, a multinational food and nutrition corporation, with international headquarters in Vevey, next to Lausanne.
Religion
From the , 47,225 or 37.8% were Roman Catholic, while 33,993 or 27.2% belonged to the
Swiss Reformed ChurchThe Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zürich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel , Bern , St...
. Of the rest of the population, there were 2,698
members of an Orthodox churchThe term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
(or about 2.16% of the population), there were 65 individuals (or about 0.05% of the population) who belonged to the
Christian Catholic ChurchThe Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland is the Swiss member church of the Union of Utrecht, also known as Old Catholic Church, originally founded by the jansenists, with a later influx of discontented Catholics following their disappointment with the First Vatican Council. It has 14,000...
, and there were 4,437 individuals (or about 3.55% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 849 individuals (or about 0.68% of the population) who were
JewishJudaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, and 7,501 (or about 6.00% of the population) who were
IslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic. There were 452 individuals who were
BuddhistBuddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, 772 individuals who were
HinduHinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
and 343 individuals who belonged to another church. 21,080 (or about 16.88% of the population) belonged to no church, are
agnosticAgnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
or
atheistAtheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, and 7,590 individuals (or about 6.08% of the population) did not answer the question.
Weather
Lausanne has an average of 123 days of rain or snow per year and on average receives 1150 mm (45.3 in) of
precipitationIn meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
. The wettest month is June during which time Lausanne receives an average of 117 mm (4.6 in) of rain. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 10.8 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is May, with an average of 12.4, but with only 107 mm (4.2 in) of rain or snow. The driest month of the year is February with an average of 78 mm (3.1 in) of precipitation over 10.2 days.
Education
In Lausanne about 40,118 or (32.1%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 22,934 or (18.4%) have completed additional higher education (either
university or a
FachhochschuleA Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
). Of the 22,934 who completed tertiary schooling, 38.7% were Swiss men, 31.3% were Swiss women, 17.1% were non-Swiss men and 12.9% were non-Swiss women.
In the 2009/2010 school year there were a total of 12,244 students in the Lausanne school district. In the Vaud cantonal school system, two years of non-obligatory pre-school are provided by the political districts. During the school year, the political district provided pre-school care for a total of 2,648 children of which 1,947 children (73.5%) received subsidized pre-school care. The canton's primary school program requires students to attend for four years. There were 6,601 students in the municipal primary school program. The obligatory lower secondary school program lasts for six years and there were 5,244 students in those schools. There were also 399 students who were home schooled or attended another non-traditional school.
Lausanne is home to a number of museums including; the
Collection de l'Art brut, the
Espace Arlaud, the
Fondation de l'Hermitage, the
Musée cantonal d'archéologie et d'histoire, the
Musée cantonal de géologie, the
Musée cantonal de zoologie, the
Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts, the
Musée de design et d'arts appliqués contemporains, the
Musée de l'Elysée and the
Musée historique de Lausanne. In 2009 the
Collection de l'Art brut was visited by 27,028 visitors (the average in previous years was 33,356). The
Espace Arlaud was visited by 9,222 visitors (the average in previous years was 14,206). The
Fondation de l'Hermitage was visited by 89,175 visitors (the average in previous years was 74,839). The
Musée cantonal d'archéologie et d'histoire was visited by 14,841 visitors (the average in previous years was 15,775). The
Musée cantonal de zoologie was visited by 30,794 visitors (the average in previous years was 30,392). The
Musée cantonal de géologie was visited by 28,299 visitors (the average in previous years was 24,248). The
Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts was visited by 26,456 visitors (the average in previous years was 26,384). The
Musée de design et d'arts appliqués contemporains was visited by 28,554 visitors (the average in previous years was 22,879). The
Musée de l'Elysée was visited by 36,775 visitors (the average in previous years was 37,757). The
Musée historique de Lausanne was visited by 23,116 visitors (the average in previous years was 22,851).
, there were 12,147 students in Lausanne who came from another municipality, while 2,258 residents attended schools outside the municipality.
Lausanne is home to 8 large libraries or collections of libraries. These libraries include; the BCU Lausanne, the
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, the libraries of the
Réseau EPFL, the
Bibliothèque municipale Lausanne, the
Haute école de travail social et de la santé (EESP), the
HECV Santé, the
Haute école de la santé La Source and the
Ecole cantonale d'art de Lausanne - ECAL. There was a combined total of 3,496,260 books or other media in the libraries, and in the same year a total of 1,650,534 items were loaned out.
