Grandson

Origin of the name Grandson

The name appears in the second half of the 11th century as «Grancione», then around 1100 in the phrase «de castro Grancione» and around 1126 as «castri Grandissoni». Its origin is not explained in the sources consulted (to be cross-checked).

Founding of Grandson

The site has been occupied since the Neolithic and above all in the Bronze Age by lakeside villages, including the one at Corcelettes. The medieval town grew up around the castle built around the year 1000 by the lords of Grandson, one of the great noble families of the Pays de Vaud. Otto I of Grandson greatly enlarged the fortress between 1277 and 1281 and in the early 14th century. Around 1146 a Benedictine priory, Saint-Jean, was established there.

History of Grandson

Neolithic. Lakeside settlements at Les Buttes, Le Repuis, Le Stand and Les Tuileries.

Bronze Age. Lakeside village of Corcelettes-Les Violes, the most important Bronze Age site in the municipality.

around the year 1000. The lords of Grandson build a castle.

second half of the 11th century. First mention, as «Grancione».

around 1146. Foundation of the Benedictine priory of Saint-Jean.

1277-1281. Otto I of Grandson greatly enlarges the castle, and again in the early 14th century.

21 February 1476. During the Burgundian Wars, Charles the Bold takes the town.

28 February 1476. The duke takes the castle and has the Bernese garrison drowned or hanged.

2 March 1476. Battle of Grandson: the Confederate army puts the Burgundian army to flight and seizes rich booty in the duke's camp.

1475-1798. Grandson forms a condominium (common bailiwick) of Bern and Fribourg.

1531. First iconoclastic riots.

1554. The town adopts the Reformation by popular vote.

1798-2006. Grandson is the seat of a district.

1803. The town has 822 inhabitants.

1850. The town has 1'248 inhabitants.

1900. The town has 1'771 inhabitants.

2000. The town has 2'759 inhabitants.

2011. The Corcelettes lakeside site is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List among the Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps.

Population of Grandson

Population of Grandson

1803	822
1850	1'248
1900	1'771
1950	1'800
2000	2'759
2010	3'039
2025	3'391

Historic sites in Grandson

Grandson Castle. Built around the year 1000 and greatly enlarged by Otto I of Grandson between 1277 and 1281 and in the early 14th century, it overlooks Lake Neuchâtel; Charles the Bold took it on 28 February 1476.

Church of Saint-Jean. Church of the former Benedictine priory founded around 1146.

Battlefield of 1476. The battle of 2 March 1476, fought near Grandson, was the first great defeat of Charles the Bold at the hands of the Confederates.

Remains in Grandson

Corcelettes lakeside site. Bronze Age village on the lakeshore, a UNESCO World Heritage site as part of the Pile Dwellings around the Alps.

Grandson booty. The rich booty taken in Charles the Bold's camp in 1476 was shared among the Confederates; pieces of it are kept in Swiss museums (exact locations to be cross-checked).

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Grandson (commune) »
• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Grandson, bataille de »
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »

Other villages near Grandson

• Giez (VD)
• Champagne (VD)
• Bonvillars (VD)
• Montagny-le-Corbe (VD)
• Saint-Maurice (Champagne) (VD)