Aran
Origin of the name Aran
Name origin: first recorded as « Eramus » in 993, « Erans » in 1142, then « Arant » in 1210 and « Arans » in 1238. The etymology of the name is unknown.
Founding of Aran
Aran is not a municipality: it is a village of the municipality of Bourg-en-Lavaux, in the district of Lavaux-Oron, and belonged until 2011 to the municipality of Villette (Lavaux). No founding act is known; the village is recorded from 993. From the middle of the 11th century it was part of the district of Villette, one of the four large parishes of Lavaux that depended on the bishopric of Lausanne, but in the 12th century it came under the abbey of Saint-Maurice in Valais. Like the other villages of Lavaux, it lies halfway up the slope, on a slight ledge, in the heart of the terraced vineyards. It comprises a main fabric structured by a loop road, the Chatagny group at its upper edge and the Montagny estate.
History of Aran
993. First mention of the locality, in the form « Eramus ».
11th century. From the middle of the century, Aran is part of the district of Villette, one of the four large parishes of Lavaux that depended on the bishopric of Lausanne.
1142. Mention in the form « Erans »; in the 12th century the village comes under the abbey of Saint-Maurice in Valais.
1181. The Montagny wine estate, which belonged to the Palézieux family, passes to the abbey of Saint-Maurice.
1210. Mention in the form « Arant », then « Arans » in 1238.
14th century. A communal structure takes shape: Aran is governed, like Chenaux, Cully, Curson, Epesses, Grandvaux, Riex and Villette, by a confrérie, a corporation first religious then civil, which deals in particular with the school, poor relief and paths.
1444. Aran contributes to the upkeep costs of the gates and wall of Cully.
1549. Date of the winegrower's house of the Montagny estate, with Gothic windows.
1576. Aran has twelve hearths, about a hundred people; the population peaks in 1594 at 130 inhabitants, before falling to 70 in 1605.
1536-1798. Under the Bernese Ancien Régime, the general municipality of Villette is organised in quarters; the quarter of Aran is divided into three thirds: Villette, Aran and Chatagny.
1658-1663. After a major reorganisation of the municipality of Villette, political and administrative powers pass definitively to the confréries or bourgeoisies that manage the quarters; at the end of the 17th century, the bourgeoisie of Aran and Chatagny is a semi-private society of public interest with eight members.
1824. The large parish of Villette is divided into six municipalities; the new municipality of Villette unites the confréries of Villette and Aran.
1861. Opening of the Simplon railway line, then in 1862 of the Lausanne-Bern line, which strongly mark the landscape.
1863. Construction of the town hall and school of Aran.
1864. Aran becomes the main village of the municipality of Villette.
1972. A zoning plan project of the municipality of Villette providing for villas gives rise to the association Sauver Lavaux, founded by Franz Weber (applies to the whole municipality).
2011. Villette, and with it Aran, merges with Cully, Epesses, Grandvaux and Riex to form the municipality of Bourg-en-Lavaux.
2012. ISOS survey: Aran is classified as a heritage site of national importance.
Population of Aran
| 1576 | 12 hearths (households), about 100 people |
| 1594 | 130 |
| 1605 | 70 |
Historic sites in Aran
Montagny estate. Wine estate set on the hillside, recorded in 1181 when it passed from the Palézieux family to the abbey of Saint-Maurice; it includes a winegrower's house dating back to 1549, with interesting Gothic windows.
Chatagny group. Group of 18th and 19th century winegrowers' houses, facing the lake, forming the upper edge of the locality; at the end of the 17th century Chatagny formed a bourgeoisie with Aran.
Town hall and school. Three-storey L-shaped building of 1863 topped by a small bell turret; Aran became the main village of the municipality of Villette in 1864.
Village fabric and fountain. Winegrowers' houses of three to four storeys, from the 17th to the 19th century, arranged along a loop road; at the eastern junction of the loop stands a fountain flanked by two small plane trees.
Sources
- Inventaire fédéral des sites construits à protéger en Suisse (ISOS), « Aran, commune de Bourg-en-Lavaux » (relevé 2012)
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, Germain Hausmann, « Villette (Lavaux) », version du 06.01.2017
- Inventaire fédéral des sites construits à protéger en Suisse (ISOS), « Cully, commune de Bourg-en-Lavaux » (relevé 2012)
- Denyse Raymond, « Lecture du paysage, typologie de l'habitat », Association Lavaux Patrimoine mondial
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Other villages near Aran
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