Lausanne enjoys some world class education and research establishments, including private schools attended by students from around the world.
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
The École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne is one of the two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology and is located in Lausanne, Switzerland.The school was founded by the Swiss Federal Government with the stated mission to:...
- EPFL ("Swiss Federal Institute of Technology - Lausanne") - ranked 35th in the world according to 2011 QS world university rankings
- University of Lausanne (UNIL)
The University of Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland was founded in 1537 as a school of theology, before being made a university in 1890. Today about 12,000 students and 2200 researchers study and work at the university...
- University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV)
The University Hospital of Lausanne , in Lausanne, is one of the five university hospitals in Switzerland.- External link :...
, a hospital centre with associated research
- HEC Lausanne
HEC Lausanne , also called the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Lausanne in English, is the affiliated business school of the University of Lausanne...
- Hautes études commerciales, (Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Lausanne)
- Institute for Advanced Studies in Public Administration
- AISTS
The International Academy of Sport Science and Technology is an education and research centre on sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, the Olympic Capital.-About The AISTS:...
("International Academy of Sports Science and Technology")
- BSL, Business School Lausanne
BSL was founded in 1987 by John Hobbs, a university professor who felt business education was missing valuable practical learning. He built BSL as a small international business school in Lausanne, Switzerland certified by the ACBSP in 1996 and in 1997 it was integrated into the Group of Private...
- International Institute for Management Development
IMD - International Institute for Management Development is a non profit business school located in Lausanne, Switzerland.- History & Mission :...
(IMD)
- École hôtelière de Lausanne
Lausanne Hotel School is the oldest hotel school in the world. Founded in 1893, EHL is a hotel school offering high-level studies to students who are aiming for careers in the hotel industry...
- The Lausanne campus of the university of the Nations
The University of the Nations is a global Christian university with branch campuses in 600 locations in 142 countries, providing coursework in over 100 languages around the world. Its largest locations are in Kona, Hawaii , Jeju, South Korea, and Perth, Australia...
- Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
maintains an international study campus in Lausanne
Heritage sites of national significance
There are 46 buildings or sites that are listed as Swiss
heritage site of national significanceThe Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
. Additionally, the entire old city of Lausanne and the Vernand-Dessus region are listed in the
Inventory of Swiss Heritage SitesThe Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage.-Sites of national importance:-Types:...
.
- Religious Buildings: Notre-Dame Cathedral
The Cathedral of Notre Dame in Lausanne was built between 1170 and 1240 in the gothic style, with the western portal completed later in the flamboyant style....
, Swiss ReformedThe Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zürich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel , Bern , St...
Church of Saint-François, Swiss Reformed Church of Saint-Laurent and the Synagogue at Avenue de Florimont.
- Civic Structures: Former Hôpital at Rue Mercerie 24, Former Federal Tribunal, the Former Académie at Rue Cité-Devant 7, Casino de Montbenon, St-Maire Castle
Château Saint-Maire is a castle in Lausanne, Switzerland, that serves as the seat of the cantonal government of Vaud. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.-History:...
, Bois-de-Vaux Cemetery, Fondation de l’Hermitage and House de maître, Main Train Station, Hôtel Beau-Rivage Palace, City HallIn local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
, Hôtel des Postes, Administration Building of André & Cie. S.A., Administration Building of the Vaudoise Assurances, Apartment and Office Building at Rue du Grand-Chêne 8, Les Bains de Bellerive, l’Estérel House, House at Chemin de Chandolin 4, the Mon-Repos estate at Parc de Mon-Repos 1, Olympic MuseumThe Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland houses permanent and temporary exhibits relating to sport and the Olympic movement. With more than 10,000 pieces, the museum is the largest archive of Olympic Games in the world and one of Lausanne's prime tourist draws attracting more than 250,000...
and Archives of the CIO, the vessels of the CGN (La Suisse (1910), Savoie (1914), Simplon (1920), Rhône (1927)), Pont Chauderon, the Vernand-Dessus rural site, Site de l’Expo 64 avec théatre de Vidy, the Tour Bel-Air and the Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV)The University Hospital of Lausanne , in Lausanne, is one of the five university hospitals in Switzerland.- External link :...
