On his death,
Gabriel de Rumine, son of Russian nobility, left the city of Lausanne 1.5 million
Swiss Francs to erect a building for the use of the public. It housed facilities such as the library of the
University of Lausanne, and scientific and artistic collections belonging to the
Canton of
Vaud. In the 1980s, the university moved to its current location by
Lake Geneva due to lack of space, and the Palais was restructured. == Current use ==