Oron-le-Châtel
Origin of the name Oron-le-Châtel
The name of Oron-le-Châtel first appears in the form «Oruns» in 1137; the old German name of the locality was «Orung». This name shares the same root as that of Oron-la-Ville, attested as early as Roman times (Uromago, Viromagus) and then in the early Middle Ages (Orona, Auronum), a region then referred to as a whole as the «land of Oron». The hypothesis of a Celtic origin (uro, «bull», and magos, «field» or «market») rests on a single source and remains to be cross-checked. The qualifier «le-Châtel» (from the Latin castellum, the château) became established after the administrative separation of 1803, to distinguish the locality that houses the château from its neighbour and former capital, Oron-la-Ville.
Founding of Oron-le-Châtel
Oron-le-Châtel owes its existence to no single founding act nor to any identifiable founder: the locality developed around the château built by the lords of Oron at the end of the 12th century or the beginning of the 13th century (this château, today one of the best-known monuments in the canton, lies administratively within the territory of Oron-le-Châtel and not that of Oron-la-Ville, even though it bears the name of the whole region). The lordship of Oron, of which the locality formed the castral centre, passed by marriage to the Gruyère family in 1383 (to be cross-checked: another source places the extinction of the line of the lords of Oron in 1388), then went through several changes of ownership (sold to Percival Le Royer in 1399, ceded to Gaspard de Montmayeur in 1402, bought back by François de Gruyère in 1457) before being acquired by Berne in 1555-1556, which set up a bailiwick there. It was only after the fall of the Ancien Régime, in 1803, that Oron-le-Châtel separated from Oron-la-Ville and became a fully independent municipality of the canton of Vaud, while remaining spiritually affiliated with the parish of Oron-la-Ville.
History of Oron-le-Châtel
1137. First known mention of the village's name, in the form «Oruns».
end of the 12th century / beginning of the 13th century. Construction of the château by the lords of Oron, which will become the centre of the lordship; the building stands within the territory of present-day Oron-le-Châtel.
1383. François I of Oron bequeaths the lordship to his wife's family, Marie de Gruyère (to be cross-checked: another source places the extinction of the line of the lords of Oron in 1388).
1399. The lordship is sold to Percival Le Royer.
1402. It is ceded to Gaspard de Montmayeur.
1457. François de Gruyère buys back the lordship.
1531. The village has 6 hearths (households).
1555-1556. Berne acquires the lordship of Oron.
1557-1798. The château becomes the seat of the Bernese bailiwick of Oron; 43 bailiffs succeed one another there.
1768-1912. Coal mines are worked in the region, with renewed activity during the two world wars.
1798. Fall of Bernese rule following the Vaud Revolution; the village then has 73 inhabitants.
1803. Oron-le-Châtel separates from Oron-la-Ville and becomes an independent municipality of the new canton of Vaud; it then has 86 inhabitants.
1820 (to be cross-checked). According to an isolated source, the current boundaries of the municipality are said to have been set at this date, after a separation from Chesalles-sur-Oron, then attached to the same territory.
1862. A railway station opens on the Lausanne-Berne line, serving the village.
1880. The château begins to house an important private library of French literature, assembled by the Gaiffe family (about 17'000 volumes).
1887 and 1916. Burials from the early Middle Ages are uncovered on the village's territory.
1934-1936. The château is bought back by the Association pour la conservation du château d'Oron (ACCO), for an amount of 140'000 francs, and becomes a Swiss cultural property of national importance.
2000. Agriculture, in decline, numbers no more than four farms on the municipal territory.
2005-2006. The village hosts the World Music Festival.
2006. The district of Oron is abolished and replaced by the district of Lavaux-Oron.
2012. Oron-le-Châtel merges with Bussigny-sur-Oron, Châtillens, Chesalles-sur-Oron, Écoteaux, Oron-la-Ville, Palézieux, Les Tavernes, Les Thioleyres and Vuibroye to form the new municipality of Oron.
Population of Oron-le-Châtel
| 1531 | 6 hearths |
| 1764 | 64 |
| 1798 | 73 |
| 1803 | 86 |
| 1850 | 162 |
| 1900 | 177 |
| 1950 | 141 |
| 1980 | 113 |
| 2000 | 233 |
| 2010 | 292 |
| 2011 | 288 |
Historic sites in Oron-le-Châtel
Oron Castle. Although it bears the name of the whole region, the medieval château lies administratively within the territory of Oron-le-Châtel. Former centre of the lordship of Oron and then seat of the Bernese bailiwick, it has housed since 1880 a library of several thousand volumes of French literature and is listed as a Swiss cultural property of national importance (its detailed history is covered in the entry devoted to Oron-la-Ville).
Oron-le-Châtel railway station. Opened in 1862 on the Lausanne-Berne line, the station long stood, together with the château, as one of the most visible landmarks of the village seen from the railway.
Old village core. The historic heart of the village, clustered around the château, is said to be listed in the federal inventory of Swiss heritage sites (ISOS), according to an isolated source still to be cross-checked.
Remains in Oron-le-Châtel
Early medieval burials. Burials dating from the early Middle Ages were uncovered on the village's territory in 1887 and then in 1916, attesting to continuous occupation of the site well before the first written mentions.
Bronze objects attesting a Celtic presence. Bronze artefacts (a fibula, a pendant and a bracelet) were discovered in 1885 near Oron-le-Châtel, considered evidence of an early Celtic presence in the region.
Remains of the coal mines. The municipal territory carried coal mines worked between 1768 and 1912, then briefly brought back into operation during the two world wars; today only scattered traces remain in the landscape.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, article « Oron-le-Châtel » (Emmanuel Abetel)
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, article « Oron-la-Ville » (Emmanuel Abetel)
- Wikipédia FR, « Oron-le-Châtel »
- Wikipédia DE, « Oron-le-Châtel »
- Wikipédia EN, « Oron-le-Châtel »
- Site officiel de la commune d'Oron, page « Oron-le-Châtel »
- Site officiel du château d'Oron
Other villages near Oron-le-Châtel
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