Vichy - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Geography

Vichy is located on the Allier. She enjoys a oceanic climate which comprises some characteristics of the climate of mountain, such as for example the abundance of precipitations: 820 mm on average per annum. The relief, typical of a river valley of plain, is accentuated by the proximity of the Montagne bourbonnaise.

History

Antiquity

The presence of a ford on the “Flumen To wash out” (Allier) and of the sources encouraged the Gallo-Romans to establish a village at the exit of the bridge that Jules César had to borrow in 52 av. J. - C., on its return of Gergovie. They were the first to know the therapeutic virtues of the sources and to exploit them. During the first two centuries of the Christian era, Vichy thus knows an economic prosperity thanks to the thermal baths. At the end of the 3rd century, Dioclétien undertakes a vast administrative and cadastral reorganization. At that time the toponym Vipiacus (agricultural domain of certain Vipius) appears which, by phonetic evolution becomes Vichiacus then Vichiet or Vichier and ends up being written Vichy quickly.

the Middle Ages

To the the Middle Ages, by act of September 2nd 1344, Jean II yields to the duke Pierre I {{er}} of Bourbon the châtellenie of Vichy. After the acquisition of December 6th, 1374 on last behalf of the castle of Vichy by Louis II, Vichy is attached to the Bourbonnais. In 1410, the convent of Célestins is founded with twelve monks. A building located above the source of Célestins is still visible.

modern Time

In 1527, Bourbonnais is attached to the Crown of France. As of the end of the 16th century, the curists come to look after themselves in Vichy where water acquires a quasi miraculous reputation quickly. Certain intendants, such Whip, Chomel, inaugurate a coding of the cures and give a large gloss to the station by attracting important personalities there. It is however the Marquise of Sévigné, curist in 1676 and 1677, which would popularize the description of the hydrants and baths in its letters. The Vichy waters, curing it of an annoying paralysis of the hands, indeed enable him to find the use of its brilliant and invaluable feather. In 1761 and 1762, Adelaide and Victoire de France, girls of Louis XV come first once to Vichy, then return in 1785. The establishment of baths appears extremely inconvenient to them with its muddy and insufficient accesses for the great number of curists. Their return to Versailles, they ask for their nephew Louis XVI of make build more roomy and more pleasant thermal baths (built in 1787).

contemporary Time

French revolution at the end of the Third Republic

In 1799, Laetitia Bonaparte, mother of Napoleon, makes a cure in company of his/her son Louis. Under the Empire, the Parc of the sources is arranged on the order of the emperor (decree of Gumbinen of 1812).

Under Charles X, the surge of the curists encourages to increase the capacity of reception of the hydropathic establishment. dauphine the makes increase the buildings of Janson, in the same style thanks to the plan of Rose-Beauvais (work completed in 1830). Of 1844 with 1853, develop stage performances and lyric in the living rooms of the establishment under the rod of the leader Isaac Strauss.

At the 19th century, Vichy is a station with the mode, attended by the celebrities of the time. But they are the stays of Napoleon III, between 1861 and 1866, which will involve a deep transformation of the city: the river Allier is dammed up. Landscaped gardens of 13 hectares replace the old marshes. Along the lately traced urban axes, country cottages and houses are built to place the emperor and the imperial continuation. The distractions are not forgotten: an eclectic casino of style is built from the point of view of the Parc of the sources by the architect Badger and is inaugurated in 1865. The emperor is the catalyst of the development of a thermal small station which, without industrial contribution and with the variation of the road main roads, multiplies the number of its inhabitants and visitors by ten in fifty years.

After the Second Empire, the Beautiful Time mark the second large construction campaign of Vichy. In 1903 are inaugurated the opera, the hall of the sources, and the great hydropathic establishment of Eastern style. In 1900, the Parc of the sources is girdled of a metal covered gallery. Long, it 700 meters is decorated of a plank of thistles and was carried out by the ironworker Emile Robert. Private mansions and De luxe hotel S like the Aletti De luxe hotel, the Astoria De luxe hotel, with the most varied architectural references, are high in first half of the 20th century.

