Blonay

Origin of the name Blonay

The name Blonay is attested in the Latinized form "Bloniaco" around the year 1000, then again around 1090 and 1108, before appearing in its current form "Blonay" in 1142. An older mention, in the form "Blodennaco" in 861, is also reported but remains to be cross-checked. The precise origin of the name would be linked to a Gallo-Roman personal name, probably "Blanius", to which the estate suffix "-acum", common in French-speaking Swiss toponymy of Gallo-Roman origin, would have been added; however, this exact etymology remains to be cross-checked.

Founding of Blonay

Blonay developed from the 11th century around a feudal seigneury that originally grouped together the lands of Blonay, Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz, Corsier-sur-Vevey and Vevey. A fortified building already existed in 1095 (to be cross-checked), and the castle is said to have been built in its initial form in the second half of the 12th century by the de Blonay family itself, lords of the place; some sources place its official construction in 1175 by the brothers Guillaume II and Pierre I de Blonay, while others attest the castle as early as 1184 (information to be cross-checked). The de Blonay family gradually became vassals of the counts of Savoy in the 13th century and held influential positions in the Pays de Vaud under their authority. The village is mentioned as a parish in the nomenclature of the diocese of Lausanne as early as 1228 (to be cross-checked).

History of Blonay

861. Possible mention of Blonay in the form "Blodennaco"; this very early attestation remains to be cross-checked.

around 1000. First well-established attestation of the name in the Latinized form "Bloniaco".

1090-1108. The name reappears in the forms "Bloniacum" then "Bloniaco" (to be cross-checked).

1105. The church of La Chiésaz is mentioned when the bishop of Lausanne entrusts it to the priory of Molesme; a small Benedictine priory is attached to it.

1142. First appearance of the current form of the name "Blonay" (to be cross-checked).

second half of the 12th century. Construction of Blonay Castle by the family of the same name, which from then on controls a strategic passage in the Veveyse valley.

1175. According to a document from the abbey of Hauterive, the brothers Guillaume II and Pierre I de Blonay had the castle built (to be cross-checked, another source places the castle's attestation rather in 1184).

before 1221. The priory of La Chiésaz is united with that of Saint-Sulpice.

1228. The village of Blonay appears as a parish in the nomenclature of the diocese of Lausanne (to be cross-checked).

13th century. The lords of Blonay become vassals of the House of Savoy and hold important offices in the Pays de Vaud under its authority.

1363. The land of Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz, initially attached to the seigneury of Blonay, is exchanged.

15th century. The castle is extended with a keep, additional fortifications and a private chapel.

1478. The community of Blonay is exempted from the taille (a feudal tax).

late 16th century. Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz, bought back, is then passed on by marriage to the Joffrey family.

1503. Nicod de Cojonnay founds the Saint-Antoine de Tercier chapel.

1507. The Tercier chapel obtains a privilege of public access.

1518. The inhabitants of Blonay are said to have been collectively freed (to be cross-checked; another source instead mentions an exemption from the taille in 1478).

1536. The Protestant Reformation leads to the secularization of the local priories, taken over by Lausanne; Blonay comes under the bailiwick regime (1536-1798).

1750. Financial difficulties force the de Blonay family to sell the castle to Johann Rudolf von Graffenried (to be cross-checked; another source mentions a sale in 1752 to a Richard de Graffenried, with a discrepancy over the first name and the exact date).

1772. Under the ownership of the Graffenried family, a painted ceiling signed by the artist Gottfried Locher is created in the castle.

1798. End of the bailiwick regime and beginning of the district of Vevey (1798-2006); the population of Blonay is then about 800 inhabitants.

1806. Jean-Rodolphe-Frédéric de Blonay buys back the castle, which has remained the property of the de Blonay family ever since.

1811. Operation of the Bains-de-l'Alliaz, a thermal spa using a sulphurous spring, active until the Second World War (the precise date it came into service is to be cross-checked).

