Jouxtens-Mézery
Origin of the name Jouxtens-Mézery
Name origin: the municipality bears the names of its two localities. Mézery is mentioned in 929 in the form « Masiriaco » and Jouxtens before 1185 in the form « Jotens ». The etymology is not explained in the sources consulted.
Founding of Jouxtens-Mézery
The site of Mézery was occupied as early as the Roman period, as shown by the remains of a large villa with baths. The sources consulted do not say who founded the villages. In the Middle Ages, Jouxtens came under the chapter of Lausanne; under the Ancien Régime, Jouxtens depended on the jurisdiction of Lausanne, while Mézery had its own seigneurial court. After the Vaud Revolution of 1798, the two neighbouring localities form a single municipality, attached to the district of Lausanne.
History of Jouxtens-Mézery
Roman period. A large villa with baths stands at Mézery; coins ranging from Augustus to Constantine have been found there.
929. First mention of Mézery, in the form « Masiriaco ».
10th century. Development of viticulture.
before 1185. First mention of Jouxtens, in the form « Jotens ».
Middle Ages. Jouxtens comes under the chapter of Lausanne.
1698. The seigneurial court of Mézery now belongs to the de Crousaz family.
1750-1760. Rodolphe de Crousaz, a Lausanne architect, probably gives the castle of Mézery its present appearance.
1754. Construction of the bell tower, known as the « campanile ».
1798. After the Vaud Revolution, Jouxtens and Mézery form a single municipality, attached to the district of Lausanne.
1801. The castle of Mézery passes to the Constant family.
around 1808-1809. The painted panelling of the castle of Hermenches is moved to the castle of Mézery.
1839. Construction of a school, enlarged in 1889.
1887. Opening of the station on the Lausanne-Echallens-Bercher line.
1939. Construction of the municipal hall.
1944. The Beau-Cèdre estate is sold to the Confederation, which sets up a seed testing centre there.
1976. Completion of the church (parish chapel).
around 1980. Faced with urban expansion, residents seek to preserve the rural and residential character of the municipality through zoning restrictions.
Population of Jouxtens-Mézery
| 1562 | 10 hearths (households) |
| 1620 | 8 hearths (households) |
| 1764 | 121 |
| 1798 | 122 |
| 1850 | 176 |
| 1900 | 236 |
| 1950 | 245 |
| 2000 | 1'145 |
| 2022 | 1'468 |
| 2025 | 1'455 |
Historic sites in Jouxtens-Mézery
Castle of Mézery. Owned by the de Crousaz family in the 18th century, it probably owes its present appearance to the Lausanne architect Rodolphe de Crousaz (around 1750-1760). It passed in 1801 to the Constant family, then belonged to the photographer Adrien Constant Delessert, who took numerous photographs of the estate in the second half of the 19th century, then to the de Pückler family until its sale in the early 1980s. The ground floor holds one of the finest painted salons of 18th-century Vaud: 26 wooden panels forming a cycle of 19 scenes (dance, music, theatre, hunting, fishing, pastoral scenes), commissioned around 1760 by David-Louis Constant d'Hermenches for his castle of Hermenches.
The campanile. Bell tower built in 1754, a substantial structure that served as a meeting place for the General Council and as a fire alarm.
Beau-Cèdre estate. Manor house of 1770, outbuildings of 1750 and a farmhouse built in 1872-1881 by the architect Gustave Wanner. After the death of Gustave Auberjonois in 1917, his children sold the estate in 1944 to the Confederation, which set up a seed testing centre there; Camille Gross acquired the house in 1951 and the farmhouse in 1955.
Church of Jouxtens-Mézery. Completed in 1976 on a 12'000 m² site in order to create a village centre.
Remains in Jouxtens-Mézery
Roman villa of Mézery. Remains of a large Roman villa with baths, where coins ranging from Emperor Augustus to Constantine have been found.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Jouxtens-Mézery » (François Béboux, version du 08.05.2007)
- Wikipédia, « Jouxtens-Mézery »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
- geo.admin.ch (swisstopo), recherche de lieux
Other villages near Jouxtens-Mézery
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