Vichy

Vichy, city in central France, in Allier Department, on the Allier River. Its hot mineral springs, frequented since Roman times, have made it one of the most important spas of Europe. Vichy water is exported in large quantities. After the defeat of France by Germany in 1940, during World War II, Vichy was made the seat of the collaborationist French government under Marshal Henri Pétain and his aide Pierre Laval. The so-called Vichy government was closely aligned with the Germans but exercised some independent control in unoccupied France and the French colonies until late 1942, when Germany occupied all of metropolitan France. The Vichy government continued to exist until 1945. Population (1999) 26,528.