Vichy accommodates: 40000 curists in 1900, close to: 100000 the day before the First World War. The thermal life knows its apogee in the years 1930. The success of the thermal treatment leads the persons in charge of the Farm Compagnie to increase the capacity of the establishments by creating the Bains Callou and the Bains Lardy. The opera of style Art nouveau, inaugurated in 1903, accommodates all the great names of the international scenes: Vichy becomes the estival capital of the music in France, but the war of 1914 puts a brutal crushing argument at this development.

Mode of Vichy

Fourth and Fifth Republic

Years 1950 and 60 will be the period more ostentation for Vichy, which sees ravelling personalities, crowned heads (the Glaoui, the prince Rainier III of Monaco) and profits from the massive arrival of the customers of French of North Africa, which are found on vacation in Vichy, largely spend, get dressed, have fun… Thirteen cinemas (where the films are sometimes presented in preview), eight dance halls, three theaters… It is at this period that the station will take the title of Reine of the towns of water .

From June to September, a true airlift is set up between Vichy-Charmeil and the aerodromes of Algeria. Under the impulse of its mayor Pierre Coulon (1950 - 1967), the creation of the Lake To combine (put out of water on June 10th 1963) and general sports Park (1963 - 1968) give to the city its current profile.

But the War of Algeria, followed Decolonization, mark once again a brutal crushing argument for the city which must from now on adapt to a news gives much less favorable. The need for refunding the considerable investments carried out in such a context will oblige the mayor Jacques Lacarin (1967 - 1989), successor of Pierre Coulon brutally disappeared, to adopt a policy of management much more careful.

Claude Malhuret is mayor since 1989. The economic City and its partners start and conclude an important program of restoration and modernization; Creation of a vast pedestrian heart of city, modernization and setting to the standards of the hotel sector, rebuilding and restoration of the thermal baths, realization of a center of Balneotherapy dedicated to back in shape and the wellbeing, development of the architectural heritage, realization of a center of congress within old the casino, restoration of the opera.

Administration

Source: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/carteret/ essential Site on the ville

Demography

Economy

The city is re-elected for its cures at a watering-place since the time of the Romans. Its water is famous in the whole world (sources Vichy Célestins, Vichy Saint-Yorre) but the pastilles made starting from the soda contained in spring waters are also famous.

The sector of health and the beauty, with the laboratories of the group L'Oreal, also makes it possible to diffuse the name of the city to the whole world under the mark… Vichy.

Contrary to its neighbors To combine it, Montlucon the industrial one and Mills the administrative one, the economy of the basin of Vichy is very diversified. The impression first of an only tourist and thermal city masks a manufacturing reality (as a rate of industrial employment in the local active population higher than the national average proves it) with in particular the activities of the cosmetic, the plasturgie, mechanics, electricity/electronic die and agro-alimentary (confectionery, meat). This industrial sector is composed of a few large units, but especially of many SME. In addition to these manufacturing activities, Vichy present of specificities in the tertiary sector with the thermal activities and in particular the back in shape which seeks to mitigate the decline of medical hydrotherapy, open local store Sunday which attracts customers of the surrounding departments traditionally, tourism and today the activities of the higher tertiary sector.

Vichy is one of the 2 seats of the Chamber of commerce and industry of Mill-Vichy.

The key figures of the economic basin of Vichy are available on the vichy-economie.com site.

The closing of two important local employers, Manurhin and Sediver, threatens the basin of employment and job creations by companies under development like NSE (electronic) or Satel (center of calls) will not compensate for the redundancies which will result from this, even if the tour operator on Internet Karavel establishes in May 2005 its center of calls which should create 300 jobs at horizon 3 years, on a site built by the SEMIV (Company of real mixed economy of Vichy) or the Lyons computer firm Percall which envisages 120 people under two years with Cusset (ex-offices Manurhin ).

Nevertheless, the three most important employers of the city belong to the public sector: the hospital (: 1120 people), the town hall (720) and the College of Presles (370).