.
- Museums and Libraries: Former Residence of the Bishop of Lausanne which is now the Historical Museum of Lausanne, Bibliothèque des Cèdres (ancienne Library des pasteurs), Beaulieu Castle
Beaulieu Castle is a castle in the municipality of Lausanne of the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.-References:...
and the Collection de l’Art brut (Collection of Outsider artThe term outsider art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for art brut , a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture; Dubuffet focused particularly on art by insane-asylum inmates.While...
), Fondation Toms Pauli Collection de tapisseries and d’art textile, Galeries Saint-François, l’Elysée House and Museum, Museum de design and d’arts appliqués contemporains (MUDAC), Cantonal Museum and Botanical Gardens, the Roman Museum, the Palais de Rumine with the Musée cantonal de géologie, Musée cantonal de zoologie, Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Musée monétaire cantonal (Cabinet des médailles) and Musée d’archéologie et d’histoire.
- Archives: Archives of the Banque Vaudoise, Archives of the City of Lausanne, Archives of l’Energie Ouest Suisse (EOS), the Radio Suisse Romande archives and the Tribunal Fédéral Suisse with Archives.
- Archeological sites: The roman era/medieval hill-top city and the prehistoric settlement and Roman era Vicus
Vicus may refer to:*Vicus , plural vici, a neighborhood or local administrative unit of ancient Rome**Vicus Tuscus in Rome**Vicus Jugarius, leading into the Roman Forum** Gensis in Moesia Superior...
of Vidy / Lousanna,
Culture
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 CorbozMichel Corboz is a Swiss conductor.Corboz was born in Marsens, Switzerland and educated in his native canton of Fribourg. He founded the Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne, with which he has recorded and toured extensively...
for many years.
In January, the
Prix de LausanneThe Prix de Lausanne is an International dance competition held annually in Lausanne, Switzerland. The competition is for young dancers seeking to pursue a professional career in classical ballet, and many former prize winners of the competition are now leading stars with major ballet companies...
, 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 1989The Eurovision Song Contest 1989 was the 34th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 6 May 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Switzerland gained the hosting rights after Celine Dion's victory in Dublin the previous year. The presenters were Lolita Morena and Jacques Deschenaux. Riva was the winner of...
.
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 FestivalThe Lausanne Underground Film and Music Festival, or LUFF, is a film festival and music festival devoted to underground film and music. It is held each year in Lausanne, Switzerland. It began with the formation of the LUFF Association For The Promotion of Independent Cinema. The festival thus rests...
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 BalletThe Béjart Ballet Lausanne is a Swiss ballet company. It is based in the city of Lausanne, but tours other countries.The Béjart Ballet Lausanne was founded in 1987. It was established by Maurice Béjart, a well-known choreographer who had previously founded and managed the "Ballet du XXe Siècle" in...
.
Monuments
- Lausanne Cathedral
The Cathedral of Notre Dame in Lausanne was built between 1170 and 1240 in the gothic style, with the western portal completed later in the flamboyant style....
(restored by Viollet-le-Duc).
- Hôtel de Ville
- Drazen Petrovic
Dražen Petrović was a Yugoslav and Croatian professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he initially achieved success playing professional basketball in Europe in the 1980s before joining the American NBA in 1989...
- Monument of famous Croatian (and former Yugoslavian) Basketball Champion
Museums
Lausanne is also the site of many
museumA museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s:
Art galleries
Main contemporary art galleries:
Art centers or artist-run galleries:
Music
- Contemporary composer Leonardo Balada
Leonardo Balada , is a Catalan American composer, now teaching and composing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.-Life:...
's Symphony No. 4 is subtitled 'Lausanne'.
- Igor Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat was premiered in Lausanne in September 1918.
Sports
Sporting activities are very popular in Lausanne, with water sports available on the nearby lake and
mountaineeringMountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
in the nearby mountains.
CyclingCycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
is also a popular pastime, with the
vineyardA vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s in the surrounding hills providing spectacular views and challenging routes. There is an annual track and field meeting (
AthletissimaAthletissima is an annual athletics meeting at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise in Lausanne, Switzerland. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League.The first edition was held on 8 July 1977....
