Bex
Origin of the name Bex
Name origin: the place is recorded in 574 as « in Baccis »; the old German name is « Beis ». The most likely hypothesis links the name to a Latin personal name of the type Battius or Baccius, meaning « (property) of Baccius » (to be cross-checked).
Founding of Bex
The territory of Bex has been occupied since prehistoric times: a rock shelter at Sous Barme was inhabited in the Neolithic, and cemeteries date from the Bronze Age. In Roman times, villae stood at the places called Pré Clavel and Pied du Montet. The name appears in 574, the year Frankish troops crushed Lombard bands at Bex. Bex then belonged to the county of Valais, which King Rudolph III of Burgundy gave to the bishop of Sion in 999. The sources consulted name no founder: the place grew as a street village along the Avançon, surrounded by eight hamlets (Le Châtel, Les Dévens, Le Chêne, Fenalet, Les Posses, Le Bévieux, Frenières, Les Plans).
History of Bex
Neolithic. A rock shelter at Sous Barme is inhabited; cemeteries later date from the Bronze Age.
Roman period. Villae stand at the places called Pré Clavel and Pied du Montet.
574. First mention, « in Baccis »: Frankish troops crush Lombard bands there.
999. Rudolph III of Burgundy gives the county of Valais, which includes Bex, to the bishop of Sion.
1193. First mention of the church of Saint-Clément.
14th century. The commune, part of the lordship of Bex, is divided into twelve dizains (eight on the plain, four in the mountains), each represented on the Council.
1464. Bex is occupied by the Bernese.
1476-1798. During the Burgundian Wars, Bex submits to Bern; the mandement of Bex is part of the government of Aigle under Bern's German administration.
1501. Construction of the bell tower, the only surviving part of the medieval church.
1528. The mandement of Bex is the first in the government of Aigle to accept the Reformation; many inhabitants leave for Valais or secretly attend Mass at Saint-Maurice.
1680. Start of operations at the Salt Works of Bex.
1747. Construction of the present town hall.
1798. On 26 January the Vaud revolution reaches Bex, which accepts it at once; from that year the commune belongs to the district of Aigle.
1803. Bex becomes the chief town of the circle of Bex.
1813. The church of Saint-Clément is rebuilt after a fire.
1857. Opening of the station on the Simplon railway line.
1871. Opening of the Hôtel des Salines, flagship of the spa hotel trade; it closes in 1976 and burns down in 1981.
1891. Creation of the Pont-de-Nant botanical garden.
1906-1913. The Bex-Villars-Bretaye railway reaches Chesières (1906) and then Bretaye (1913).
1981. Access to the A9 motorway and first national exhibition of contemporary sculpture, « Bex et Arts ».
Population of Bex
| 1722 | 1'550 |
| 1764 | 2'063 |
| 1803 | 2'298 |
| 1850 | 3'091 |
| 1900 | 4'561 |
| 1910 | 4'772 |
| 1941 | 4'264 |
| 1950 | 4'762 |
| 2000 | 5'973 |
| 2025 | 8'923 |
Historic sites in Bex
Salt mines of Bex. Lying at the foot of a 50 km² salt-bearing region, the Salt Works of Bex have been worked since 1680; they remain the town's main tourist attraction. They are listed in the Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance (to be cross-checked).
Reformed church (former church of Saint-Clément). Mentioned from 1193, the church was rebuilt in the 15th century and again after a fire in 1813. Only the bell tower of 1501 remains, with a stone spire, 52 metres high and attributed to the master mason Jean Vaulet-Dunoyer (to be cross-checked).
Town hall. The present town hall dates from 1747, when Bex was the seat of a mandement of the Bernese government of Aigle.
Pont-de-Nant botanical garden. Alpine garden created in 1891 on the commune's territory.
Old town. Apart from the apartment buildings and villas built outside the centre, the appearance of the town before 1900 has changed little; the Grand Moulin, a former pasta factory, was however demolished in 1969.
Remains in Bex
Sous Barme rock shelter and cemeteries. A rock shelter inhabited in the Neolithic and Bronze Age cemeteries bear witness to a very early occupation of the territory.
Roman villae. Roman villae have been identified at the places called Pré Clavel and Pied du Montet.
Tour de Duin. The only remnant of the castle and fortifications built from the 12th century, when Bex was an outpost of the Savoyard territories (to be cross-checked).
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Bex (commune) »
- Wikipédia, « Bex »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Localities of the municipality with a page
Other villages near Bex
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