19th century. The painter Gustave Courbet produces a painting depicting Blonay Castle in an imaginary landscape; this work is said to have been used to conceal another of his more controversial paintings (anecdote to be cross-checked).

1902-1966. The Vevey-Blonay-Chamby railway line is in service.

1911. Commissioning of the Blonay-Les Pléiades rack railway, still in operation today.

1921. The colours of the municipal coat of arms, based on a communal seal from the Ancien Régime, are officially fixed.

1953-1963. The composer Paul Hindemith resides at the Villa La Chance in Blonay until his death (to be cross-checked).

1962. Construction of the Sainte-Croix Catholic chapel by the architects Italo De Grandi and Roberto-Giovanni De Grandi.

1967. A foundation dedicated to Paul Hindemith establishes its headquarters in Blonay (to be cross-checked).

1968. The Blonay-Chamby line is reactivated as a tourist railway and rolling museum.

27 September 2020. The municipality of Blonay approves by vote a merger agreement with the municipality of Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz.

1 January 2022. The merger between Blonay and Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz comes into effect, giving rise to the new municipality of Blonay-Saint-Légier.

Population of Blonay

Population of Blonay

1764	1'244 (with Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz)
1798	800
1850	832
1900	1'048
1950	1'351
1990	4'239 (to be cross-checked)
2000	4'695
2010	5'669
2021	6'180 (another source gives 6'282, discrepancy to be cross-checked)

Historic sites in Blonay

Blonay Castle. Built in the second half of the 12th century by the de Blonay family, extended in the 15th century with a keep, fortifications and a private chapel. Sold in 1750 or 1752 (to be cross-checked) and then bought back by the family in 1806, it is still owned by them today through a foundation, and is a cultural property of national significance. The painter Gottfried Locher created a remarkable painted ceiling there in 1772.

Church of La Chiésaz. Mentioned as early as 1105, when the bishop of Lausanne entrusted it to the priory of Molesme, it gradually became the parish church of Blonay and Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz.

Saint-Antoine de Tercier chapel. Founded in 1503 by Nicod de Cojonnay, this chapel enjoyed a privilege of public access as early as 1507; it is said to have been restored in 1981 (to be cross-checked).

Blonay-Chamby and Blonay-Pléiades tourist railways. The Vevey-Blonay-Chamby line operated from 1902 to 1966 before being reactivated in 1968 as a museum railway. The Blonay-Les Pléiades rack railway, put into service in 1911, still connects the village to the summit of the Pléiades today.

Site of the Bains-de-l'Alliaz. Former thermal spa using a sulphurous spring in the 19th century, active until the Second World War (the precise dates of operation are to be cross-checked).

Villa La Chance. Residence where the German composer Paul Hindemith lived from 1953 until his death in 1963; a foundation bearing his name is said to have established its headquarters there in 1967 (to be cross-checked).

Remains in Blonay

Cup-marked stone. Prehistoric remains discovered in the territory of Blonay, attesting to very early human occupation (the precise dating is to be cross-checked).

Early medieval necropolis of Cojonnex. Necropolis dated to the early Middle Ages uncovered at the place called Cojonnex, in the territory of Blonay (the details of the excavations are to be cross-checked).

Legends of Blonay

Les Tire-Tronc et les Mutz. The inhabitants of Blonay were traditionally nicknamed the "Tire-Tronc" (in Vaud patois) and the "Mutz", that is, the "Bears", a local legend telling that they once mistook a tree trunk for a bear and shot at it. This anecdote remains to be cross-checked as to its exact origin.

Sources

• Dictionnaire Historique de la Suisse - Blonay
• Wikipédia (français) - Blonay
• Wikipédia (français) - Château de Blonay
• Wikipédia (allemand) - Blonay
• Site officiel de la commune de Blonay-Saint-Légier

Other villages near Blonay

• Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz (VD)
• Chailly-Montreux (VD)
• Brent (VD)
• Chamby (VD)
• Fenil-sur-Corsier (VD)