Abstract
Vichy appeared first as a Roman village, disappeared with the Empire, and was reborn as a medieval fortified town. Following the Middle Ages and the wars of religion, Vichy emerged in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries as a spa centre. Urban modernisation during the Second Empire and Belle Époque, together with the promotion of hydrotherapy by business and medical interests, propelled it into prominence as an international spa tourist destination. Visitors during the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries were often French military and civilian personnel from the colonies. Following France's defeat by the Germans in 1940, Vichy became the seat of the collaborationist government of Marshal Philippe Pétain. Since the war, the town has had to overcome a stigma it acquired for its wartime role. More critical to its spa tourism trade, however, was the end of the Empire, which together with a discrediting of water cures among the medical establishment, virtually dried up spa traffic to Vichy. Town leaders have worked since to reorient its tourist trade by creating sports and convention centres. Most importantly, Vichy continues to export large quantities of the mineral water associated with its name.
Published Version
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