Located on the Allier river, it is a major spa and resort town and during World War II was the capital of Vichy France.

Known for its mineral springs since the Roman times, Vichy had become a major destination for the French nobility and the wealthy by the late 18th century.

Following the 1940 armistice, the pro-German collaborationist government headed by Philippe Pétain set up at Vichy, which remained the de facto capital of the French rump state for the next four years.

Dauzat & al. have proposed that it derived from an unattested Latin name (Vippiacus) referencing the most important regional landowner (presumably a "Vippius") during the time of the Roman emperor Diocletian's administrative reorganizations and land surveys at the end of the 3rd century AD.

The source of the Allier is in the nearby Massif Central plateau which lies only a few miles to the south, near the region's capital, Clermont-Ferrand.

The famous mineral springs in Vichy are rich in trace elements such as lithium and fluorine, and high in sodium bicarbonate.

Heavy snows in the Massif Central often make roads impassable, but Vichy is low enough—about 249 metres (817 feet) above sea level—that the climate is more continental than mountain.

On 2 September 1344, John II of France ceded the noble fiefdom of Vichy to Peter I, Duke of Bourbon.

By the end of the 16th century, the mineral baths had obtained a reputation for having quasi-miraculous curing powers and attracted patients from the noble and wealthy classes.

When they returned to Versailles, they asked their nephew Louis XVI to build roomier and more luxurious thermal baths, which were subsequently completed in 1787.

The Emperor would be the catalyst of the development of a small rail station, which increased the number of inhabitants and visitors tenfold in fifty years.

On 22 June France signed an armistice, which stipulated German occupation of the north and west of the country, including Paris and all of the Atlantic coast.

Vichy had the country's second largest hotel capacity, and a modern telephone exchange and post office built for its international visitors.

The city was in the unoccupied zone 45 km south of the Demarcation Line, relatively close to Paris (4.5 hours by train), and surrounded by productive agricultural lands.

[14] On 9–10 July, 670 of the 846 members of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies met in the Vichy Opera House, where they overwhelmingly voted full powers to Philippe Pétain and authorized him to revise the constitution.

[citation needed] The 1950s and 1960s would become the most ostentatious period for Vichy, complete with parading personalities, visits from crowned heads (Thami El Glaoui, the Pasha of Marrakech; Prince Rainier III of Monaco) and profits from a massive influx of North African French clients who holidayed in Vichy, spending lavishly.

Mayor Pierre Coulon [fr] (1950–1967) decided to create Lake Allier (10 June 1963) and Omnisports Park (1963–68), giving the city its current look.

The war in Algeria (1950s-60s), which led to decolonization, marked once again a halt in the prosperity of Vichy, which from then on had to deal with much less favorable conditions.

The need to continue to pay the debts incurred by the considerable investments that had been made in more prosperous times obligated the new mayor, Jacques Lacarin [fr] (1967–1989), the successor of Pierre Coulon, to adopt a much more careful policy of management.

The health and beauty business, with the laboratories of the L'Oréal company, also make it possible to publicize the city's name to a worldwide audience under the Vichy brand.

The CAVILAM – Alliance Française[24] (Centre of Live Approaches to Languages and the Media), receives students from diverse countries who want to learn French.

The hydrotherapy business will now have to reorganise itself to take a less strict therapeutic-only role, and adapt to patients' stays shorter than the traditional three weeks.

Under the authority of the local communities, much work is being done on building sites and projects, which will deeply modify Vichy in the years to come.

Other projects include the creation of a 12,000 m2 (130,000 sq ft) mother-child centre in the hospital complex, the restoration of the spa façade (removal of the metal boarding to uncover the original style of 1862), the transformation of the spa into a multi-use center, creation of parks with fountains in place of parking lots, the demolition and the transformation of the buildings in a congested area to create an enterprise center intended to create 800 jobs (opened in early 2008), the construction of a new aquatic stadium including five basins (open since 2008), and motorway connection (opened in early 2015).

Various Christian denominations such as diverse Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant churches are found throughout the area along with adherents of Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and others.

[36] Known for its picturesque setting and rich sporting history, Vichy has previously welcomed major events like Challenge and Ironman.