VICHY
Albert Londres, the convict of the pen
The Tour de France does not occupy a central place in the brilliant career of Albert Londres, born in Vichy in 1884 and still considered today as one of the masters of his profession. Nevertheless, it demonstrates the importance that the race had acquired by 1924, 21 years after its creation, since a non-specialist, generalist journalist was interested in this phenomenon. Albert Londres, who had just published a shocking report on penal servitude, an investigation that would lead the government to legislate to ease the punishment of convicts, nevertheless considered this cycling race worthy enough of attention to make a detour. And our seasoned reporter, one of the great writers of his time, was not disappointed by what he found. It all happened at the café at Coutances station, during the Cherbourg-Brest stage. In open conflict with Henri Desgrange, the boss of the Tour, and convinced that there was nothing they could do to upstage young Italian champion Ottavo Bottecchia, the Pélissier brothers, Francis and Henri (the defending champion) and their friend Maurice Ville decided to throw in the towel. There they were, sitting at the bar, determined not to continue. Albert Londres, a skilled reporter, quickly arrived on the scene and obtained their confession. In front of the journalist, who was taking advantage of the rest days to visit psychiatric hospitals and denounce what he discovered there, the three Frenchmen poured their hearts out... and emptied their musettes. "You have no idea what the Tour de France is like," said Henri. "It's torture. And yet the Way of the Cross only had fourteen stations, while ours has fifteen. We suffer from start to finish. Do you want to know how we keep going? Here..." And the winner of the 1923 Tour revealed the arsenal he carried with him on the race: cocaine, strychnine, chloroform, ointments. The Tour de France riders, said Pélissier, "ride on dynamite!" London knew a good story when he found it, especially since he worked for Le Petit Parisien, L'Auto's rival, and wrote enthusiastically about what was not yet called doping. At the same time, the Pélissiers, skilled strategists, found the ideal medium to settle their dispute with Henri Desgrange, even if it meant exaggerating a little. Even in this early stage of the Tour, riders and journalists understood how they could be useful to each other... This encounter gave rise to the expression "les forçats de la route" (the convicts of the road), coined not by Albert Londres himself (he never used it), but by his editor-in-chief, who capitalised on the notoriety his reporter had gained from his articles on penal servitude. Today, the expression has become established, even if it is often exaggerated. However, the protagonists of the scene at the café in Coutances undoubtedly lived dangerous lives, if not those of convicts. Ottavio Bottecchia, the Pélissier brothers' rival, disappeared in 1927 and was found on the side of a road near his home. The investigation concluded that it was an accident, even though two people claimed responsibility for his death. Albert Londres, who had known and liked him, was convinced that he had been murdered. Henri Pélissier, for his part, was murdered by his mistress, Camille Tharault, after acts of violence in 1935. Albert Londres himself perished in 1932 in the fire on the Georges Philippar, the ship that was bringing him back from China to France. He seemed to have uncovered a major scandal and an attack was suspected.
Albert Londres's house
Since 1830, from the top of its unusual turret, this neo-Gothic building has watched time pass in the heart of old Vichy. Built at the request of Antoine Besse-Bergier, an investigating magistrate in Cusset, it was acquired in two stages by Albert Londres' grandparents in 1874 and 1876. It was within these walls that he was born on the evening of 1 November 1884. In 1932, it left the family after having sheltered them for nearly half a century. Sold in 1988, it fell into disrepair due to lack of maintenance and was almost in ruins when, in 2008, an association was created to save the house and turn it into a Maison des Illustres dedicated to Albert Londres. Thanks to public funding and the Heritage Foundation, the association has almost succeeded in its goal, and the birthplace of France's most famous journalist has become a venue for numerous events organised in his memory.
Vichy Waters
The history of Vichy's waters dates back to ancient times, when the Romans were already exploiting its springs, but it was in the 17th century, with the enthusiasm of Madame de Sévigné and the sisters of Louis XV, that their reputation was established. Napoleon III then developed the town into a renowned spa resort, the "queen of spa towns", with luxury facilities and a casino. The most famous spring, Célestins, was recognised as being of public interest in 1861, which led to the protection of the springs and the growth of the bottling industry. The development of thermalism continued in the 20th century, with the town attracting many spa visitors. The early 20th century saw the inauguration of the Grand Etablissement thermal. Vichy has nine thermal springs originating from the volcanoes of Auvergne, which have been enriched with minerals as they seeped deep into the volcanic rock. The Célestins spring is the only one currently bottled, renowned for its minerals and its high carbon dioxide, trace element and mineral salt content.
