Municipal mergers in French-speaking Switzerland

By NovaGB · Published on 20.10.2026

Many villages on this site are no longer municipalities. Since the early 2000s, mergers have sharply reduced the number of municipalities in French-speaking Switzerland. The villages keep their names, but become localities of a larger municipality.

Before 2000: Genève and Neuchâtel

In 1931 the city of Genève grew through a merger. The constitutional law of 22 March 1930, approved by the people of Geneva on 18 May 1930, joined the municipalities of Plainpalais, Les Eaux-Vives and Le Petit-Saconnex to the City of Genève. The merger took effect on 10 July 1931.

The local votes were divided. Plainpalais accepted by 2'673 to 1'535, Le Petit-Saconnex by 2'150 to 186, but Les Eaux-Vives rejected it by 1'256 to 1'212: the cantonal vote prevailed. The four districts bearing the names of the former municipalities lasted until 1958. The canton of Geneva now has 45 municipalities.

In Neuchâtel, La Coudre was joined to the town on 1 January 1930, after a vote in February 1929.

Vaud: from 383 to 294 municipalities

According to the canton of Vaud, it had 390 municipalities when it joined the Confederation in 1803, and 383 on 1 January 2003. It had 300 on 1 January 2025. Since 2003, 31 merger projects involving 112 municipalities have gone through.

The first merger after the 2003 Constitution joined Rovray and Arrissoules on 1 January 2005. The largest, by number of municipalities, are Oron (10 municipalities, 1 January 2012, including Châtillens), Montanaire (9 municipalities, 1 January 2013, including Chanéaz) and Valbroye (8 municipalities, 1 July 2011, including Cerniaz). In Lavaux, Cully, Épesses, Grandvaux, Riex and Villette formed Bourg-en-Lavaux on 1 July 2011.

Some votes are decided by a single vote. On 24 November 2019, Bioley-Orjulaz accepted the merger with Assens by 117 votes to 116; Assens approved it by 351 to 46.

The movement continues: on 25 November 2025 the cantonal parliament approved four mergers, bringing the canton down to 294 municipalities on 1 January 2027. L'Abbaye, Le Chenit and Le Lieu form a single municipality for the Vallée de Joux, Gimel joins Saubraz and Saint-Oyens, Mathod joins Suscévaz, and Curtilles joins Lucens.

Neuchâtel: whole valleys

In Neuchâtel, several mergers bring together a whole valley. On 1 January 2009, nine municipalities, including Boveresse, Couvet, Fleurier and Môtiers, formed the municipality of Val-de-Travers. On 1 January 2013, fifteen municipalities formed Val-de-Ruz; the page on Fenin presents it as the largest merger in Switzerland by number of bodies (15 municipalities and 9 inter-municipal associations).

Then came Milvignes (2013), La Grande Béroche (2018), the new municipality of Neuchâtel, with Corcelles-Cormondrèche, Peseux and Valangin (2021), and Laténa, which joined Enges, Hauterive, La Tène and Saint-Blaise on 1 January 2025. There are small mergers too: Brot-Dessous, where 85 % of voters accepted the merger, joined Rochefort on 1 January 2016. Some projects fail: on 26 November 2023, Cortaillod and Boudry accepted the «Basse-Areuse» merger, but the no vote in Milvignes sank it. At the end of 2025 the canton had 24 municipalities.

Jura: new names

In the Jura, several mergers created municipalities with new names. On 1 January 2009, Asuel, Charmoille, Fregiécourt, Miécourt and Pleujouse formed La Baroche, Saint-Ursanne and six other municipalities formed Clos du Doubs, and Chevenez, Damvant, Réclère and Roche-d'Or formed Haute-Ajoie. Haute-Sorne was created in 2013 from five municipalities, including Bassecourt and Courfaivre.

Other mergers keep an existing name or combine two: Courrendlin absorbed Rebeuvelier and Vellerat in 2019, and Damphreux and Lugnez formed Damphreux-Lugnez in 2023. This site has no page for merged municipalities with a new name: each former village keeps its own.

Valais: mergers of valleys and resorts

In Valais, mergers began in 2000 with Guttet-Feschel. On 1 October 2004, the municipality of Ausserbinn was abolished and joined to Ernen with Mühlebach and Steinhaus; Ausserbinn had rejected the merger and is said to have appealed to the Federal Supreme Court without success. On 1 January 2009, six municipalities, including Ayer, Grimentz and Saint-Luc, formed Anniviers. Resorts merged too: Riederalp in 2003, Bettmeralp in 2014, Crans-Montana in 2017.

Votes do not always pass the first time. On 24 February 2008, Vernamiège rejected a first project by 67 votes to 61, before the three municipalities of Mase, Nax and Vernamiège accepted the merger on 7 September 2008; Mont-Noble was created on 1 January 2011. Sion absorbed Salins in 2013 and Les Agettes in 2017, but a project with Veysonnaz is said to have been rejected by the voters of Sion in 2020. Further mergers are planned for 1 January 2027, such as that of Fiesch, Bellwald and Lax.

What remains of a former municipality

A former municipality does not disappear from the map. Its name becomes that of a locality of the new municipality. On this site, each former municipality keeps its page; the population given is the last known figure before the merger or, failing that, that of the present municipality, with a note.

Municipal mergers in French-speaking Switzerland

Before 2000: Genève and Neuchâtel

Vaud: from 383 to 294 municipalities

Neuchâtel: whole valleys

Jura: new names

Valais: mergers of valleys and resorts

What remains of a former municipality

Places mentioned

Sources

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