For 2,000 years, “the Queen of spa towns” has managed to have a unique, distinctive history of its own, while also shaping part of the wider movement of European spa towns.
Vichy attracted numerous sovereigns and princes from the courts of Europe, as well as Egypt, Persia, Iraq and many men of state. Vichy was also the seat of the French State (État français) between 1940 and 1944.
All the French writers visited Vichy, from Chateaubriand to Sartre, Dumas, the Goncourt brothers, Flaubert and Verlaine, alongside writers from abroad, such as Tolstoy, Tourgueniev and Walter Scott.
Artists from Delacroix to Cézanne visited Vichy, as did a plethora of intellectuals such as Pasteur, actors, ladies of the demimonde, musicians, dancers and thespians: De Falla, Diaghilev, Massenet, Poulenc and Tchaikovsky. In 1935, Vichy hosted the Congrès international des Compositeurs (International Congress of Composers), presided over by Richard Strauss.
Becoming a spa town
The town has been built around its water since ancient times, both the River Allier which was used for communication and trade, and the mineral springs whose healing benefits were already known.
The springs were known to the Romans, but in the nineteenth century the town of Vichy developed. Since the era of Napoleon I, Vichy has accorded great importance to the parks surrounding the springs and baths. Napoleon III encouraged the building of a new spa town laid out with promenades and parks to create a resort repeating the styles of nineteenth century Paris. Then, during the Second Empire, the town created a series of parks along the River Allier.
From the 17th century, the town owed its identity and development to the actions of women such as the Marquise de Sévigné, Mesdames de France or the Duchess of Angouleme.
The imperial spa town
In the 19th century, the rise of balneology was facilitated by the preoccupations of a health-conscious society, the development of new means of communication, the rise of a wealthy middle class alongside the old aristocracy and the birth of a leisure-oriented society. The support of Emperor Napoléon III led to Vichy gaining a reputation as the “Queen of spa towns” among a network of spa resorts which were both rivals and partners.
Belle Époque
During the Belle Époque, sumptuous and modernist public works gave Vichy the attributes of a major resort, maintaining its reputation. The French colonial empire supplied numerous clients and visitors reached their peak during the 1930s.
Vichy 40-44
The Second World War put an abrupt end to the glorious era, with the government of Maréchal Pétain settling in the city and practicing a policy of collaboration with the Nazis. The inhabitants of Vichy were not responsible for this collaboration, nor was the town itself.
Vichy reinvents itself
Since the end of the war, Vichy has striven to regain its status without disowning or concealing any part of its rich and complex history. Vichy looks back at the Second Empire with Vichy fête Napoléon III, a yearly festival with immersive historical reenactments such as a grand parade, Napoleonic balls and other themed events. Vichy also celebrates its heritage and status with The Great Spa Towns of Europe. Annual festivities celebrate the anniversary of the inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List with an event to honour another spa town in The Great Spa Towns of Europe.