UNESCO World Heritage Site
On 24 July 2021, UNESCO added Vichy to its World Heritage List in the series "Great Spa Towns of Europe". The listed area includes: Vichy railway station and Rue de Paris; the spa district: Parc des Sources, the first-class spa establishment, the second-class spa establishment, Hall des Sources, the promenade galleries, the bandstand at the hospital spring, the grand casino and the opera house, Saint-Louis Church, the Protestant temple, the Giboin passage, the Astoria Hotel, the International Hotel, the Parc Hotel, the Ambassadeurs Hotel, the Thermal Palace, Rue Alquié, the Flemish Castle, the Strauss Villa and the Venetian Villa; the old town; Rue Hubert-Colombier, Saint-Blaise Church and Notre-Dame-des-Malades Church, the synagogue, Célestins Park, the Célestins Spring Pavilion, the Lardy refreshment bar; the Allier parks: the Napoleon III chalets, the caretaker's pavilion.
Dômes Thermal Centre
Construction: 1899 to 1903.
History: The decision to build the new spa facility was made in 1898. With German and Austrian spas at the forefront of the industry at the time, Charles Fère, director of the Compagnie Fermière, set off to visit them with his engineer Guérin and architect Charles Le Cœur. Work began in 1899 and the establishment was inaugurated in 1903. An additional wing was added in 1934. In 2021, France Thermes, owner of the Compagnie de Vichy until 2030, announced the renovation of the Thermes des Dômes, which are being transformed into a "health prevention centre".
Characteristics: the central pavilion is covered by a dome. The entrance hall opens onto the outside through three fully glazed arched doors topped with multicoloured glass. The dome, inspired by Arabic architecture, consists of an octagonal drum covered with flamed sandstone and a slightly pointed cap. On the north façade, bu ilt in 1934, there are two water towers set slightly back from the centre. They resemble two fortified towers with pseudo-defensive openings. Inside, the entrance hall is decorated with paintings by Alphonse Osbert. The mechanotherapy room has retained all of its rehabilitation instruments, created by a Swiss doctor at the beginning of the century. The luxury cabin is decorated with enamelled earthenware featuring aquatic motifs.
Listed as: historic monument in 1989.
Vichy Opera House
Construction: 1899 to 1903.
History: the first casino was built at the request of Napoleon III in 1864-1865 by architect Charles Badger, architect of the Compagnie fermière de Vichy. The sculpted decor is by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, and the paintings by Jules Petit. It was inaugurated on 2 July 1865. First inaugurated in 1901, the building was not completed until 1903, after the interior decoration of the opera house was finished by architects Charles Le Cœur and Lucien Woog. Between 1901 and 1964, Vichy was known as the "summer capital of music". A fire ravaged the opera house in 1986. The city of Vichy acquired the building the following year and restored it in 1995, taking advantage of the work to install heating in the opera house and thus enable it to open for a winter season.
Characteristics: the Palais des Congrès-Opéra is a unique opera house in France with its Art Nouveau architecture and décor in harmonious shades of gold, ivory and yellow. The auditorium can seat 1,482 spectators. The Vichy Opera House offers a year-round programme: the season (from September to May) features a multidisciplinary programme including theatre, dance, opera, comedy, concerts, etc.
Special feature: in July 1940, after France's defeat, the Pétain government moved to Vichy and the opera house was the scene of the vote by parliamentarians to grant full powers to Marshal Pétain, inaugurating the collaborationist regime known as the "Vichy regime".
Listed as: historic monument since 1996.
Napoleon III Chalets
Construction: 1861 to 1864.
History: The Napoleon III chalets, or imperial chalets, are five holiday homes built between 1861 and 1864 in Vichy at the request of Emperor Napoleon III after his first stay at the spa resort in 1861. Built by architect Jean Lefaure on the border between the newly created park along the Allier River (now Napoleon III Park) and the spa district, their style was inspired by Alpine chalets and English colonial houses.
Listed as: Historic Monuments in 1972.
Castel Franc (Maison du Bailliage)
Construction: 1531
History: the house was built by Antoine Gravier, a communalist priest from the chapter of Saint-Michel. In 1786, Alexandre Gravier des Granges, the last president of the salt warehouse, sold what was then called the Chastel Franc or maison du Bailliage (Baillif’s House) to royal notary Gabriel Viguier. In 1801, the château became the town hall of Vichy, until 1822. The building was bought in 1826 by Alexandre Gravier du Monsseaux, a descendant of the original owners. The Compagnie Fermière de Vichy bought the house in 1928 and turned it into a museum, housing its collections there from 1937 to 1984. In 1997, the city bought the building with the aim of transferring its musical heritage there, but the project did not come to fruition. In 2019, it was purchased by Ali Behnam-Baktiar, an architect, decorator and event organiser, with the aim of turning it into a cultural centre.