),
road runningRoad running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
through the city (the
20 km de Lausanne), the
Tour de RomandieThe Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs in the Romandie region, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. It began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling....
road cycling race,
marathonThe marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
(
website) and
triathlonA triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...
competition, among other sports events. The two most important sports are
ice hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
and football.
Local
- Lausanne Hockey Club
- Lausanne-Sport
Lausanne-Sports is a Swiss sports club based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is most famous for its football department , but the club also had athletics, sport rowing, and rink hockey departments until they split in 2009 over a row about the construction of a new stadium that will be built by...
Football Club
- Lausanne-Sports Aviron
Lausanne-Sports Aviron is a Swiss rowing club.The club was founded on June 21, 1916, located at Vidy-Lausanne.The club has a number of national champions, and members of the club have rowed internationally, including at the Olympic Games. The club colours are blue and white.- External links :**...
Rowing Club
- Lausanne Sharks American Football Club
- NSFL Non Professional Swiss Romand American Football Federation
- The Bandy
Bandy is a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.The rules of the game have many similarities to those of association football: the game is played on a rectangle of ice the same size as a football field. Each team has 11 players,...
Federation of Switzerland
- Stade Lausanne Rugby Club
Stade Lausanne Rugby Club are a semi-professional Swiss rugby union club from Lausanne, the Olympic Capital. The club plays in the Swiss first and second division and are former Swiss Cup champions.-Club history:...
- Lausanne Frisbee
International
- International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
Headquarters
- Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport is an international arbitration body set up to settle disputes related to sport. Its headquarters are in Lausanne and its courts are located in New York, Sydney and Lausanne, Switzerland...
Headquarters
- International Hockey Federation
The International Field Hockey Federation is the global governing body of field hockey...
Headquarters
- International Table Tennis Federation
The International Table Tennis Federation is the governing body for all national table tennis associations.-Founding history:The ITTF was founded in 1926, the nine founding members being Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England, Germany, Hungary, India, Sweden and Wales...
Headquarters
- Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale is the world governing body for air sports and aeronautics and astronautics world records. Its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. This includes man-carrying aerospace vehicles from balloons to spacecraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles...
(FAI) The World Air Sports Federation
- Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) The international governing body for equestrian
- Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d'Aviron (FISA) The international governing body for rowing
- Fédération Internationale d'Escrime
Fédération Internationale d'Escrime is the international governing body of Olympic fencing. It was founded on November 29, 1913 in Paris, France. Today, its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland...
(FIE) The international governing body for fencingFencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
- Fédération Internationale de Tir à l'Arc (FITA) The international governing body for archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
- Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU) The international governing body for university sports
- International Baseball Federation
The International Baseball Federation is the worldwide governing body recognized by the International Olympic Committee as overseeing, deciding and executing the policy of the bat-and-ball sport of baseball at the international level...
- International Swimming Federation
Fédération Internationale de Natation is the International Federation recognized by the International Olympic Committee for administering international competition in the aquatic sports...
- International Skating Union
The International Skating Union is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen, Netherlands in 1892, making it one of the oldest international...
Notable people
Lausanne is the birthplace of:
- James Thiérrée
James Thiérrée is the writer, director and star of The Junebug Symphony, La Veillée des Abysses and Au Revoir Parapluie ....
, Actor
- David Bennent
David Bennent is a Swiss actor.He was born in Lausanne, Switzerland. His parents are actor Heinz Bennent and former dancer Diane Mansart...
, Actor
- Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh
Antony of Sourozh was best known as a writer and broadcaster on prayer and the Christian life. He was a monk and Metropolitan bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church...
, Russian Orthodox ecclesiastic located in Britain
- François-Louis David Bocion, Swiss artist and teacher
- Johann Ludwig Burckhardt
Johann Ludwig Burckhardt was a Swiss traveller and orientalist. He wrote his letters in French and signed Louis...
, Swiss traveler and orientalist
- Alejo Carpentier
Alejo Carpentier y Valmont was a Cuban novelist, essayist, and musicologist who greatly influenced Latin American literature during its famous "boom" period. Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, Carpentier grew up in Havana, Cuba; and despite his European birthplace, Carpentier strongly self-identified...
, Cuban-French writer
- Stéphane Chapuisat, Footballer
- Albert Chavannes
Albert Chavannes was a Swiss-born American author, philosopher, and sociologist, active primarily in the late 19th century...
