Lausanne

Lausanne , city (1990 pop. 117,600), capital of Vaud canton, W Switzerland, on the Lake of Geneva. An important rail junction and lake port (see Ouchy ), it is the trade and commercial center of a rich agricultural region. The construction of the Simplon Tunnel in 1906 gave Lausanne much greater commercial significance, putting it on the road between Paris and Milan. Food and tobacco products are produced, as well as precision instruments, clothing, metal products, and leather goods. Lausanne is also a well-known resort city and has been the meeting place of many international conferences. It is headquarters of the International Olympic Committee and the seat of the Swiss federal court of appeal. Originally a Celtic settlement, it became a Roman military camp called Lousanna. An episcopal see since the late 6th cent., it was ruled by prince-bishops until 1536, when it was conquered by Bern and accepted the Reformation. Bernese rule ended in 1798, and Lausanne became (1803) the capital of the newly formed canton of Vaud . The scene of brilliant social life in the 18th cent., Lausanne was the residence of Gibbon, Rousseau, and Voltaire. Lausanne has the famous Gothic Cathedral of Notre Dame and several notable museums. The Univ. of Lausanne was founded as a Protestant school of theology in 1537 and became famous as a center of Calvinism. It was made a university in 1890.

Lausanne City on the n shore of Lake Geneva, sw Switzerland; capital of Vaud canton. Originally a Celtic settlement, it became an episcopal see in the 6th century. Ruled by Prince-Bishops until 1536, when Bern conquered the city and it accepted the Reformation. Industries: leather, brewing, chemicals, printing, confectionery. Pop. (2000) 114,900.

Treaty of Lausanne 1922-23. The peace treaty (see Sèvres, Treaty of ) imposed by the Allies on the Ottoman Empire after World War I had virtually destroyed Turkey as a national state. The treaty was not recognized by the nationalist government under Mustafa Kemal Pasha (later known as Atatürk ). After the nationalist victory over the Greeks and the overthrow of the sultan, Kemal's government was in a position to request a new peace treaty. Accordingly, the signatories of the Treaty of Sèvres and delegates of the USSR (excluded from the previous treaty) met at Lausanne, Switzerland. After lengthy negotiations a peace treaty was signed in 1923. Turkey recovered E Thrace, several Aegean islands, a strip along the Syrian border, the Smyrna district, and the internationalized Zone of the Straits, which, however, was to remain demilitarized and remain subject to an international convention (see Dardanelles ). Turkey recovered full sovereign rights over all its territory, and foreign zones of influence and capitulations (see Ottoman Empire ) were abolished. Outside the Zone of the Straits, no limitation was imposed on the Turkish military establishment. No reparations were exacted. In return, Turkey renounced all claims on former Turkish territories outside its new boundaries and undertook to guarantee the rights of its minorities. A separate agreement between Greece and Turkey provided for the compulsory exchange of minorities.