History History

The first traces of man in Lausanne date back to around 6000 to 5000 BC. Under the Roman ruins of Vidy, near the lake, excavations have uncovered a necropolis with objects and bones dating from 6500 to 4500 BC. Lake cities, built on the shores, appeared as early as the 4th millennium. The arrival of the Helvetians, a Celtic tribe from Germany, is estimated at 4550 BC.

The earliest known date, 58 BC, is the Battle of Bibracte. As the Helvetii attempted to settle in Gaul, Julius Caesar's armies drove them back. From then on, the country became part of the Roman Empire, and the official language was Latin. The vicus or "village" of Lousonna settled on the shores of Lake Geneva, a name derived from lausa, meaning "flattened stone" or "slab". This could be a reference either to a menhir at Vidy, or to the city's rock.

In the 3rd and 4th centuries, the Alamanni terrorized and invaded the German-speaking part of Switzerland. It was certainly at this time that the inhabitants of Lousonna left the shore for the hill of the City, more sheltered from danger.

In the^5th century, it was the turn of the Burgundians to settle in the Vaud region. Also coming from Germanic tribes, they romanized and founded, in 443, the first Christian kingdom of Burgundy. Less than a century later, it was conquered by the Franks. The linguistic frontier was created: the Burgundians, in the west, became Romanised; the Alamans, in the east, kept the German language.

Around 600, Bishop Marius (Saint Mayor) left Avenches for Lausanne. He is the first in a line of more than fifty bishops who will succeed one another for almost a thousand years, until the Bernese conquest. After a century under the reign of the Carolingian Frankish kings, the decomposition of power under Charlemagne's successors favours the creation of the second kingdom of Burgundy. Saint-Maurice became the political and religious centre of the kingdom, but the kings of Burgundy gradually entrusted new powers to the bishop.

In 999, King Rudolf III of Burgundy faced a revolt by the kingdom's great lords and decided to enlist the support of the clergy. He made several major donations to the bishops of Basel, Sion and Lausanne. In 1011, he ceded the county of Vaud to the latter. In 1032, on the death of Rudolf III, in the absence of a descendant, the kingdom of Burgundy became part of the Holy Roman Empire. For the next two centuries, no feudal lord, secular or ecclesiastical, was able to exercise strong power in the Pays de Vaud. It was a period of anarchy, during which the great landowners (from the castles of Blonay, Chillon...) took power for themselves. The bishops did not get along with the Vaud lords, and this unstable situation encouraged the covetousness of neighboring powers.

When Rudolf ^I of Habsburg died in 1291, it was unclear who would succeed him on the imperial throne and what attitude his sons would adopt. The representatives of the cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden made a pact on the plain of the Rütli, gradually joined by other cantons, to free themselves from Habsburg rule and, centuries later, form the Switzerland we know today. This pact is considered the founding act of the Confederation, and August^1st was adopted as the national holiday at the end of the ^19th century.

The country of Vaud, Savoyard and officially neutral, is caught between the blows of force of the Bernese, themselves threatened by the ambitions of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and the Italian troops who cross it to join the armies of Burgundy. An anti-Burgundian coalition was created, and the confederates declared war on the Duke of Burgundy in October 1474. A year later, the confederates declared war on Jacques de Savoie, who was then supporting Charles the Bold. Berne dominates almost all of Vaud, but this location in the heart of the country has serious consequences. It undermined the authority of the Bishop of Lausanne and the House of Savoy, which was increasingly mismanaging the country of Vaud.

The people of Lausanne, subjects of the bishop, dream of independence. For a long time, they find protection from the Dukes of Savoy, but faced with their weak power, they seek the help of the cities of Bern, Fribourg and Solothurn. Against the will of the bishop, Lausanne signed the treaty of combourgeoisie in 1525. During the Kappel Wars (between Catholics and Protestants), the people of Lausanne, who were still mostly Catholics, sent troops to their allies who had become Protestants.

In 1536, Geneva, once again harassed by the Duke of Savoy, asked for help from France. Bern, fearing that Francis I would compete with it, took the lead and declared war on the Duke of Savoy. It then took the Savoyard possessions also in the Vaud region. Ironically, the people of Lausanne, under the terms of the treaty of combourgeoisie, had to help the Bernese to conquer the country of Vaud.

The Bernese took the place of the bishop who had fled to Lausanne and became sovereign. The country is divided into twelve bailiwicks administered by bailiffs. It will not be under military occupation, but the Bernese regime will be exercised until 1798.

