Daillens
Origin of the name Daillens
The village is mentioned in 1109 in the form «Dallens», then in 1182 as «Dalens». An older mention, «in villa Dallingis» in 964, is sometimes cited (to be cross-checked). Two explanations circulate: a Germanic personal name (Dagalo or Dagila) followed by the Germanic suffix -ingos, «among the people of» (to be cross-checked); or the word «daille» (in patois «daye»), which designates the Scots pine (to be cross-checked).
Founding of Daillens
The sources consulted do not say when or by whom the village was founded. The site was occupied in the early Middle Ages, as shown by a major cemetery at the places called A la Condémine and Sus le puit; graves were discovered there in 1849 and a francisca-type axe in 1901 (to be cross-checked). In the Middle Ages the territory was divided between several lay and ecclesiastical lords, including the chapter of Lausanne, the barons of Cossonay and the lords of Daillens.
History of Daillens
early Middle Ages. Major cemetery at the places called A la Condémine and Sus le puit.
1109. First certain mention, in the form «Dallens».
1182. The name appears in the form «Dalens»; a papal bull confirms the parish (to be cross-checked).
1228. Parish attested, with a church dedicated to the Virgin.
around 1330. The church's wall paintings are made (to be cross-checked).
1453. The village has 30 hearths (households).
1536-1798. Under Bernese rule Daillens forms, together with Bettens, a castellany of the bailiwick of Moudon, an enclave within that of Morges. The assembly of commune citizens runs the village.
1766. The village is at last united into a single lordship.
1798. Daillens is attached to the district of Cossonay.
1837. The annex of Bettens ceases to belong to the parish of Daillens; afterwards the annex of Penthalaz depends on it.
1860. The Lausanne-Neuchâtel railway line opens.
1870. The Lausanne-Cossonay-Vallorbe line opens; Daillens lies at the junction of the two lines.
1971-1997. The village hosts the warehouses of the Federal Alcohol Administration.
1983. Land consolidation.
1999. Swiss Post opens on the same site one of its three computerised parcel sorting centres.
2008. New Vaud districts: Daillens moves from the district of Cossonay to the district of Gros-de-Vaud (1 January).
2015. Restoration of the church's wall paintings is completed (November).
Population of Daillens
| 1453 | 30 hearths (households) |
| 1764 | 347 inhabitants |
| 1798 | 322 inhabitants |
| 1850 | 405 inhabitants |
| 1900 | 428 inhabitants |
| 1950 | 415 inhabitants |
| 1970 | 338 inhabitants |
| 2000 | 598 inhabitants |
| 2013 | 915 inhabitants |
| 2025 | 1'113 inhabitants |
Historic sites in Daillens
Church dedicated to the Virgin (temple) and its wall paintings. The church, dedicated to the Virgin, is attested as a parish church from 1228. It holds remarkable wall paintings from the early 14th century (around 1330), hidden under white limewash from the Reformation and later rediscovered; recognised as being of national importance, they were restored until November 2015. The temple is listed as a cultural property of national significance.
Railway site and sorting centre. At the junction of the Lausanne-Neuchâtel (1860) and Lausanne-Cossonay-Vallorbe (1870) lines, Daillens hosted the warehouses of the Federal Alcohol Administration from 1971 to 1997, then from 1999 a Swiss Post parcel sorting centre.
Remains in Daillens
Early medieval cemetery. A major early medieval cemetery has been identified at the places called A la Condémine and Sus le puit. The municipality mentions the discovery of graves in 1849 and of a so-called francisca axe in 1901, which it links to the settlement of the Burgundians (to be cross-checked).
Mammoth remains. According to the municipality, mammoth skeletons have been found in the municipal territory (to be cross-checked).
Legends of Daillens
The nicknames of the Daillenais. According to tradition, the inhabitants of Daillens (Daillenais or Daillenets) bear several nicknames: the «Ronge-Bouilli» (boiled-beef gnawers), the «Fourmis-Rouges» (red ants), the «Blaireaux» (badgers) and the «Traîneurs-de-Sabre» (sabre-draggers). Their origin is not explained by the sources consulted.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Daillens »
- Wikipédia (français), « Daillens »
- Wikipedia (anglais), « Daillens »
- Commune de Daillens, page Histoire de Daillens
- Wikipédia, « Districts du canton de Vaud »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Other villages near Daillens
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