Penthalaz

Origin of the name Penthalaz

First mentioned in 1182 as «Pentala». The name may designate a «sloping place» or be a diminutive of Penthaz, the neighbouring village (to be cross-checked). The spelling varied: «Pentalla» (1783), «Pentallaz» (1799), then «Penthalaz» (1841).

Founding of Penthalaz

The site was occupied as early as Roman times: a Roman necropolis was found at Illette and an early medieval necropolis at Sauffaz. No source names a founder of the village. In the Middle Ages Penthalaz came under the lords of Cossonay: in 1216 and 1227 the knight of Penthalaz was their vassal. The village belonged to the Cossonay family until the early 15th century, then became part of the Savoyard castellany of Cossonay. Its modern growth came from the Venoge, whose mills preceded industry, and then from the railway.

History of Penthalaz

Roman period. Roman necropolis at Illette; an early medieval necropolis is known at Sauffaz.

1182. First mention of the village as «Pentala».

1216. The knight of Penthalaz is a vassal of the lords of Cossonay (likewise in 1227).

1228. The church of Saint-Martin is already a parish church.

15th century. At the beginning of the century, Penthalaz passes from the Cossonay family to the Savoyard castellany of Cossonay.

1465. Date of the church's oldest bell, one of the oldest surviving in the canton.

1536. Attached to the Bernese bailiwick of Morges (until 1798); the village is run by a council of twelve members.

1565. Plague epidemic, followed by others in 1566 and 1613.

1798. Incorporated into the district of Cossonay (until 2006); the church then becomes an annex of the parish of Daillens.

1839. A fire destroys two thirds of the village.

1855. Opening of Penthalaz-Cossonay station on the Morges-Yverdon railway line.

1884. A former mill at Illette houses the Warnery condensed milk factory.

1897. Opening of the funicular to Cossonay-Ville; the following year (1898) the condensed milk factory becomes the Aubert & Cie cable factory.

1905. Construction of the workers' quarter of Sous la Ville begins.

1913. Penthalaz-Cossonay station is renamed Cossonay.

1917. The first worker joins the municipal executive.

1923. The cable factory becomes the SA des Câbleries et Tréfileries de Cossonay.

1949. Penthalaz gets an elected municipal council, with a strong Socialist party.

1961. Penthalaz becomes a parish again.

2008. The new Vaud districts come into force: Penthalaz joins the district of Gros-de-Vaud.

Population of Penthalaz

Population of Penthalaz

1416	26 hearths (households)
1474	17 hearths (households)
1550	29 hearths (households)
1574	22 hearths (households)
1764	242
1798	273
1850	296
1900	372
1930	555
1950	905
1970	1'701
2000	2'283
2025	3'199

Historic sites in Penthalaz

Church (temple) of Saint-Martin. Parish church attested from 1228. It has four bells, including one from 1465 (about 75 kg), one of the oldest surviving in the canton. A 16th-century fresco of Christ in the tomb was discovered during a restoration in the 19th century. The temple is listed as a cultural property of regional significance.

Maison des Dîmes. Building that escaped the fire of 1839, which destroyed two thirds of the village.

School of 1841. School building constructed from 1838 to 1841 to plans by Henri Perregaux and Achille de La Harpe (to be cross-checked).

Cossonay-Gare and the funicular. Industrial quarter that grew up around the station opened in 1855 on the Morges-Yverdon line; since 1897 a funicular has linked it to Cossonay-Ville, on the hill.

Venoge industrial site. The mills on the Venoge preceded industry: a mill at Illette housed the Warnery condensed milk factory from 1884, then the cable factory (1898), which became the Câbleries et Tréfileries de Cossonay (1923). The site is now Venoge Parc; the neighbouring Grands-Moulins became Provimi Kliba.

Remains in Penthalaz

Necropolises of Illette and Sauffaz. A Roman necropolis (at Illette) and an early medieval necropolis (at Sauffaz) bear witness to the early occupation of the site.

Bell of 1465. The oldest of the four bells of the church of Saint-Martin, one of the oldest surviving in the canton of Vaud.

Legends of Penthalaz

The «Cancaniers». The inhabitants are nicknamed «Cancaniers». Tradition links the nickname to ordinances from the early 17th century forbidding women to gather «pour cotter, caquasser et jaser». The municipal newsletter is indeed called «Le Cancanier».

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Penthalaz »
• Commune de Penthalaz, « Histoire »
• Wikipédia (français), « Penthalaz »
• Wikipedia (anglais), « Penthalaz »
• Wikipédia, « Districts du canton de Vaud »
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »

Other villages near Penthalaz

• Daillens (VD)
• Lussery (VD)
• Villars-Lussery (VD)
• Penthaz (VD)
• Cossonay (VD)