Listed as: historic monument in 1926.
Circuit de Nevers-Magny-Cours
Creation : 1959
History : created in 1959 by Jean Bernigaud, mayor of Magny-Cours, the first circuit was a karting track. The Jean-Behra circuit was inaugurated in 1961. In 1986, under the impetus of François Mitterrand, the Nièvre departmental council bought the 3,850-m circuit from the Bernigaud family. Completed in 1988, the circuit received its homologation in 1989, then in 1990 a five-year lease to host the French Formula 1 Grand Prix. The first French F1 Grand Prix took place on 7 July 1991: Nigel Mansell won ahead of Alain Prost.
In 1991 and 1992, the circuit hosted a round of the World Sports Car Championship. From 2000 to 2014, the Bol d’Or was held there. In 2003, slightly modified, the circuit hosted the French round of the Superbike World Championship. The circuit ran into financial difficulties from 2005, and the French F1 Grand Prix disappeared from 2009 to 2018, when it was held again, but at Circuit Paul Ricard. Since the disappearance of the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours, the circuit has undertaken numerous changes. The extension of the A77 motorway in October 2010 now provides direct access to the circuit, which returned to profit in 2011. In 2014, major modernization work on the main building began (pit boxes, suites and VIP areas).
Characteristics : today 4,411 m long, the Magny-Cours circuit incorporates corners existing on other Formula 1 circuits, making it a very technical and very complete track. The track features around thirty meters of elevation change, with a downhill section after the start line through the long curve to the Estoril dip, followed by a long climb up to the Adelaide hairpin, a plateau to Château d’Eau, then a descent to the Lycée section that leads back to the start. Throughout the year the track hosts various sporting events, tests by major French or foreign teams, prestigious clubs and driving courses.
The circuit and cycling : the Magny-Cours circuit has hosted Paris–Nice twice, in 2014 for a bunch sprint won by John Degenkolb, and for the start of stage three of the 2025 edition, a team time trial dominated by the Visma-Lease a bike team.
Palais ducal
Construction : 15th and 16th centuries.
Style : Renaissance.
History : considered the first of the Loire châteaux, built on the hill overlooking the center of the old town, the Palais ducal dominates Place de la République with its wide Renaissance façade framed by polygonal turrets. It was the residence of the counts and then the dukes of Nivernais. It was built for Jean de Clamecy, count of Nevers, on the site of his former fortress. The two large towers are the oldest parts, as the château was altered in the 16th century by the House of Cleves. Madame de Cossé-Brissac, heiress of the last Duke of Nevers, sold the château and its outbuildings to the city and the department in 1810. The building was then shared between the town hall and the courthouse until 1850. At the end of the 1970s, the City, keen to reclaim one of Nevers’ finest historic monuments, proposed moving the courthouse to the former episcopal palace. A new restoration was launched, retaining the 19th-century layout but adding a monumental staircase and a new side entrance.
Current destination : restored on the orders of Pierre Bérégovoy in the 1980s, the palace today houses the city hall (including the mayor’s office and council chamber), part of the tourist office, exhibition and reception rooms, as well as a permanent exhibition on the history and assets of the city (Formula 1, faience, etc.) and an aquarium of Loire fish.
Note : on 4 May 1993, in front of the Palais ducal, President François Mitterrand delivered the funeral eulogy for Pierre Bérégovoy, who had taken his own life on 1 May, a speech remembered for one sentence: “Toutes les explications du monde ne justifieront pas qu’on ait pu livrer aux chiens l'honneur d’un homme.”
Listing : listed as a Monument historique in 1840.
Faïence de Nevers
Nevers owes its famous faience industry to Louis IV of Nevers. Toward the end of the 16th century, he brought from Italy Augustin Conrad, a potter from Albissola near Savona, and his brothers, Baptiste and Dominique, whom he installed at the Château du Marais in Gimouille. Their reputation and success became such that in the 17th century Nevers established itself as the French capital of faience. Augustin Conrad chose Nevers to set up in France because all the elements were in place to make quality faience: the two types of clay required, wood that burns hot without flames (from the Morvan forests), and the Loire for the secure transport of his products. In the 21st century, a few faience workshops continue and renew this activity.
