Lausanne

Origin of the name Lausanne

The name is of Celtic origin. It appears in the 2nd century in an inscription naming the "vikanor[um] Lousonnensium" (the inhabitants of the vicus of Lousonna), then around 280 as "lacu Lausonio", around 400 as "civitas Lausanna" and in 990 as "Losanna". It is generally linked to the Celtic "lausa" (flat stone) followed by the suffix "-onna", which is thought to have first designated a stream before being applied to the Roman settlement (etymology to be cross-checked). The old German name was "Losannen"; in Italian and Romansh the city is "Losanna".

Founding of Lausanne

Lausanne has no single founder. The Vidy site on the lakeshore and the hill of the Cité have been occupied since the Neolithic. In Roman times a vicus called Lousonna developed at Vidy from the middle of the 1st century, on the road linking Italy to the Rhine across the Swiss plateau. In late Antiquity settlement moved to the more defensible hill of the Cité, and at the end of the 6th century the bishop's seat moved there (it had previously been at Avenches). The medieval town then grew around the cathedral and the power of the bishops of Lausanne, lords of the town, with the episcopal Cité on one side and the lower town on the other, which were only united in 1481.

History of Lausanne

from 6000 BC. First human occupation at Vidy and on the hill of the Cité.

around 4500-3300 BC. Neolithic cemetery of Vidy: nearly 130 graves studied, the most important Neolithic burial ensemble in Switzerland.

mid-1st century. Growth of the Gallo-Roman vicus of Lousonna at Vidy, on the lakeshore.

2nd century. An inscription names the inhabitants of the vicus of Lousonna, the first attestation of the name.

late Antiquity. Settlement gradually moves from Vidy to the hill of the Cité.

late 6th century. The bishop's seat is established in Lausanne, on the Cité.

990. The name appears in the form "Losanna".

12th century. Construction of the Gothic cathedral begins (exact start date to be cross-checked, around 1150-1170 depending on the source).

early 13th century. The town is thought to have had about 8'000 to 9'000 inhabitants, the highest figure of the medieval period (estimate).

1275. Consecration of the cathedral in the presence of Pope Gregory X and King Rudolf of Habsburg.

1397-1427. Construction of the Château Saint-Maire, residence of the bishops.

1481. The episcopal Cité and the districts of the lower town are united into a single community.

1525. Treaty of co-citizenship with Bern and Fribourg.

1536. Bernese conquest of Vaud; in October the Disputation of Lausanne prepares the introduction of the Reformation. The population falls from about 8'000 to about 5'000.

1537. Founding of the Academy of Lausanne, initially devoted to training pastors.

1698. The town has 6'204 inhabitants.

1723. Major Davel attempts to raise Vaud against Bernese rule; the attempt fails and he is executed the same year.

1798. End of Bernese rule with the Vaud Revolution; the town has more than 9'000 inhabitants.

1803. Lausanne becomes the capital of the new canton of Vaud.

1839-1844. Construction of the Grand-Pont, spanning the Flon valley.

1850. The town has 17'108 inhabitants.

1856. Arrival of the railway.

1874-1875. Lausanne becomes the seat of the Federal Supreme Court.

1877. Opening of the Lausanne-Ouchy funicular.

1890. The Academy becomes the University of Lausanne.

1906. Completion of the Palais de Rumine, housing museums and a library; the same year, the opening of the Simplon tunnel strengthens Lausanne's role as a railway hub.

1910. The town has 64'446 inhabitants.

1915. The International Olympic Committee moves its headquarters to Lausanne.

24 July 1923. Signing of the Treaty of Lausanne, which notably set the borders of modern Turkey.

1964. Lausanne hosts the Swiss National Exhibition; the same year the motorway between Lausanne and Geneva is opened.

1970. The population reaches its historic peak: 137'383.

2000. The town has 124'914 inhabitants.

2008. Opening of the m2 metro, linking Ouchy, the hospitals and Épalinges.

Population of Lausanne

Population of Lausanne

1698	6'204
1850	17'108
1900	46'732
1910	64'446
1950	106'807
1970	137'383
2000	124'914
2025	145'707

Historic sites in Lausanne

Cathedral of Notre-Dame. The main Gothic building of French-speaking Switzerland, begun in the 12th century and consecrated in 1275 in the presence of Pope Gregory X and Rudolf of Habsburg. It towers over the hill of the Cité, where the bishop's seat was established at the end of the 6th century.

Château Saint-Maire. Built from 1397 to 1427 as the bishops' residence, after 1536 it became the seat of the Bernese bailiffs and later of the Vaud government.

Grand-Pont. Bridge of 1839-1844 spanning the Flon valley and linking the two hills of the city centre, a symbol of the great public works of the 19th century.

Palais de Rumine. Completed in 1906, it houses several cantonal museums and the cantonal and university library.

Ouchy and the funicular. The town's former lake port, linked to the centre from 1877 by the Lausanne-Ouchy funicular, replaced since 2008 by the m2 metro.

Headquarters of the International Olympic Committee. Based in Lausanne since 1915, the IOC has made the city the "Olympic capital".

Remains in Lausanne

Neolithic cemetery of Vidy. Nearly 130 graves dated to around 4500 to 3300 BC have been studied here: it is the most important Neolithic burial ensemble known in Switzerland.

Gallo-Roman vicus of Lousonna. At Vidy, on the lakeshore, the remains of the Roman settlement that grew from the middle of the 1st century and was inhabited until the 4th century recall the city's ancient origins.

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Lausanne (commune) »
• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Vaud »
• Wikipédia FR, « Lausanne »
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »

Other villages near Lausanne

• Pully (VD)
• Prilly (VD)
• Paudex (VD)
• Belmont-sur-Lausanne (VD)
• Renens (VD)