Vichy accommodates since 1989 one of the 7 sites of the European Institute of total quality. The Pole university and technological Lardy , born from a project of rehabilitation of a thermal waste land and launched in the middle of the years 1990, is a priority of economic development. This campus of: 9000 m ² accommodate 600 students in downtown area, in ten dies distributed in the fields of biotechnologies, the international business, multi-media and the languages. CAVILAM (Center of alive approaches of the languages and the media), created in Vichy in 1964, is now installed with the Lardy Pole.

The Palais of the congresses accommodates primarily the congresses of professional associations and learned societies in a space of: 1800 m ² including/understanding two plenary rooms and fifteen living rooms of flexible commissions. With: 25000 visitors per annum, the congresses carry it from now on on the hydrotherapy, which counts today only: 12000 curists each year. One of the stakes of hydrotherapy will be to leave the only therapeutic indications and to reorientate themselves on the crenel of the back in shape and the stays shorter than the traditional duration 3 weeks.

To finally announce an initiative original and unique in France, carried out in the vicinity immediate of Vichy: the common neighbor of Brugheas accommodates a village holidays entirely accessible and adapted for all the people to reduced mobility or in situation of handicap, Lio' Hand Évasion.

Large building sites

Currently, under the aegis of the local government agencies, from many building sites deeply will modify Vichy in the years which come. As follows:

construction, in September 2005, of the hotel of the Community of agglomeration on the old site of the “commercial City”,
the total restoration of the gone covered which was inaugurated at the end of 2006,
the creation of a pole mother-child of: 12000 m ² at the hospital were already carried out.

Other building sites are under development:

the restoration of the frontage of the station (removal of the metal boardings to find the style of the construction of 1862) and the transformation of the site into intermodal pole intended to allow the users “to jump” of one means of transport to the other in the same place and comprising the creation of green areas with fountains in the place of the current carparks (moved on the other side of the ways).
the transformation of the buildings of the old factory of congestion into a space undertaken intended to accommodate 800 employment on: 8000 m ² distributed on two levels with seedbed of companies. The head office Centers France of the MACIF, first occupant of the site, should thus be inaugurated in November 2007.
the construction of new the stage watery of a capacity of reception of 900 people and including/understanding 5 basins out of stainless (a first in France) and equipped with a ludic basin of 280 m ², a covered sporting basin of 25 m and an Olympic basin external of 50 m, as well as a space spa, sauna and hammam and a room of musculation and fitness. The cost of the project should exceed the 20 million euros. To date, it is not always known if the heating of the basins by geothermics, an evoked time, could or not be carried out because of technical uncertainties… and budgetary.
the highway connection should be effective in 2011, which will make it possible to better serve Vichy, currently separate toll of Gannat by 16 kilometers of trunk road.

The real estate

In addition, the SEMIV has as a project to entirely renovate the real waste land located beside the shopping mall of the Four Ways (angle Victoria avenue and street Georges Clémenceau) and to create a hundred residences there. Work of the residence Tivoli (located beside the old cinema éponyme) advances well after the building site was delayed initially due to archaeological excavations.

In parallel, the private sector is not in remainder and of many hotels (Portugal, Europe, Seville, Lafayette, the Pyrenees, Manoir, Cloche of Money…) make the object of projects of rehabilitation and transformation into top-of-the-range apartments, within the framework of the Loi Malraux. Certain work is about to be completed (Hotel of Portugal), others already quite advanced (Hotels of the Pyrenees, Europe, Manor) but of others seem at the dead point (Hotel of the Money Bell). It remains that the abundance of new residences is likely to weigh on a rental market whose offer is already well provided in the old one and where the request remains limited because of the brittleness of the basin of employment. For proof, various new rental programs pain to find a tenant in spite of an important local recourse to publicity.

The situation is different with regard to the possibility of home-ownership. Vichy indeed represents a gravitational destination for the people eager to profit from equipment and infrastructures worthy of a great agglomeration without undergoing the disadvantages of them. This is why the apartments of center town, for little which they offer an irreproachable level of services in terms of site, parking, elevator, balcony… are very required. From this point of view, the request is far from being saturated.

