Railway Station

19th-century Europe saw a boom in the spa industry, with high society elites flocking to spa towns from the world over to enjoy both the cures and the wide range of entertainments on offer. In Vichy, the construction of the railway station was part of a wider project to modernise and reorganise the town, started in the mid-19th century. The train, a symbol of progress, would facilitate access to the spa town and encourage tourism. The project took shape under the impetus of Napoleon III who, on his first visit in 1861, had to complete his journey by horse-drawn carriage from Saint-Germain-des-Fossés; by 1862, it took just eight hours to travel from Paris to Vichy. The town was soon attracting visitors from all over Europe, who were greeted on arrival by a majestic station with a neoclassical façade, a luxurious VIP lounge and several comfortable waiting rooms designed by its architect, Denis Darcy. Over the years, the station was extended, remodelled and fitted out with large overhead canopies that protected luggage being loaded into hotel carriages, which then sped through the spa town along the four large avenues radiating from its forecourt. In 2008, work commenced to restore the building to its former glory.