Lausanne

Lausanne, capital of the Swiss canton of Vaud, is picturesquely situated on the southern slope of the Jura Mountains, close to the northern shore of the Lake of Geneva, on which the village of Ouchy (where Byron wrote The Prisoner of Chillon) forms its harbour. Two principal parts of the city are separated by a valley, across which a fine bridge (617 feet long and 82 feet high) was thrown in 1844. Lausanne is famous for its educational institutions; amongst these institutions are the new cantonal university, opened in May 1891, and an industrial, music, and other schools. The cathedral, a beautiful Gothic building, begun in the 10th century and completed in the 13th, is the greatest ornament of the city; this church was the scene of the disputation between Calvin, Farel, and Viret in 1536, which led to the introduction of the Reformation in the city. Here are the cantonal museum of natural history and antiquities, and the Arlaud Museum (1846) of Art, &c. Since 1875 Lausanne has been the seat of the Federal Tribunal, which decides all questions pending between the several cantons, and between the cantons and the federal government. Lausanne is much frequented by visitors from all parts of the world. Here Gibbon resided for many years, and the house in which he wrote the greater part of the Decline and Fall is still shown. John Kemble, the actor, died and was buried here. The town has little industry, but considerable trade. Pop. (1888) 31,049, of whom 86 per cent. are Reformed, and 78 per cent. speak French. Benjamin Constant was a native of Lausanne.