- Stage town for the second time
- Sub-prefecture of Allier (03)
- Population: 25,800 (Vichyssois and Vichyssoises)
Although the Tour de France has visited the department of Allier regularly in recent years, notably for the stage to Moulins in 2023 that was won by Jasper Philipsen, the department’s spa town has only hosted one Tour finish in its history, back in 1952. On the penultimate day of that edition, Fiorenzo Magni won a time trial that started in Clermont-Ferrand, although Fausto Coppi, his compatriot and leader of the Italian team, was already right out of his rivals’ sight by that point. In 2025, the peloton gathered in Vichy for a Paris-Nice stage that finished in La Loge des Gardes, where João Almeida was the victor.
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.
