DISCOVER LAUSANNE
Lausanne is a city in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, and facing Evian-les-Bains (France) and with the Jura hills to its north. Lausanne is located some 50 km northeast of Geneva.
It is the capital of the canton of Vaud and of the district of Lausanne. The headquarters of the International Olympic Committee are located in Lausanne. It lies in the middle of a wine-growing region.
 HISTORY OF LAUSANNE
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'. After the fall of the Empire, insecurity forced the transfer of Lausanne to its current center, a hilly, easier to defend site. The city which grew from the camp was ruled by the Dukes of Savoy and the Bishop of Lausanne. Then it came under Berne from 1536 to 1798 and a number of its cultural treasures, including the hanging tapestries in the Cathedral, were permanently removed.
During the Napoleonic Wars, its status changed. In 1803, it became the capital of a newly formed Swiss canton, Vaud as it joined the Swiss Federation. From the 1950s to 1970s a large number of Italians immigrated, settling mostly in the 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 that gave rise to the motto 'Lausanne bouge'.
In a rare showmanship of anti-authoritarianism, the youth responded by ascribing to the word flic (literally "cop") the term, Federation Lausannoise des Imbeciles Casques. The next vigorous demonstrations took place to protest against the high cinema prices and since then the city has returned to its sleepy self.
A surprising decision for the city housing the IOC is that in a 1992 referendum, its citizens rejected holding the Winter Olympic Games. The dignitaries of the city were so convinced that the vote would be 'yes' that they had prepared a champagne celebration.
GEOGRAPHY OF LAUSANNE
The most important geographical feature of the area surrounding Lausanne is Lake Geneva (Lac Leman in French). Lausanne is built on the southern slope of the Swiss plateau, with a difference in elevation of about 500 meters (1,600 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.
In addition to its generally southward-sloping layout, the center of the city is the site of an ancient river 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 Cote (to the west).
The population of the greater Lausanne area (grand Lausanne) is about 250,000 (2005 est.).
TRANSPORT IN LAUSANNE
• Public Transport:
Public transport in Lausanne includes buses and metros (operated by TL (French)), nationwide and regional train lines (CFF, LEB (French)), and boats (CGN (French)). The majority of urban public transport in Lausanne is by trolleybus.
Lausanne will become the first city in Switzerland to have a Rubber-tired metro system, with the m2 Line which will open in 2008. The rolling stock will be a shorter version of the one used on Paris Metro Line 14.
• Roadways:
Lausanne is connected to the A1 motorway on its east side (Geneva - Zurich axis) and to the A9 on its north and east side (transit with Italy and France), the forking point between these two motorways being at the north-west side of the city.
CULTURE OF LAUSANNE
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.
Each summer, the "City festival", or "Festival de la Cite" is held at the beginning of July. There are also film festivals, and the Bach Festival, "Le Festival et Concours Bach de Lausanne" follows "La Nuit de Musees" (Museum's night) in the fall season.
Lausanne is the home of the Bejart Ballet and also has some alternative culture.
MUSEUMS OF LAUSANNE
Lausanne is also the site of many museums:
• Musee Olympique Lausanne (Olympic Museum)
• Musee de l'Elysee (Elysee Museum)
• Fondation de l'Hermitage (Hermitage Foundation)
• The Collection de l'Art Brut (Art Brut Collection)
• mudac (Musee de design et d'arts appliques contemporains)
• Musee Historique de Lausanne (Lausanne Historical Museum)
• Cabinet des Medailles cantonal
• Espace Arlaud (French)
• Espace des Inventions (French) (Science Center for Kids)
• Fondation Claude Verdan (French) - Musee de la main (Museum of the Hand)
• Vivarium de Lausanne (French)
• Forum d'architectures de Lausanne
• Forum de l'Hotel de Ville (Forum of the Town Hall)
• Musee cantonal d'Archeologie et d'Histoire (Cantonal Museum of Archeology and History)
• Musee cantonal des Beaux-Arts (French) (Cantonal Fine Arts Museum)
• Musee cantonal de Geologie (French) (Cantonal Geological Museum)
• Musee et jardins botaniques cantonaux (Cantonal Museum and Botanical Gardens)
• Musee de Pully (Pully Museum)
• Musee romain de Lausanne-Vidy (Lausanne-Vidy Roman Museum)
• Musee de la Villa romaine de Pully (Pully Roman Villa Museum)
• Musee cantonal de Zoologie (Cantonal Zoology Museum)
• Roseraie de la Vallee de la Jeunesse (Rosegarden)
• Etablissement horticole de la Bourdonnette - serres de la Ville (Horticultural Establishment of La Bourdonette - Municipal Glasshouses)
SPORTS IN LAUSANNE
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 athletic contest (Athletissima (French)), road running through the city (the 20 km de Lausanne (French)), road cycling race, marathon and triathlon competition, among other sports events.
Retrieved from Wikipedia.org, the Free Encyclopedia
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