The urban real estate is also in full change. In addition to the building site of the station (see higher), the repair of the boulevard De Lattre de Tassigny between the Rotunda and the Darragon Stage will make it possible to revalorize Right Bank of the lake To combine by creating a kind of “walk of English” in the place of the one of the two degraded lanes. Work of widening of the way, started at the beginning of 2007, already allowed the realization of a double lane, opening from now on the building site of the esplanade reserved to the pedestrians on the edges of the lake To combine.

In the long term, the carpark located between the Darragon stage and Sichon could accommodate a real whole of prestige, which would come to just supplement the “face of lake” opposite the hippodrome.

Vichy waters

The virtues of thermal springs of Vichy were already known Romans and were given to the mode as from the XVIIIe century. The medicinal springs produce water charged out of sodium bicarbonate and carbonic gas as well as many trace elements. The curists who attend the hydropathic establishments come to look after their liver, gall bladder, pancreas, stomach and intestine.

The six independent sources are classified in two categories:

In addition, two water is diffused in the whole world for their beneficial virtues near the greatest number. Here the comment that makes of it Béatrice de Reynal, nutritionnist:

Famous characters

Vichy even had the honor to have for curist the Commissaire Maigret, since Georges Simenon located its “Maigret at it at Vichy” (1967).

Tourist monuments and places

Built before 1861

The architectural heritage of the city is recent (XIXe and XXe centuries) but some former vestiges nevertheless remained. It is the case of the milliary terminal, presented to the thermal Center of the domes. Out of arkose, high, it 2,35 meters goes back to 248 - 249 and was found in 1880 close to the thermal Center of the Domes.

The convent of Célestins , located in the park of Célestins, was built hones some in XVe century. It is in April 1410 which Louis II, duke of Bourbon, signed the constitutive instrument of the monastery of monk célestins. Beside the building, a library, a housing seigneurial and gardens were envisaged. From good reputation, the monastery received important incomes and the monks grew rich. This is why the abbey was removed by a bubble of the pope in 1777 like by an ordinance of the king Louis XV in 1778. It was used then as town hall before being sold like national good in 1793. The building was not demolished starting from 1795, it does not remain any more but vestiges about it.

The Frank Manor house , located Kennedy boulevard, was built hones some at the end of XVe century on the old ramparts of Vichy. The residence was the property of the same family of XVIe until the beginning of Xe century. Of 1801 with 1822 the frank Manor house accommodated the town hall of Vichy. The frontage was remade in the neo-gothic style in 1880.

The house Sévigné (Kennedy boulevard) date of the XVIIe century. In 1676 and 1677 the marchioness of Sévigné followed a cure to Vichy to look after its rheumatisms with the hands and it placed in the old part of the residence (in the building in chaining and stone of Volvic).

The church Saint Blaise , located place of the old church, is made up of stones of Volvic. The Chevet points out its Romance origin . To XVIe century it was attached to the vault of the castle. It shelters the burials of the middle-class and the intendants of water of the city. The priest of the church made it strongly alter starting from 1873 (neo-classic porch).

The house Bardon (street of the door of France), built out of stone of Volvic at the beginning of the XVIIe century, belonged to the family Vict de Pontgibaud to XVIe and XVIIe centuries, then with the Bardon family at the XVIIIe century.

The house of Vict de Pontgibaud (street To combine) was built at the beginning of XVIe century. Vict de Pontgibaud resided at it of 1598 until the middle of the XVIIIe century.

The native house of Albert London , located with the crossing of the Besse streets and the Midsummer's Day Door, date of the middle of the XIXe century. It is currently with the abandonment.

The villa Strauss (4 rue de Belgique), out of brick, is due to the architect Hugues Bartillat. Built in 1858, of style néo-Louis XIII, it was to accommodate the leader Isaac Strauss. Napoleon III lived there in 1861 then in 1862 because the imperial country cottages, where it was to reside, were still in construction.