At a time when Europe was often at war, Bernese rule ensured a stable situation for the Pays de Vaud. As a Protestant state, it welcomed many refugees, particularly French Huguenots, driven out by the Wars of Religion in the second half of the ^16th century, and then after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, when Louis XIV forced Protestants to convert to Catholicism. Many Waldensian families are descendants of these Huguenots. Vevey and Lausanne also welcomed Englishmen who had voted for the death of King Charles ^I. Jean Daniel Abraham Davel, born in 1670, was one of the Waldensians who distinguished themselves at the Battle of Villmergen in 1712, leading the Bernese troops to victory. He was subsequently appointed by the Bernese to command the Lavaux militia. Feeling "called" by God to deliver the Pays de Vaud from Bernese domination, he marched on Lausanne on March 31, 1723, at the head of his unarmed troops, and delivered a speech urging the inhabitants of the Pays de Vaud to rise up. Immediately denounced by the notables of Lausanne, he was executed at Vidy on April 24, 1723. Before being beheaded, he said: "This is the most excellent day of my life Following this event, Berne censored all references to Major Davel. It was not until the ^19th century that he became a key figure for the Vaudois.

Jean Daniel Abraham Davel, born in 1670, was one of the Vaudois who distinguished himself at the Battle of Villmergen in 1712, leading the Bernese troops to victory. He was subsequently appointed by the Bernese to command the Lavaux militia. Feeling "called" by God to deliver the Pays de Vaud from Bernese domination, he marched on Lausanne on March 31, 1723, at the head of his unarmed troops, and delivered a speech urging the inhabitants of the Pays de Vaud to rise up. Immediately denounced by the notables of Lausanne, he was executed at Vidy on April 24, 1723. Before being beheaded, he said: "This is the most excellent day of my life Following this event, Berne censored all references to Major Davel. It was not until the ^19th century that he became a key figure for the Vaudois.

From the second half of the 18th century onwards, Lausanne became a city of international tourism, appearing in numerous accounts by travelling writers. Rousseau promotes the landscapes of Vevey and Clarens in his works. The reputation of Dr. Tissot, officiating in Lausanne, became established in Europe. At the end of the 18th century, the ideas of the Enlightenment reached Switzerland. The notions of freedom and equality conveyed in France and the United States resonated in the canton of Vaud.

A few years later, in 1797, Bonaparte liberated the country of Vaud and was considered a "hero of freedom". At the same time, in Paris, the Vaudois Frédéric-César de La Harpe asked the French for protection against the Bernese, in order to guarantee the liberties of the country of Vaud.

On 23 January 1798, the French General Ménard responded to this request and, the next day, a provisional representative assembly was created, proclaiming the independence of the country of Vaud. The bailiffs were calmly escorted back to the border. But on 28 January, French troops invaded Switzerland, transforming the Confederation into a centralised French-style republic and the country of Vaud into the canton of Lake Geneva.

As early as the spring of 1802, the Swiss Directory was short of money and decided to ask the peasants to buy back their rights, which had been abolished during the revolution. The peasants revolted and burned the archives on which the feudal rights were based. This is the episode of the Bourla-Papey (paper burners). In July, the French troops withdrew, giving way to a civil war.

To save the new Swiss regime and the independence of the Waldensians, Henri Monod, Prefect of Lake Geneva, calls Bonaparte to the aid of the Swiss government. In 1803, the latter brought in its Act of Mediation which created the canton of Vaud and allowed it to join the Confederation with five other cantons. They thus joined thirteen former cantons and, all together, they formed the new Switzerland. Lausanne became the capital of a sovereign canton and the seat of government and administrative institutions.

In 1815, the Congress of Vienna recognised, partly thanks to the Vaudois Frédéric-César de La Harpe, Henri Monod and General Jomini, who pleaded the cause of the canton of Vaud to Tsar Alexander I, that the Swiss Confederation was neutral and that it comprised nineteen cantons.

In 1845, the Radical Revolution, a smooth coup d'état, brought about political and religious transformations. The pastors, in conflict with the new government, resigned and organized themselves into religious communities. The state tolerated this free church, as long as it did not disturb public order. It is only in 1965 that the two churches, national and free, will meet in the Evangelical Reformed Church of the Canton of Vaud.

At the end of the 19th century, the construction of railway lines contributed greatly to the influx of tourists. Businessman Jean-Jacques Mercier was entrusted with the realization of an infrastructure project allowing for industrial development, including the filling in of the Flon valley and the creation of a railway between the station and the Flon. In 1915, Pierre de Coubertin, who had just resurrected the Olympic Games, set up the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne.

The Treaty of Versailles, at the end of the First World War, recognised Switzerland's perpetual neutrality in exchange for relinquishing the right to occupy Savoy in the event of conflict. The First World War created a rift between the Swiss Germans, who wanted Germany to win, and the French-speaking Swiss, who wanted France and its allies to win. The post-war period in Switzerland was also characterised by a desire to strengthen social welfare for the people.