The distinctive feature of Nevers faience is the famous “Bleu de Nevers,” a color obtained by a cobalt-blue enamel bath. Many faience makers also sign their creations by drawing a small “nœud vert” (green knot).
Musée de la Faïence et des Beaux-Arts
Creation : 1840
History : created at the town hall, the museum moved in the 1910s to the former episcopal palace, acquired and donated to the city by a patron, Frédéric Blandin. In 1975, it was set up on the site of the former Benedictine abbey of Notre-Dame and in a private mansion, the Maison Roussignhol, dating from the 19th century. These premises were renovated from 2007 to 2013 and complemented by a contemporary extension. Once the work was completed, the museum was inaugurated on 27 September 2013.
Characteristics : since then the museum has comprised 13 permanent exhibition rooms and one temporary exhibition room, extending over 2,100 m² of medieval remains, rehabilitated spaces and new constructions. An architectural choice combines stone and wood, a contemporary building and ancient structures.
Cathédrale Saint-Cyr-et-Sainte-Julitte
Construction : 10th to 16th century.
Style : Romanesque and Gothic.
History : Cyrus (Cyr) and Julitta were martyred around the year 304, during the persecutions ordered by the Roman emperor Diocletian. Jerome, bishop of Nevers from 800 to 816, brought relics of the two saints to Nevers in the 9th century. At the beginning of the 13th century, the cathedral consisted of a timber-roofed nave, a transept and a choir. Two towers flanked the eastern façades to the north and south. After a fire in 1211, Bishop Guillaume de Saint-Lazare rebuilt it in the “new” Gothic style. The cathedral then had a three-storey elevation. The Romanesque choir and transept, less affected by the fire, were preserved. Reconstruction after another fire in 1308 was rapid, since in 1331 Pierre La Palud, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, consecrated the building, now in the Rayonnant Gothic style. Numerous restorations followed up to the present day (notably after the Second World War, when the cathedral was hit by mistake and all the stained glass had to be rebuilt). The 18 side chapels have been under restoration since 2021.
Characteristics : the total length of the building is 101 m. The Romanesque choir (11th century), known as that of Saint Julitta, is vaulted with a cul-de-four. It houses an exceptional fresco depicting Christ in Majesty, surrounded by the symbols of the Evangelists and the Elders of the Apocalypse.
The little story : the bishop of Nevers, Jerome, is said to have brought the relics of Saint Cyr to Nevers following a dream of Charlemagne, in which the saint saved the emperor from the charge of a furious boar.
Distinctive features : the stained glass destroyed in 1944 was rebuilt over the course of the 20th century by contemporary artists as renowned as Claude Viallat, Jean-Michel Alberola, Raoul Ubac, François Rouan and Gottfried Honegger.
Listing : Monument historique since 1862.
Espace Bernadette-Soubirous
This is a pilgrimage site dedicated to Saint Bernadette, famous for her visions of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes, who died in Nevers in 1879. She spent the last years of her life at the convent of the Sisters of Charity of Nevers, installed in a former 12th-century priory. Today it is both a spiritual center and a place of retreat, as well as a venue for exchanges and encounters. Bernadette rests in the Saint-Joseph chapel, located in the heart of the gardens of the site.
Église Saint-Étienne de Nevers
Construction : 11th century.
Style : Romanesque.
History : the Church of Saint-Étienne in Nevers is one of the most beautiful and best-preserved Romanesque churches in France. The building was consecrated in 1097 by Bishop Yves of Chartres. Its architecture fully reflects the movement of the late 11th century and recalls other masterpieces of Romanesque art such as Saint-Sernin of Toulouse; the choir was built in the spirit of the great abbey of Cluny; and the elevation is on three levels as at Jumièges or the Basilica of Saint-Remi in Reims. The church suffered from fashions, conflicts and the vicissitudes of time. Deconsecrated during the Revolution, it was turned into a barn: its three Romanesque bell towers and the narthex were destroyed in 1792. In 1846, aware that Nevers possessed an exceptional Romanesque monument, the city launched major works. Despite these restorations, it is one of the rare 11th-century monuments to have come down to us without major alteration of its original purity.
Characteristics : seen from the outside, the building presents a massive, imposing aspect, a kind of religious fortress built of carefully dressed ashlar with window openings of bare, unadorned contours. The Church of Saint-Étienne provides an exemplary illustration of two phenomena: on the one hand, the interaction between different regions of Romanesque France and, on the other, the importance of Burgundy as a crossroads and “inventor” of architectural and plastic solutions.
Listing : Monument historique since 1840.
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