L'Orient

Origin of the name L'Orient

The place was originally called "Orient de l'Orbe", a name attested by the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland and confirmed by the village's official website: it refers to the hamlet's position on the eastern bank of the river Orbe, as opposed to the localities on the other bank. From around 1900 the name was gradually shortened to "L'Orient". It is a purely local geographical designation, with no connection to Asia, the Middle East or any other place of the same name elsewhere in the world; the two sources consulted agree on this point.

Founding of L'Orient

L'Orient has never had independent commune or parish status. Since 1646 the territory has belonged to the commune of Le Chenit, which itself separated from the commune of Le Lieu (founded in 1396); L'Abbaye had broken away in the same way in 1571. Settlement of the present-day site of L'Orient came later: the first hay barns, known as "Chez Marc", are mentioned around 1600, and the first permanent inhabitants are said to have settled there around 1680 (information to be cross-checked, single source). From around 1640 the population of the valley devoted itself mainly to farming and livestock. It was only on 9 May 1904 that L'Orient officially received the status of a fraction (village) of the commune of Le Chenit, alongside Le Sentier and Le Brassus, each with its own five-member administrative council responsible for local taxes, property, public lighting and planning, under the authority of the prefect. No evidence of a separate parish status for L'Orient has been found so far; this point is still to be verified.

History of L'Orient

12th century. Very slow beginning of permanent settlement in the Vallée de Joux, until then forested and sparsely inhabited.

1396. Formation of the commune of Le Lieu, the oldest of the valley's three historic communes.

1571. L'Abbaye breaks away from Le Lieu and becomes a separate commune.

around 1600. First attested buildings on the site, hay barns known as "Chez Marc" (information to be cross-checked, single source).

around 1640. The population of the Vallée de Joux devotes itself mainly to farming and livestock.

1646. Le Chenit in turn separates from Le Lieu and becomes an independent commune; the territory of present-day L'Orient belongs to it from this date.

around 1680. Arrival of the first permanent inhabitants at L'Orient (information to be cross-checked, single source).

1803. Erection, according to local tradition, of a monument known as the "Pierre à Napoléon", in tribute to Napoleon Bonaparte as mediator of the Act of Mediation that created the canton of Vaud (information to be cross-checked, single source).

1826. Construction of the road linking L'Orient to Le Brassus.

1862. Opening of the first post office in L'Orient.

1867. Construction of the Hôtel de la Poste, now home to the village administration.

1870. Plans drawn up for the village school (collège).

1884. Founding of the Nouvelle Lémania watch manufacture, marking the rise of the watchmaking industry in the region.

1899. Inauguration, on 15 August, of the Le Pont-Le Brassus railway line, which opens up the Vallée de Joux; an extra section to link Le Sentier directly to L'Orient is considered but not built in that form, hence the name of the shared station "Le Sentier-L'Orient".

1904 (9 May). L'Orient officially becomes an administrative fraction of the commune of Le Chenit, with its own five-member administrative council, alongside Le Sentier and Le Brassus.

1914. Founding of the Valdar watch manufacture.

1950. 687 inhabitants recorded in L'Orient.

1963. The village streets receive official names.

1969. Population peak of L'Orient, with 1'036 inhabitants recorded.

1999. The Nouvelle Lémania manufacture, then linked to the Breguet house, passes with it under the control of the Swatch Group (information to be cross-checked).

2000. 686 inhabitants recorded in L'Orient, the last known population figure specific to the village.

2006. Dissolution of the district of La Vallée; the commune of Le Chenit, and therefore L'Orient, joins the new district of Jura-Nord vaudois.

Population of L'Orient

Population of L'Orient

1950	687
1969	1'036 (historic peak)
2000	686

Historic sites in L'Orient

Lac de Joux. The largest lake in Switzerland above 1'000 metres in altitude (about 9 km long); L'Orient lies near its south-western end, on the right bank of its tributary the Orbe, right next to Le Sentier.

Hôtel de la Poste (1867). Historic building constructed in 1867, which today houses the administration of the fraction of L'Orient.

Pierre à Napoléon. Monument erected according to local tradition in 1803 in tribute to Napoleon Bonaparte, mediator of the Act of Mediation that created the canton of Vaud (information to be cross-checked, single source).

Le Sentier-L'Orient station. Stop on the Le Pont-Le Brassus line, inaugurated in 1899, jointly serving the two neighbouring localities of Le Sentier and L'Orient.

Remains in L'Orient

"Chez Marc" barns (around 1600). Local sources mention hay barns dated to around 1600 as the oldest attested buildings on the site of L'Orient. Their current state of preservation could not be independently verified; information to be cross-checked.

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, "Orient, L'" (Germain Hausmann)
• Wikipédia FR, "L'Orient (Vaud)"
• Wikipédia EN, "L'Orient, Switzerland"
• Site officiel du village de L'Orient, page "Le Village"
• Commune du Chenit, page "Histoire"
• Wikipédia FR, "Chemin de fer Pont-Brassus"
• Wikipédia EN, "Le Chenit"

Other villages near L'Orient

• Le Solliat (VD)
• Le Chenit (VD)
• Le Sentier (VD)
• Les Bioux (VD)
• Le Lieu (VD)