, Philosopher
- Benjamin Constant
Henri-Benjamin Constant de Rebecque was a Swiss-born French nobleman, thinker, writer and politician.-Biography:...
, Swiss thinker, writer and French politician
- Aloise Corbaz
Aloïse Corbaz was a Swiss outsider artist included in Jean Dubuffet's initial collection of psychiatric art. She is one of very few acclaimed female outsider artists....
, Swiss outsider artist
- Charles Dutoit
Charles Édouard Dutoit, is a Swiss conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of French and Russian 20th century music...
, conductor
- Egon von Furstenberg
Egon von Fürstenberg or Prince Egon of Fürstenberg was a fashion designer.- Family :Eduard Egon Peter Paul Giovanni Prinz zu Fürstenberg was the elder son of Prince Tassilo zu Fürstenberg and his first wife, Clara Agnelli , a sister of Fiat's chairman, Gianni Agnelli. His stepmother was the Texas...
, fashion designer
- Eugène Grasset
Eugène Samuel Grasset was a Swiss decorative artist who worked in Paris, France in a variety of creative design fields during the Belle Époque. He is considered a pioneer in Art Nouveau design.-Biography:...
, Swiss decorative artist
- Bertrand Piccard
Bertrand Piccard is a Swiss psychiatrist and balloonist.Born in Lausanne, Vaud canton, Bertrand Piccard, along with Brian Jones, was the first to complete a non-stop balloon flight around the globe...
, Swiss psychiatrist and balloonist
- Charles Ferdinand Ramuz
Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz was a French-speaking Swiss writer.He was born in Lausanne in the canton of Vaud and educated at the University of Lausanne. He taught briefly in nearby Aubonne, and then in Weimar, Germany. In 1903, he left for Paris and remained there until World War I, with frequent...
, Swiss writer
- Ubol Ratana
Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi , or Ubolratana in brief , is a princess of Thailand and the eldest child of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Regent Sirikit...
, Thai princess
- Théophile Steinlen
Théophile Alexandre Steinlen, frequently referred to as just Steinlen , was a Swiss-born French Art Nouveau painter and printmaker....
, Art Nouveau painter and printmaker
- Elizabeth Thompson
Elizabeth Southerden Thompson, Lady Butler was a British painter, one of the few female painters to achieve fame for history paintings, especially military battle scenes, at the end of that tradition...
(Lady Butler), British painter
- Bernard Tschumi
Bernard Tschumi is an architect, writer, and educator, commonly associated with deconstructivism. Born of French and Swiss parentage, he works and lives in New York and Paris. He studied in Paris and at ETH in Zurich, where he received his degree in architecture in 1969...
, contemporary architect, writer, and educator
- Nanos Valaoritis
Nanos Valaoritis is one of the most distinguished writers in Greece today. He has been widely published as a poet, novelist and playwright since 1939, and his correspondence with George Seferis has been a bestseller...
Greek poet
- Félix Vallotton
Félix Edouard Vallotton was a Swiss painter and printmaker associated with Les Nabis. He was an important figure in the development of the modern woodcut.-Life and work:...
, post-impressionist painter
- Vincent Perez
Vincent Pérez is a Swiss-born French speaking actor and director. He is best known internationally for playing the title character Ashe Corven in The Crow: City of Angels, and for starring in Queen of the Damned, playing Marius de Romanus...
, film actor and director
- Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He also holds German citizenship as his father is German. His career ranking high is no. 9, achieved on 9 June 2008. He considers clay his best surface and his backhand his best shot...
, Swiss Tennis player
- Jocelyn Wildenstein, Manhattan socialite and ex-wife of the late Alec N. Wildenstein
Alec Nathan Wildenstein was a billionaire French businessman, art dealer and racehorse owner and breeder.-Biography:...
- Ludovic Magnin
Ludovic Magnin is a Swiss football defender who plays for FC Zürich.-Youth teams:Magnin started his career at Echallens, where he played until 1996. He spent one season at Lausanne Sports before joining second-tier Yverdon Sports.-Professional career: Switzerland and Germany:In 1999, he made his...
, footballer
Notable residents:
- Pierre Amoyal
Pierre Amoyal , is a French violinist. He studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, graduating at age 12 with a First Prize . He then won the Ginette Neveu Prize in 1963, and the Paganini Prize in 1964. At age 17, he traveled to Los Angeles for five years of study with Jascha Heifetz, which...