Influence of Napoleon III in Vichy: 1861-1870

The regular stays of the emperor Napoleon III in Vichy (starting from 1861) decided it to arrange the city, which then knew a true urban boom, marked by the construction of many buildings of prestige. The Paris-Vichy way was facilitated by the construction of the station in 1862. The first train penetrated there the May 8th 1862. The canopies protecting the quays are of style Art nouveau. The station was increased in 1977. As regards the private residences, in fact Chalet S were built. Most prestigious are on the boulevard of the United States. They are due to the architect Jean Lefaure and are made bricks and of wood. The country cottage Marie-Louise (n° 109), built in 1863 is the first which the emperor ordered from Vichy. It lived there only one season because of the balconies which, giving on the street, harmed its intimacy. With the 109 (a), the country cottage of Clermont-Thunder, built in is 1863 out of brick and wood by Jean Lefaure for the captain of Clermont-Thunder, who ensured the safety of the sovereign. The country cottage of the Emperor, with the n°107, was built in 1864, to replace the Marie-Louise country cottage like residence of Napoleon III. The balcony thus gave on the park. The country cottage of the Pinks, in N° 101, was built in 1864 for the Minister for Finance of 1861 with 1867, Achille Fould. It took as a starting point the Swiss and American architecture.

The street Alquié comprises home intended for the guard, with a London influence.

Avenue Aristide Briand is the country cottage of the petitions , built in 1864 - 1865, and home of the guard of the Napoleon park on which the country cottages of the Kennedy boulevard give.

The park Napoleon III was embellished in 1861 and 1862 by the plantation of trees carried out by the horticulturist Joseph Marie. An artificial river ran in the middle of the park, currently replaced by two basins. Other types of buildings were set up.

Thus it is church Saint-Louis , built which occurred Paul Doumer out of stone of Nievre in 1864, on request of the emperor. It aimed to serve a parish lately created in Vichy to take account of the increase in the population of the commune. Of romano-Burgundian style, its frontage with bays in semicircular arch and rosette recall the Gothic style of transition.

Inside, one notes the presence of stained glasses to the glory of the imperial family with representations of saints whose names are those of Bonaparte family members. The casino (currently: Palais of the congresses ) was built in 1865 stone by the architect Charles Badger. It comprised a theater, a ballroom, a living room of reading and a veranda. In 1995, Jean-Guilhem de Castelbajac, Frederic Namur and Guy Degranchamps made a palate of the congresses of them. The Southern frontage which gives on the street of the Casino is of style néo-Louis XIII. The northern frontage, which gives on the park, is of style néo-baroque. It includes/understands a central part and two before body comprising each one four caryatids representing the seasons and overcome each one of a pediment, comprising a clock (on the left) and a barometer (on the right). In 1901 the casino was increased by a stone building due to the Charles architect the Heart which added to the casino of the living rooms, of the déambulatoires, a large hall and a theater. The room of theater comprises approximately: 1400 places. The fall of the Second Empire did not put a term at the frequentation of Vichy by fortunate people, who built in the city.

From 1870 to 1944

With the crossing of the boulevard of Russia and street Alquié is a building built in 1884 and surmounted by a turret which gives him its name, the whole being due to the architect Honore Vianne.

The Manor house Alameda , with the crossing of the street Eugene-Gilbert and the avenue of Célestins is of the architect Henri Décoret who gives him a neo-gothic style, and goes back to 1890.

Even style and even architect for the villa the Scrap-metal (10 avenue des Célestins) built in 1890.

The Venetian villa is always of Henri Décoret. Built out of brick in 1897, street of Belgium, this residence is a miniature copy of Ca Giustinian of Venice.

In 1898 Ernest Mizard, architect, set up the Flemish manor house , a house out of brick located with the crossing of the street Alquié and boulevard of Russia which takes as a starting point the end of the Gothic period and the beginning of the Flemish Rebirth. The roof burns in 1933. Between 1940 and 1944, this building is occupied by the secretariat in the Stations and Communications.

Rue de Longchamp is the villa Yvonette due to Antoine Chanet, who in are also the owner, and to the sculptor Julien Fugier (who decorates the frontage). Built in 1899, it is out of brick and stone.

