Villa Strauss

The Villa Strauss, with its strict neoclassical style, might not be the most striking building on Belgique Street, yet it’s one of great importance to the history of Vichy. Architect Hugues Batillat designed the villa in 1858 for Isaac Strauss. This very popular 19th-century musician and waltz composer, not to be confused with his Austrian namesake Johan Strauss, was to play a key role in the development of Vichy, which at the time was rapidly growing in stature in the spa industry. Between 1844 and 1859, Strauss became orchestra conductor at the town’s casino, organizing director of the imperial court balls, and then music director at the Vichy spa. His villa was one of the city’s most elegant homes at the time. Napoleon III himself stayed there twice, during his first 2 spa treatments in 1861 and 1862, before his own imperial residences near the Allier Park were completed. Several engravings, dating from the Second French Empire, show the emperor greeting the crowds from the villa’s steps. After retiring from music in 1872, Strauss sold the property to travel Europe on a quest for rare treasures and artwork. During the Second World War, the villa served as a government building, most notably housing the Legion of Honor. It later became the headquarters of the Société des Grands Hôtels de Vichy, and then a Club for its customers. Joseph Aletti bought the villa next and, in 1998, he made it an annex to his luxury hotel next door, the Aletti Palace. If you walk a little further towards the Parc des Sources, you’ll see that the Villa Strauss now houses the hotel’s Art Deco restaurant, “La Véranda”. Fun fact: many local Napoleonic associations meet up here from time to time.