, Paris-born violinist; professor at Lausanne Conservatory
- Jean Anouilh
Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh was a French dramatist whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1943 play Antigone, an adaptation of Sophocles' Classical drama, that was seen as an attack on Marshal Pétain's...
, French dramatist
- Ingvar Kamprad
Ingvar Feodor Kamprad is a Swedish and the founder of IKEA, a retail company.According to Forbes magazine, as of 2011 he is the 162nd wealthiest person in the world with an estimated net worth of around US$6 billion in 2011...
, Founder of IKEA
- Alice Bailly
Alice Bailly was a radical Swiss painter, known for her interpretation of cubism and her multimedia wool paintings.-Education and early career:...
, Swiss painter and multimedia artist
- Maurice Béjart
Maurice Béjart was a French born, Swiss choreographer who ran the Béjart Ballet Lausanne in Switzerland. He was the son of the French philosopher Gaston Berger.- Biography :...
, choreographer
- Lorik Cana
Lorik Cana is an Albanian footballer, who plays for Lazio as a defensive midfielder and the Albania national football team. He is the captain for Albania at international level...
, Professional Footballer for Albania and Marseille
- Capucine
Capucine was a French actress and fashion model best known for her comedic roles in The Pink Panther and What's New Pussycat? . She appeared in 36 films and 17 television productions between 1948 and 1990...
, French actress and model
- Coco Chanel
Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel was a pioneering French fashion designer whose modernist thought, menswear-inspired fashions, and pursuit of expensive simplicity made her an important figure in 20th-century fashion. She was the founder of one of the most famous fashion brands, Chanel...
, fashion designer
- Pierre de Coubertin
Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin was a French educationalist and historian, founder of the International Olympic Committee, and is considered the father of the modern Olympic Games...
, French baron and IOC founder
- Jean-Pascal Delamuraz
Jean-Pascal Delamuraz was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council ....
, Swiss politician
- Helen of Greece and Denmark, Queen Mother of Romania
- Victoria Eugenia of Battenberg
Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg was queen consort of King Alfonso XIII of Spain...
, queen of Spain
- Peter Carl Fabergé
Peter Karl Fabergé also known as Karl Gustavovich Fabergé in Russia was a Russian jeweller of Baltic German-Danish and French origin, best known for the famous Fabergé eggs, made in the style of genuine Easter eggs, but using precious metals and gemstones rather than more mundane materials.-Early...
, Russian jeweller
- Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon was an English historian and Member of Parliament...
, British historian
- Gloria Guinness
Gloria Guinness , born Gloria Rubio y Alatorre, was a Mexican-born socialite and fashion icon of the 20th century, and a contributing editor to Harper's Bazaar from 1963 until 1971...
, socialite and writer.
- Ravi Gupta, American-born scholar
- Oswald Heer
Oswald Heer , Swiss geologist and naturalist, was born at Niederuzwil in Canton of St. Gallen and died in Lausanne.-Biography:...
, Swiss geologist and naturalist
- Stéphane Lambiel
Stéphane Lambiel is a Swiss figure skater and a choreographer. He is a two-time World Champion, the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time Grand Prix Champion and a nine-time Swiss national champion...
, men's figure skater and 2-time World Champion
- Sébastien Loeb
Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...
, French rally driver
- Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim, Finnish president and field marshal
- James Mason
James Neville Mason was an English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. Mason remained a powerful figure in the industry throughout his career and was nominated for three Academy Awards as well as three Golden Globes .- Early life :Mason was born in Huddersfield, in the...
, English actor
- Fernand Melgar
Fernand Melgar is a Swiss actor, producer, director and film editor. The son of Spanish immigrants, Melgar has lived in Lausanne since 1963...
, Swiss actor
- Jô Soares
José Eugênio Soares, best known as Jô Soares is a Brazilian comedian, talk show host, author, theatrical producer, director, actor, painter and musician. Soares was born in Rio de Janeiro...
, Brazilian humorist
- Waldemar Mordecai Haffkine, Ukrainian bacteriologist
- Paloma Picasso
Anne Paloma Picasso known professionally as Paloma Picasso, is a French/Spanish fashion designer and businesswoman, best known for her jewelry designs and signature perfumes. She is the youngest daughter of famed 20th-century artist Pablo Picasso and painter and writer Françoise Gilot...