The very Parisian street Hubert Dovecote , formerly private street, is bordered of beautiful villas of all styles, majority classified I.S.M.H.: villa Victor Hugo of the architect Antoine Percilly, out of stone and brick and of style néo-Louis XIII (n°5); the pretty villa Van Dyck, of the same architect, out of brick, inspired of the Flemish Rebirth (n°9); the Jurietti villa - a private mansion - built between 1895 and 1897 by Despienne, out of stone and of style Néorenaissance (n° 11), would have sheltered a privative casino! ; the villa Art nouveau, by Antoine Percilly, always belongs to the Colombier family; the impressive villa located at the n° 12 (1900), surmounted by a slate rotunda, was recently plastered, which made it possible to find the original whiteness of the stone (it would have sheltered the embassy of the kingdom of Siam during the Second world war); the country cottage of the guard is built in 1896 per Honore Vianne out of brick and wood with the crossing of the streets Hubert-Dovecote and the Foch Marshal.

The villa Anne-marie , located street Albert London, is the work of the Paul Martin architect, who lived there. It makes it build in 1902 stone and brick. The architect Henri Vianne also laid out him of a private mansion, street Roovère, built between 1887 and 1890.

The Alhambra is built in 1898 per Antoine Percilly, street Sornin. It is of Moorish style with green and blue stuccos which copy those of the door of justice to the Alhambra of Grenade.

The Gothic Manor house , located at 15 boulevard de Russie, is built out of stone and brick in 1910 by Samuel Henriquet. The building is characterized by its Gothic style.

The villa Art nouveau , street of Strasbourg, is built at the beginning of the XXe century out of stone in a style Art nouveau.

The villa of Doctor Frémont , neo-classic style, completion date of the XIXe century (7 rue Prunelle).

The villa Messidor , street of Verdun, the architect Adrien Dacq dates from the beginning of the XXe century.

At the Carnot boulevard is located the Moorish villa , built in 1906 by the architects Henri Décoret and Antoine Percilly, is of Eastern influence.

The villa of Doctor Maire is built in 1911 by Samuel Henriquet between the street of the Golf and the quay To combine. In Calcareous and Granite, this masonry which has a turret with machicolation is of neo-gothic influence. Architecture is also with the honor concerning hydrotherapy. In 1881 Doctor Lejeune (1848-1905) made build an establishment of care (16 avenue Thermale) to the frontage néo-baroque.

The hall of the source of the célestins date of 1908. In stucco, stone and wood, it is due to Lucien Woog. It of oval form and is composed of arcades in semicircular arch. It shelters a basin by where the source leaves Célestins.

The hall of the sources, which is in the park of the sources, is out of iron and wood. The hall, built in 1902, is refitted in 1977, and since all the sources arrive in this building.

The thermal center of the Domes , located near the palate of the sources, is built between 1899 and 1903 starting from plans establish by Charles the Heart. Out of sandstone, the building 170 meters is long and of Moorish style. The hall comprises two paintings, the Source (1903) of Alphonse Osbert, an oil on fabric representing of the people drinking with a source, and the Bath (1904), or one sees women bathing, the whole being of style Symbolist marked by the rigidity of the bodies. Religious buildings are also built. It is the case of the vault of the hospital of the architects Coquet, Barrody and Percilly, set up in 1887 to equip the new hospital with a church.

The temple protesting is born in 1913. It is set up by Samuel Henriquet, with a neo-gothic style (street Max-Durand-Fardel).

The house of the missionary , street Mounin, date of 1922. It is rested by the former missionary Henry Watthé to accommodate the sick missionaries.

The Notre Dame church of the Patients (street To combine), leant with the church Saint-Blaise, is built between 1925 and 1931 by the architects Antoine Chanet and Jean Liogier. Out of concrete, the church has a cupola reaching a 42 meters height, decorated by the Mauméjean brothers with a fresco in three parts: Old Testament (Synagog), New Testament (Clovis, Louix XIII and Louis XVI) and Christ in cross - in the center of the cupola a representation of God is. The bell-tower is built only in 1956.

Buildings are built for the leisures. Thus equestrian stage builds in 1887 and 1888 per Jean Décoret (avenue Jean Jaurès) to accommodate the horse show of the South-east which proceeded before with Lyon. Cycle races and agricultural shows also proceeded there. Contests of jump of obstacle and races of greyhounds still take place there.

