Bercher

Canton of Vaud · District: Gros-de-Vaud · 1'359 inhabitants (31.12.2025)

Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Remains Legends Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Bercher

The village is mentioned in 1154 as «de Berchiaco» (also «Bergie»); later come «Berchie» in 1228 and «Berchier» in 1453. The sources consulted do not give the origin of the name.

Founding of Bercher

The site was already occupied in Helvetian, Roman and Burgundian times, as shown by finds displayed in Lausanne and Yverdon. Bercher holds a strategic position above the deep valley of the Menthue, whose bridges control the passage between the Échallens plateau and that of the Combremonts; a castle was built on the rocky spur east of the village. In the Middle Ages Bercher was the centre of a lordship including Rueyres, Fey and Saint-Cierges, belonging to the lords of Cossonay, who placed it under the Bishop of Lausanne in 1299. In the 14th century Bercher was a small walled town.

History of Bercher

Antiquity. The site is occupied by the Helvetii, the Romans and then the Burgundians; finds are displayed in Lausanne and Yverdon.

1154. First written mention: «de Berchiaco», seat of a lordship of the lords of Cossonay including Rueyres, Fey and Saint-Cierges.

1228. Mention of the parish and of the church of Notre-Dame.

1299. The lords of Cossonay place the lordship under the Bishop of Lausanne.

1302. Bercher has 41 hearths (households).

1332. First mention of a mill.

14th century. Bercher is a small town surrounded by a wall.

1409. After the Cossonay line dies out, Amadeus VIII settles the conflict between Jean de Chalon-Arlay and Aymon de La Sarraz in favour of the former.

1420. The lordship comes under the direct rule of the Duke of Savoy.

1441. The lordship is ceded to Humbert de Glérens; through marriage it then passes to Claude Dortans, whose family keeps it until 1683.

1482. Casting of the bell decorated with 14 medallions of the Passion, preserved in the present church.

late 15th century. A communal organisation is attested. Under Bernese rule Bercher belongs to the bailiwick of Yverdon and has a general assembly of burghers.

1658-1732. Demolition of the old castle.

1683. Georges de Saussure inherits the lordship.

1712. Bern makes Bercher a barony for Jean-Louis de Saussure, with a castellany court and rights of low justice.

1724. Construction of the present Protestant church, near the castle.

1726. A company from Grandson tries without success to produce tinplate at the Martinet forge.

1798. Bercher is attached to the district of Yverdon, then to that of Moudon in 1803.

1880-1921. The Nestlé condensed milk factory, using water from the Menthue and employing about 130 to 150 workers, brings strong growth. Its sudden closure in 1921 leaves the municipality in financial difficulty and the population falls.

1889. Arrival of the railway (Lausanne-Échallens-Bercher line, LEB); an aerial cableway links the station to the condensery over nearly one kilometre.

1960. Bercher moves from the district of Moudon to that of Échallens.

2008. Under the new Vaud territorial division, Bercher becomes part of the Gros-de-Vaud district.

Population of Bercher

41 hearths (households)

1302

50 hearths (households)

1416

153

1699

218

1764

225

1798

329

1850

524

1900

408

1950

878

2000

1'359

2025

Historic sites in Bercher

Bercher Castle. Castle of the lordship, later the barony of the Saussure family, standing at the edge of the forest at the north-eastern end of the village, some 600 m from the centre. Its dating varies by source: late 17th century, or around 1756 for Baron David de Saussure, in a classical style attributed to Gabriel Delagrange (to be cross-checked). The interior retains panelling and fireplaces from the 1750s-1760s. It is listed as a cultural property of regional importance.

Church and parsonage. Protestant church built in 1724 on the site of a chapel, near the castle and thus away from the village centre. It keeps the bell of the old church, dated 1482, decorated with 14 medallions, «les tableaux de la Passion». The church and its parsonage are listed as cultural properties of regional importance.

LEB station. Terminus of the Lausanne-Échallens-Bercher line since 1889; its arrival is linked to the establishment of the Nestlé condensery.

Remains in Bercher

Château-Vieux. The first castle stood on the rocky spur east of the village, above the Menthue valley. Demolished between 1658 and 1732, only a few traces remain, along with the place name «Château-Vieux».

Ancient finds. Helvetian, Roman and Burgundian remains found at Bercher are displayed in Lausanne and Yverdon.

Legends of Bercher

The Hat-Burners. The inhabitants are nicknamed Brûle-Chapeaux, «hat-burners» («lè Bourla-Tsapî» in patois), and Chiens, «dogs» («lè Tsin»). According to a traditional story, they burned the hats of the inhabitants of another municipality to avenge the execution of one of their own.

Sources

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