The New International Encyclopædia/Vichy

VICHY, vē̇′shē̇′. A town of the Department of Allier, France, on the right bank of the Allier, 69 miles by rail south-southeast of Paris (Map: France, K 5). It is one of the most famous of watering places, its numerous springs being annually visited by 60,000 persons. Vichy consists of the mediæval and the new towns and is almost surrounded by parks and gardens. In the old town are the Romanesque Church of Saint Louis and the Pavilion de Sévigné, now a hotel. Here Madame de Sévigné, who first brought Vichy into prominence, passed the year 1676. The attractive new town, on the north, contains a fine promenade flanked by the Casino and large bazaars on one side, by the main establishment of the baths on the other. The splendid Renaissance Casino is modern. The elegant thermal establishment is an immense edifice surrounded by a massive arcade, with a large annex on the west. It is owned by the State and leased to a company. There are yearly exported 7,000,000 bottles of Vichy water, the total daily supply being over 65,000 gallons. Salts, pastilles, and barley sugar are manufactured. The Vichy linen is made here. Population, in 1901, 14,254. The waters of Vichy were known to the Romans. It became a fashionable resort under the Second Empire, owing to the patronage of the Court.