Several hotels of the period remain.

the Thermal De luxe hotel located on the Aletti place is due to the architect Rene Moreau. Built between 1908 and 1911, it accommodates the commander-in-chief of the military forces and part of the secretariat of State to the war.
the hotel of the ambassadors , of style néo-Louis XIII, is him also located Aletti place, is occupied by the French diplomatic corps between 1940 and 1944.

Other types of buildings date from the period 1861-1944.

The sub-prefecture , located with the crossing of the street Alquié and the street Prunelle is built at the end of the XIXe century. Vichy becomes sub-prefecture Allier the August 28th 1941. Close from there is located the residence of the sub-prefect Allier, built in 1896 per Henri Décoret, of neo-classic style.

The town hall is of the architect Antoine Chanet. Its construction, started in 1913, stops following the unfolding of the First World War, to be completed only in 1925. The Minister of Interior Department, Albert Sarraut, is present the day of the inauguration, the September 2nd 1928. The building is of style Néorenaissance and has a monumental staircase.

The post office building is built in Granit in 1935 Charles de Gaulle place. It is the work of Leon Azéma, which before built other buildings for the postal and telecommunications authorities as well as the ossuary of Douaumont. Its frontage is close to that of the Economic and Social Council with Paris. Its powerful switchboard contributed to decide the French government to go to Vichy in 1940.

The central markets go back to 1935. Built out of concrete by Mazon, they are inaugurated with the post office building by the Minister for Finance, Marcel Régnier, the October 23rd 1935.

After the Second world war

As from the years 1960 the mayor Pierre Coulon lance a construction schedule which gives to the city its current aspect. New districts are built while the Allier is arranged to carry out a lake of reserve intended for the leisures.

The Barrage (bridge of Europe) out of concrete goes back to 1963. It acts of stopping and bridge. It is composed of seven 30 meters length master keys each one.

The rotunda of the lake is built the same year by the architect Louis Marol, out of concrete. It is about a circular restaurant of plan builds on even Combining it.

Sports and competitions

The principal sporting clubs are the Jeanne d' Arc of Vichy (tennis shoe, Pro has into 2007/08) and the Racing Club of Vichy (Rugby, federal 2 in 2007/08). In the month of June 2006, Vichy accommodated several meetings of the world cup of Rugby of less than 21 years at the Darragon stage.

The hippodrome is the third of province, behind Cagnes-sur-Mer, Deauville, with 120.000 visitors and 300 races per annum.

Vichy was the most septentrional city where the Corrida S were authorized. They were held of 1892 with 1989.

The general sports park, in edge of the lake To combine, is a park of 120 hectares which includes/understands ten grounds, a stage of athletics, a nautical stage, equipment for about fifty disciplines and an international stay center remakes to nine. It enters 40.000 nights per annum and accommodates in training course the professional teams of the sports like football, the fencing, the tennis shoe and Rugby.

The water level allows the practice of the oar (competitions of which Championnats of France, Club of the Oar of Vichy), the water skiing (competitions), the sail and the board with veil, the canoé-kayak and the rafting (training and improvement on the artificial river).

Vichy offers the characteristic to have two golf courses, including one almost of center town: created in 1908, the Golf Club of Vichy is contiguous with the hippodrome on the left bank Allier. The Golf of Montpensier as for him is located at Serbannes, to 8 km.

Since 1976 the living rooms of the Palate of the congress-Opera accommodate the Festival of French-speaking Vichy de Scrabble, an international competition of Scrabble attended by more than 2500 players coming from several countries from the world.

Twinnings

Vichy is twinned with:

Transport

Bus Inter is the urban grid system of Vichy Val To combine. Seven lines are available since October 2nd, 2006.
Mobival is a “transport with the request” of the agglomeration of Vichy. The network Mobival offers a service of transport to the whole of the communes of the agglomeration which are not served by the network Bus Inter . This network has 10 lines.

Others

The Vichy fabric with large squares was with the mode in the Années 1960.

The boiled carrots indicate a receipt of kitchen in which the carrots are cooked with water, without salt.

Since XIe century until in the years 1950-60, the hills in the neighborhoods of Vichy were covered with vines, one can thus speak about “old the Vichy-native Vignoble”.

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