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Lausanne is a city in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, and facing vian-les-Bains (France) and with the Jura hills to its north. Lausanne is located some 60 km (37 mi) northeast of Geneva. It is the capital ... more »
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Hotels Lausanne is a city in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, and facing Évian-les-Bains (France) and with the Jura hills to its north. Lausanne is located some 60 km (37 mi) northeast of Geneva. It is the capital of the canton of Vaud and of the district of Lausanne. The headquarters of the International Olympic Committee are located in Lausanne. It lies in the middle of a wine-growing region.
The most important geographical feature of the area surrounding Lausanne is Lake Geneva (Lac Léman in French). Lausanne is built on the southern slope of the Swiss plateau, with a difference in elevation of about 500 meters (1,600 ft) between the lakeshore at Ouchy and its northern edge bordering Le Mont-sur-Lausanne and Epalinges. Lausanne boasts a dramatic panorama over the lake.
In addition to its generally southward-sloping layout, the center of the city is the site of an ancient river Flon, which has been covered during the 19th century. The former river forms a gorge running through the middle of the city south of the old city centre, generally following the course of the present Rue Centrale, with several bridges crossing the depression to connect the adjacent neighborhoods.
Public Transport - Public transport in Lausanne includes buses and metros (operated by TL (French)), nationwide and regional train lines (CFF, LEB (French)), and boats (CGN (French)). The majority of urban public transport in Lausanne is by trolleybus.
Lausanne will become the first city in Switzerland to have a Rubber-tired metro system, with the m2 Line which will open in 2008. The rolling stock will be a shorter version of the one used on Paris Metro Line 14.
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Roadways - Lausanne is connected to the A1 motorway on its east side (Geneva - Zurich axis) and to the A9 on its north and east side (transit with Italy), the forking point between these two motorways being at the north-west side of the city.
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The Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and the Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne provide a diverse and rich musical life. The latter has been under the direction of Michel Corboz for many years.
Each summer, the "City festival", or "Festival de la Cite" is held at the beginning of July. There are also film festivals, and the Bach Festival, "Le Festival et Concours Bach de Lausanne" follows "La Nuit de Musées" (Museum's night) in the fall season.
Lausanne is the home of the Béjart Ballet and also has some alternative culture.
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Distances are calculated as the crow flies, and are provided as an aid in planning only.
* This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Source wikipedia.
