L'Auberson
Origin of the name L'Auberson
Name origin: not explained by the sources consulted. The hamlet is recorded in the 16th century. Its inhabitants bear the nickname « Culs-Gelés » (« lè Tiu-Dzalâ » in Vaud patois), a reference to the harsh climate.
Founding of L'Auberson
L'Auberson is not a municipality: it is a village of the municipality of Sainte-Croix, in the Jura-Nord vaudois district, lying in a synclinal hollow of the Jura at 1'100 m, near the French border. No founding act is known; the hamlet, recorded in the 16th century, belonged to the lordship of Sainte-Croix, formed in 1317 by the house of Grandson to control a passage towards Burgundy, and then to the Bernese bailiwick of Yverdon. Its inhabitants lived from farming, iron mining, bobbin lace and watchmaking, then above all from making music boxes in the 19th century. Like the town of Sainte-Croix, the village is listed in the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites (ISOS).
History of L'Auberson
1317. The house of Grandson forms the lordship of Sainte-Croix, to which L'Auberson will belong, to control a passage towards Burgundy.
16th century. The hamlet is recorded. From the 16th to the 19th century, the iron mines of L'Auberson supply the blast furnaces of Noirvaux and La Mouille-Mougnon.
1536-1798. L'Auberson belongs to the Bernese bailiwick of Yverdon.
1552. A first treaty sets the border with France; a second, in 1648, establishes its final line.
around 1750. Bobbin lace is added to the village's resources; from the 18th century, farming is combined with watchmaking.
1811. Start of the music box industry in Sainte-Croix and L'Auberson; in the 19th century it replaces watchmaking in the village.
1824. In church matters, L'Auberson passes from the parish of Sainte-Croix to the new parish of Les Granges-de-Sainte-Croix.
1848. Opening of the Yverdon-Sainte-Croix-Pontarlier road, which runs through L'Auberson.
1860. The village has about 500 inhabitants; by 1900 it has about 900.
1869-1871. Construction of the Reformed church.
1886. Construction of the school.
early 20th century. The invention of the phonograph, the player piano and then the radio leads to the decline of the music box.
1949-1960. The pastor and historian Lydia von Auw serves in L'Auberson, where she writes her doctoral thesis.
1955. Opening of the Baud museum, devoted to music boxes and automata, which brings the village a certain renown.
1970s. The music box industry disappears from the village.
1990. The village has 493 inhabitants, compared with 385 in 1983.
Population of L'Auberson
| 1860 | 500 (approx.) |
| 1900 | 900 (approx.) |
| 1983 | 385 |
| 1990 | 493 |
Historic sites in L'Auberson
L'Auberson church. Reformed church built in 1869-1871, one of the two churches of the parish of Les Granges-de-Sainte-Croix created in 1824 (the other is in La Chaux).
Baud museum. Museum of music boxes and automata opened in 1955, showing old pieces from the industry that supported the village in the 19th century.
L'Auberson school. School building constructed in 1886.
La Grand'Borne. 3 km from the town, Franco-Swiss boundary stone no. 8, towards Les Fourgs, recalls the border line fixed by the treaties of 1552 and 1648.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « L'Auberson »
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Sainte-Croix (commune) »
- Inventaire fédéral des sites construits d'importance nationale (ISOS), « L'Auberson », fiche 4380
- Wikipédia, « L'Auberson »
- Wikipedia (en), « Sainte-Croix, Switzerland »
- geo.admin.ch (swisstopo), recherche de lieux
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Other villages near L'Auberson
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