After the difficult years of the economic crisis and the war, the prosperity of the 1950s to 1975 transformed the lives of the Vaudois: cars, leisure activities, television, supermarkets, etc. In 1959, they were the first in Switzerland to grant women the right to vote at the cantonal level (they also obtained it at the federal level, but only in 1971!).

In international relations, Switzerland has long maintained its place outside the UN and NATO, and claims strict neutrality. It became a member of the Council of Europe in 1963 and of the European Free Trade Association in 1960, created as a counterweight to the original EEC.

As far as domestic policy is concerned, by organising the 1964 National Exhibition, Lausanne reconciled French-speaking Switzerland with German-speaking Switzerland. In all areas, the canton of Vaud underwent profound upheavals in the 20th century. The population of Lausanne recorded a high rate of growth, peaking in 1973, when it reached 138,000 inhabitants. Banks, businesses and insurance companies multiplied, and tourism flourished.

In addition to the Old Age and Survivors' Insurance (RAVS, established in 1946 and guaranteeing a pension for everyone), the three-pillar system was introduced: social, occupational and individual providence.

When communism collapsed at the beginning of the 1990s, however, Switzerland was facing a serious economic crisis: unemployment rose to over 6%. Despite the turmoil, Swiss savings are substantial, the country has a robust industry and banking facilities are extensive.

In December 1992, the Swiss people rejected membership of the European Economic Area (EEA). In this vote, which was decisive for the future of Switzerland and the European Union, the populist party of billionaire Christoph Blocher, the SVP, gained ground. The no vote on the EEA was an opportunity for the Swiss to reiterate their view that the European Union is incompatible with their direct democracy and with certain key sectors of their economy. However, negotiations with Brussels are continuing.

A new milestone was reached on 20 May 2000: 67.5% of the Swiss accept bilateral agreements, allowing, among other things, the free movement of persons within the fifteen European countries. In 2002, Switzerland joined the UN.

In 2003, the canton of Vaud adopted a new Constitution, replacing the 1885 Constitution.

While the share of SVP voters is increasing in French-speaking Switzerland (the dominant electoral base remains in German-speaking Switzerland, however), the left is on the rise in Lausanne, with Daniel Brélaz, a member of the Green Party, as syndic since 2002.

In 2009-2010, the Swiss Confederation has never been so much in the news. On the economic side, it has had a string of tax evasion cases involving American clients of the Swiss bank UBS, then French clients, some of whom were denounced by a former employee of a Geneva subsidiary of the British bank HSBC, and finally Italians and Germans. Under pressure from foreign governments, Switzerland is keeping a low profile and banking secrecy is shrinking like a sore thumb. Agreements are to be signed with Austria, Germany and England. In April 2012, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe decided to attack tax havens, demanding "more tax justice". The end of banking secrecy?

At the end of November, the adoption by the people of a law against the construction of new minarets made the headlines in the international media. At the end of February 2010, when relations between Switzerland and Tripoli were already in crisis, Libyan Colonel Gaddafi called for a holy war against Switzerland. Faced with this chain of controversies, most analysts say that Switzerland, historically neutral, must now reinvent itself in order to break out of its isolation.

In any case, and despite the economic crisis affecting most countries, Switzerland is once again managing to hold its own: the unemployment rate, although varying from canton to canton, remains at a very low level, if not the lowest in Europe. Finally, as far as energy is concerned, Switzerland's electricity production is based on hydroelectric and nuclear power plants. In 2011, however, the Federal Council decided to abandon atomic energy by 2034. A decision well in line with the spirit of this very ecologically correct country.

Stanislas Wawrinka, a native of Lausanne and a child of the country, becomes on January 26, 2014 the first Vaudois to win a Grand Slam tournament (and only the second Swiss, after Roger Federer), by winning the final of the Australian Open in an epic duel against Nadal.

It was a pharaonic project, and the result is a success! the aim is to bring together three museums - the mcb-a (Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts), the mudac (Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts) and the Musée de l'Élysée (Cantonal Museum of Photography) - and two foundations - Toms Pauli and Félix Vallotton - on a single site covering almost 22,000 m², in order to offer a broad public a major cultural offering throughout the year: exhibitions, events and more occasional activities. In addition to museums, this new arts district features bookshops, boutiques, terraces, restaurants and arcades.

Each structure focuses on a different field: Photo Elysées, as its name suggests, brings together images from the world of photography, past and present. The Mudac addresses social issues through exhibitions in the fields of design, ceramics, glass, contemporary jewelry and graphic art. The MSBA presents works of ancient and contemporary art by international artists, and has a library, restaurants and boutiques. The Toms Pauli Foundation is dedicated to textile art, with exhibitions of tapestries and textiles