Riex

Canton of Vaud · District: Lavaux-Oron · around 300 inhabitants (at the time of the 2011 merger)

Part of the municipality of Bourg-en-Lavaux

Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Remains Legends Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Riex

Riex appears for the first time in a written document in 1184 in the Latinised form «Ruez». The precise etymology of the name is not established with certainty in the sources consulted; it may be a place name of pre-Latin or Burgundian origin linked to the relief or to a stream, but this hypothesis would deserve to be cross-checked against a specialised toponymic study. The village is also mentioned in 1327 in documents relating to «la Vaulx de Lutry», the name that would later give rise to the name «Lavaux»; the exact link between these two old mentions (1184 and 1327) would deserve to be cross-checked.

Founding of Riex

Riex was not "founded" by any single known act: the village developed gradually in the early Middle Ages within the Lavaux vineyard, driven by the ecclesiastical lordships that organised the cultivation of vines on the hillsides. Around 1150, the territory of Riex belonged to the canons of the archbishopric of Besançon; it then had around fifteen tenants. In 1246, it passed to the bishop of Lausanne, who remained lord of the place until the Bernese conquest of 1536. As in the rest of Lavaux, the village's development is closely tied to viticulture, encouraged from the early Middle Ages by religious institutions (the bishopric of Lausanne, abbeys) which owned the terraced land and had it worked. Administratively, Riex was for a long time one of the eight «quarters» of the general municipality of Villette, managed by a system of burghership (confrérie) rather than by its own municipality; the quarter of Riex had its own confrérie, documented from the 15th century, which managed common property and redistributed income to its members. After the Bernese conquest of 1536, the territory was integrated into the bailiwick of Lausanne.

History of Riex

Antiquity. Roman presence attested in the region by remains of a Roman settlement (no precise dating available in the sources consulted).

around 1150. The territory of Riex belongs to the canons of the archbishopric of Besançon; around fifteen tenants are recorded there.

1184. First known written mention of the village, in the form «Ruez».

1246. The territory of Riex comes under the lordship of the bishop of Lausanne.

1279. First documented mention of the Tour de Gourze, under the name «Castrum Gurzi», on the occasion of a donation to Hauterive convent.

1316. The Tour de Gourze is damaged during a conflict involving Louis II of Savoy.

early 14th century. The Tour de Gourze is burned down following conflicts between the bishopric of Lausanne and burghers.

1327. Riex is mentioned in documents relating to «la Vaulx de Lutry», the old name of the region that would become «Lavaux» in the early 16th century.

1397. Bishop Guillaume de Menthonay has the Tour de Gourze rebuilt and entrusts its management to Jean de Canturio, originally from Milan; his family retains it until 1530.

mid-15th century. Construction of fortification remains around the village, still visible today as remnants.

15th century. First documented mention of the confrérie (burghership) of Riex, which manages the village's common property.

1430. First mention of the Saint-Théodule chapel of Riex.

1530. The Tour de Gourze passes to the parish of Villette.

1536. Bernese conquest of the Pays de Vaud: Riex is integrated into the bailiwick of Lausanne; the Tour de Gourze enters three centuries of decline and gradual abandonment.

1550. The village has 21 hearths (households).

1593. Completion of the portal of the Saint-Théodule chapel.

1764. Census: 294 inhabitants.

1798. End of the Ancien Régime and annexation of the Pays de Vaud to the Helvetic Republic; 351 inhabitants recorded in Riex.

15 May 1824. The Vaud Grand Council adopts the decree dividing the general municipality of Villette into six distinct municipalities.

11 August 1826. Signing of the definitive agreement on the division of assets between the new municipalities.

7 December 1826. Entry into office of the new municipal authorities of Riex, which becomes an autonomous municipality; dissolution of the former confrérie/burghership.

1850. Census: 368 inhabitants, the 19th-century demographic peak.

1861-1862. Construction of the railway line crossing the Lavaux region.

1900. Census: 349 inhabitants. The Tour de Gourze is listed as a historic monument.

1878-1910. Major restoration works on the Tour de Gourze.

1910. The State of Vaud acquires the Tour de Gourze and henceforth ensures its upkeep; it is recognised as a historic monument of federal importance.

1950. Census: 291 inhabitants.

1974. Commissioning of the A9 motorway, which crosses the Lavaux region.

1840. Jean-Abram Noverraz, born in Riex (Les Granges) in 1790, former valet to Napoleon Bonaparte on Saint Helena, takes part in the return of the Emperor's ashes to France.

2000. Census: 300 inhabitants.

2007. The «Lavaux terraced vineyard» site, which includes the territory of Riex, is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

17 May 2009. The voters of Riex, Cully, Épesses, Grandvaux and Villette approve by referendum the project to merge their municipalities (an earlier project had failed a few years before).

1 July 2011. Riex merges with Cully, Épesses, Grandvaux and Villette to form the new municipality of Bourg-en-Lavaux; Riex loses its status as an independent municipality and becomes a locality of Bourg-en-Lavaux.

Population of Riex

21 hearths (households)

1550

294

1764

351

1798

368

1850

349

1900

291

1950

300

2000

290 (last statistics before the 2011 merger)

2009

Historic sites in Riex

Tour de Gourze. A former medieval watchtower overlooking the Riex vineyard at around 936 metres above sea level, offering a panorama over lac Léman, Lavaux, the Prealps and the mountains of Savoy. Its exact dating remains debated among historians: according to an older hypothesis belonging more to tradition than to contemporary sources, it was built in the 9th century by Queen Bertha to protect Lavaux from Saracen raids; according to another, better-documented hypothesis, it dates from the late 11th century and is due to the bishops of Lausanne. Its first certain written mention dates from 1279. Listed as a historic monument of federal importance since the early 20th century, it is today open to visitors.

Saint-Théodule chapel. The village chapel, mentioned since 1430, whose current portal dates from 1593. It is one of the oldest religious buildings preserved in Riex.

The wine-growing village of Riex and its terraced vineyard. The compact village of Riex, with its wine-growers' houses and typical lanes, is listed in the Swiss Inventory of Sites to be Protected (ISOS) as a site of national importance. Its terroir forms an integral part of the «Lavaux terraced vineyard» site, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2007.

Remains in Riex

Remains of a Roman settlement. Traces of Roman occupation have been found on the territory of Riex, but the sources consulted do not provide precise details on their nature or exact dating; this information would deserve to be cross-checked against more detailed archaeological data.

Slab graves from the Middle Ages. Medieval slab burials have been discovered on the village's territory, evidence of continuous occupation since the early Middle Ages, without further details being available in the sources consulted.

Fortification remains (mid-15th century). Remains of fortifications dating from the mid-15th century survive around the old village of Riex, recalling a context of regional insecurity at that time.

Legends of Riex

Queen Bertha and the Tour de Gourze. According to a popular tradition repeated in some works, the Tour de Gourze is said to have been built in the 9th century on the orders of Queen Bertha (a legendary figure associated with several old buildings in French-speaking Switzerland) to protect the Lavaux region from Saracen raids. This origin, however, remains a tradition unconfirmed by contemporary documents: the first reliable written mention of the tower dates only from 1279, and some historians instead attribute its construction to the bishops of Lausanne at the end of the 11th century. This legend should therefore be clearly presented as such, without being confused with the attested historical facts.

Sources

Other villages near Riex

Missing information, or do you have a source? Suggest a correction or addition. Every submission is checked before it's published.

Suggest a change