Vichy

Vichy (pop. 30,500), health resort in south-central France, famous for its mineral springs. Its chief industry is bottling Vichy water. In World War II it was the seat of the Vichy government of Marshal Henri Pétain, which was set up in unoccupied France in 1940. After Germany occupied the whole of France in 1942, the Vichy government under Pierre Laval continued to collaborate with the Nazis, until the Allies liberated France.

See also: France.