Vichy

France

Located in Bourbonnais, on the banks of the river Allier, the waters of Vichy have been in use since Antiquity. Experiencing popularity from the 16th to the 18th century lead to developments.  The creation of the first park by Napoleon I and during the Second French Empire created a spa town that would serve as a model in terms of its urban organisation, based on the street plan radiating from the station towards the baths and parks, along with its prestigious architecture.

Napoleon III accelerated its development as a holiday destination and leisure with the addition of the theatre and casino. Finally, in 1903 the ensemble designed by Charles Lecoeur and Lucien Woog, containing the oriental baths, the splendid Art Nouveau opera house, pump rooms and gallery arcades connecting to the grand hotels brought together all the diverse spa cure thermal.

Vichy is renowned for its palaces and villa districts, and the outlying sporting facilities such as the Hippodrome and the golf course on the opposite bank of the Allier. An eclectic architectural style was developed here through the construction of the baths, theatres, hotels and, above all, villas of all styles. The ‘queen of spa towns’ (‘reine des villes d’eaux’) – a slogan born in the 1900s – is still a world-famous place dominated by spa cure and tourist activities.

www.vichy-destinations.fr