LAUSANNE, Rizan, Switzerland, capital of the canton of Vaud; situated on the Jorat Mountain Range on the river Flon, one mile north of Lake Geneva at a junction of rail ways from Geneva, Brieg and the Simplon, Freiberg and Bern, and from Vallorbe for Paris. There is a funicular railway between the town proper and Ouchy, its port on Lake Geneva. The older portion of the town was built upon five hillocks, to which was due much of its picturesque beauty. The improve ment project of filling the valleys and hollows between the hills was begun in 1836 and com pleted in the early part of the 20th century with considerable Impairment of the natural beauty of the city, although some fine squares have been built on the filled-in portions. The Flon is spanned by the Grand Pont, a two-story viaduct built in 1839-44, and the bridge of Chanderon was constructed in 1905. The railroads have given the modern Lau sanne a considerable commercial importance as it is now on the international route from Paris to Milan, and the town is growing, extending its limits chiefly on the south and west.
The cathedral of Notre Dame was conse crated by Pope Gregory X in 1275 and is con sidered the finest structure of its sort in Swit zerland. It was sacked after the Bernese con quest, when the cathedral became Protestant. It is Gothic in type and was restored under the direction of Viollet-le-Duc in 1875-1906. Sharing with the cathedral the highest ground in Lausanne is the castle, dating from early in the 15th century, built by the bishops, but now used as an administration building by the canton of Vaud. Near these on the Place de la Ri
ponne is the Palais de Rumine, opened in 1906, wherein are lodged the libraries of the canton and the university, the collection of. the Musee Arland and the canton's collections of nat ural history, archaeology and industrial art. The university was founded as an academy in 1537 and was raised to its present rank in 1890. Lausanne has besides a Protestant theological school in connection with the cathedral, a num ber of boarding schools and many scientific• and literary It' is a recognized literary centre, is much frequented by foreigners and has a large resident foreign population. It was the birthplace of Benjamin Constant and the historian Gibbons lived there many years. The population is in the main French-speaking and Protestant.
The ancient town was on the shore of the lake southwest of the present site and was de stroyed by the Alamanni in the 4th century. The inhabitants re-established their homes in the hills and in 590 the new town was chosen by Bishop Marius as his see city. There was a Burgundian settlement across the Flon and another settlement around the church of Saint Laurent, both of which eventually became part of Lausanne. The bishops became princes of the empire in 1125, but from 1368 their powers over the municipality were gradually decreased. After the Bernese occupation, 1536-1798, Lau sanne became capital of the canton Leman and upon the creation of the canton of Vaud in 1803 it was made its capital. Pop. 63,923.