, Fashion designer
- Auguste Piccard
Auguste Antoine Piccard was a Swiss physicist, inventor and explorer.-Biography:Piccard and his twin brother Jean Felix were born in Basel, Switzerland...
, Swiss physicist, inventor and explorer
- George Sanders
George Sanders was a British actor.George Sanders may also refer to:*George Sanders , Victoria Cross recipient in World War I...
, English actor
- Albin Schram
Albin Schram was one of the greatest collectors of autograph letters by shapers of world history. He was born in Prague to Austrian parents. He studied law at Vienna University and worked in Vienna, Germany and Switzerland...
, Renowned manuscript collector
- Georges Simenon
Georges Joseph Christian Simenon was a Belgian writer. A prolific author who published nearly 200 novels and numerous short works, Simenon is best known for the creation of the fictional detective Maigret.-Early life and education:...
, Belgian writer
- Han Suyin
Han Suyin , is the pen name of Elizabeth Comber, born Rosalie Elisabeth Kuanghu Chow . She is a Chinese-born Eurasian author of several books on modern China, novels set in East Asia, and autobiographical works, as well as a physician...
, China-born writer
- Karol Szymanowski
Karol Maciej Szymanowski was a Polish composer and pianist.-Life:Szymanowski was born into a wealthy land-owning Polish gentry family in Tymoszówka, then in the Russian Empire, now in Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine. He studied music privately with his father before going to Gustav Neuhaus'...
, Polish composer
- Eugène Viollet-le-Duc
Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc was a French architect and theorist, famous for his interpretive "restorations" of medieval buildings. Born in Paris, he was a major Gothic Revival architect.-Early years:...
, French architect
- Pierre Viret
Pierre Viret was a Swiss Reformed theologian.- Early life :Pierre Viret was born to a devout middle class Roman Catholic family in Orbe, a small town now in Switzerland. He was a close friend of John Calvin....
, Swiss reformed theologian
- Serge Voronoff
Serge Abrahamovitch Voronoff was a French surgeon of Russian extraction who gained fame for his technique of grafting monkey testicle tissue on to the testicles of men for purportedly therapeutic purposes while working in France in the 1920s and 1930s. The technique brought him a great deal of...
, Surgeon buried in Lausanne
See also
- Beau-Rivage Palace
The Beau-Rivage Palace is a historical luxury hotel in Lausanne, Switzerland. The hotel opened in 1861 and the current main building was constructed in Art Déco and neo-baroque style in 1908.In 1923 the Treaty of Lausanne was signed at the Beau-Rivage Palace....
- Eurovision Song Contest 1989
The Eurovision Song Contest 1989 was the 34th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 6 May 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Switzerland gained the hosting rights after Celine Dion's victory in Dublin the previous year. The presenters were Lolita Morena and Jacques Deschenaux. Riva was the winner of...
- Franco-Provençal language
Franco-Provençal , Arpitan, or Romand is a Romance language with several distinct dialects that form a linguistic sub-group separate from Langue d'Oïl and Langue d'Oc. The name Franco-Provençal was given to the language by G.I...
- International Academy of Sport Science and Technology (AISTS)
- Lac de Sauvabelin
Lac de Sauvabelin is an artificial lake in the Sauvabelin forest, above Lausanne, Switzerland.The city of Lausanne authorized the construction of the lake in 1888.-External links: * *...
- Lausanne Conference, 1949
The Lausanne Conference, 1949 was convened by the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine from 27 April to 12 September 1949 in Lausanne, Switzerland...
- List of mayors of Lausanne
- Scots Kirk, Lausanne
The Scots Kirk is situated at 24 Avenue de Rumine, Lausanne. It is one of two congregations of the Church of Scotland in Switzerland, the other being the Scots Kirk in Geneva, and is part of the Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Europe....
(Church of Scotland)
- Treaty of Lausanne
The Treaty of Lausanne was a peace treaty signed in Lausanne, Switzerland on 24 July 1923, that settled the Anatolian and East Thracian parts of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire. The treaty of Lausanne was ratified by the Greek government on 11 February 1924, by the Turkish government on 31...
External links