Le Solliat
Origin of the name Le Solliat
No early dated written mention of the name was found in the sources consulted (to be cross-checked). Local tradition links the name to a pond, or «souillard», which existed around 1554 east of the present settlement and where a bear came to drink; it is said to have been called «souillard de l'Or», which became «le Solliard à l'ours», then «Le Solliat». The historian Jacques-David Nicole likewise derives the name from the verb «se souiller» (to wallow): before the place was inhabited, bears are said to have come to drink and wallow in muddy water holes. These are traditional explanations, not confirmed by any toponymic study (to be cross-checked).
Founding of Le Solliat
Le Solliat was not founded by any specific act: it grew out of the gradual clearing of the upper part of the Vallée de Joux, which then formed a single community, Le Lieu. The first houses appeared in this part of the upper valley between 1550 and 1560. The hamlet then became part of the commune of Le Chenit when the latter separated from Le Lieu in 1646. Remaining essentially agricultural, Le Solliat was overshadowed by its neighbours (Le Sentier, Le Brassus, L'Orient), which were developed by the watchmaking industry. Unlike these three villages, recognised as commune fractions between 1900 and 1908, it never obtained this status: it organised itself as a public-interest society, founded in 1902, which operates as a non-profit association.
History of Le Solliat
1550-1560. The first houses appear in this part of the upper valley of the Vallée de Joux, then attached to the community of Le Lieu.
around 1554. According to tradition, a pond («souillard») east of the present settlement, where a bear came to drink, gives the place its name.
1646. Creation of the commune of Le Chenit by separation from Le Lieu; Le Solliat is part of it.
early 18th century. The estate of La Capitaine, above Le Solliat, belongs to Meylans known as Brigadier, who probably gave their name to the neighbouring hamlet of Chez-le-Brigadier; it then passes to Captain Le Coultre of Le Chenit, whose family still owns it.
1822. Letters from Philippe Aubert on the rules for the «recors» (common mowing and grazing) of the hamlet of Le Solliat.
1838. Formation of the cheese dairy society of Le Solliat (contract of 17 May); on 2 June François Meylan sells it, for 96 francs, the land intended for building the cheese dairy.
1866. The cheese dairy society is constituted in a modern form (to be cross-checked against the date 1838).
1869-1870. The Indicateur de l'horlogerie suisse lists watchmakers at Le Solliat (H. Reymond, Philippe Aubert, Meylan frères, Nicole & Capt) and a cadrature maker, François Lecoultre.
1891. The cheese dairy sells vacherins to Eugène Cart-Rochat.
1900-1908. Le Sentier (1900), L'Orient (1904) and Le Brassus (1908) become commune fractions; Le Solliat does not obtain this status.
1902. Founding of the Société d'intérêt public du Solliat.
1911. Le Solliat has four telephone connections (three in 1921).
1974. Inauguration of the village flag on 1 June.
2024-2027. Merger of Le Chenit, Le Lieu and L'Abbaye into a commune «La Vallée de Joux», approved by popular vote on 22 September 2024 and validated by the Grand Council on 25 November 2025; it is due to come into force on 1 January 2027.
Historic sites in Le Solliat
The cheese dairy. The village cheese dairy society dates back to 1838 (contract of 17 May 1838). The old cheese dairy, in the heart of the village near the former Café Vaudois, was replaced by a modern cheese dairy built away from the village, on the other side of the road. The Les Landes cheese dairy today produces Gruyère AOP with milk from 24 producers.
The former school and Philippe Dufour's workshop. The independent watchmaker Philippe Dufour set up his workshop on the ground floor of the former school of Le Solliat, at the entrance to the village and near the dairy; there he made in particular the Simplicity watch and the Duality with its double regulator.
La Capitaine and the AstroVal observatory. Estate above Le Solliat, owned in the early 18th century by Meylans known as Brigadier, then by the family of Captain Le Coultre. Descendants of this family set up the AstroVal astronomical observatory (IAU code L44) there, in the middle of the pastures, to take advantage of the absence of light pollution.
Le Solliat-La Golisse halt. Request stop on the Vallorbe-Le Brassus railway line, which serves the village.
Remains in Le Solliat
The building of the former Café Vaudois. The former Café Vaudois, a public house closed for many years, still stands in the village, without its sign; it was located near the old cheese dairy.
Legends of Le Solliat
The bear of the «souillard». According to tradition, before the place was inhabited, a bear came to drink and wallow in a muddy pond, a «souillard», east of the present village. The place is said to have taken the name «souillard de l'Or», then «Solliard à l'ours», hence Le Solliat. The bear's head in the village coat of arms recalls this tale.
Sources
- Village du Solliat, « Histoire »
- Wikipédia, « Le Solliat »
- Archives culturelles de la Vallée de Joux, « Laiterie du Solliat » (PDF)
- Archives culturelles de la Vallée de Joux, « La fromagerie du Solliat, au coeur du village »
- Archives culturelles de la Vallée de Joux, « Regains du Solliat » (PDF)
- Archives culturelles de la Vallée de Joux, « La Capitaine, au-dessus du Solliat »
- Archives culturelles de la Vallée de Joux, « Le Café Vaudois au Solliat et autres débits anciens »
- Passion Horlogère, « Du côté de chez Philippe Dufour »
- Vallée de Joux Tourisme, « Observatoire astronomique AstroVal »
- Wikipedia (EN), « Le Solliat-La Golisse railway station »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Other villages near Le Solliat
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