Traveling in France #3: Visiting Vichy, Introduction

A couple of months ago, we visited friends living in the town of Vichy.  Eliane and Jean-Charles have lived in Vichy for about 5 years and they invited us to visit Vichy on the weekend of the annual Napoleon III celebration.  (More about the celebration in future posts.) 

Eliane and Jean-Charles Pasquier

A view of the center of Vichy

We had a wonderful time and took a lot of photos, which we will share in future posts.  

First, here is some information about Vichy.  The town is located in the center of France, about 3 hours by train from Paris.  Its population today is around 25,000.   

Vichy is an old town.  It was a Gallo-Roman settlement two thousand years ago and was known for the curative powers of water from Vichy's springs.  

Over time, the health benefits of bathing in and drinking Vichy water were popularized.  Consequently, Vichy has been a spa town for the past few centuries.   

One of Vichy's golden ages was during the 19th century.  In the 1860's, during the Second Empire, the town seemed to explode overnight following visits by France's Emperor Napoleon III.  New construction included gardens, streets, hotels, houses, a rail station, even a casino.  Vichy became a very fashionable destination for the well-to-do.  

Again, in the early 1900's, during the Belle Époque, Vichy enjoyed another growth spurt, with the construction of an opera house, new mansions, a large public bath and a hall housing some of the springs.

During World War II, Vichy had a role that will be mentioned in a future post.

During the 1950's and 1960's, Vichy experienced enjoyed another boom, primarily due to Vichy's many guests visiting from France's colonies.  Following decolonization, the number of visitors greatly decreased.  

So, for the past several decades, Vichy has been a relatively sleepy spa town.  

Next Up:  The Napoleon III Festival