Lausanne , city in western Switzerland , capital of Vaud Canton, on Lake Lausanne, near Lausanne . An important rail junction and lake port, the city is the trading and commercial center of a rich agricultural region and is also an important resort city. Lausanne has only light industries, including food processing and the manufacture of printed materials and precision instruments. The city is the seat of the supreme court of Switzerland , the Federal Tribunal. It is the site of the University of Lausanne , founded as a seminary in 1537 and made a university in 1891. One significant building is the 13th-century Cathedral of Notre Dame.