Vinzel

Origin of the name Vinzel

The place is recorded in 1145 as «Vyncgel» or «Vynciel». The name may derive from a Latin form «vīnĭcellum», meaning a plot of vineyard (to be cross-checked).

Founding of Vinzel

None of the sources consulted says who founded the village or why. Although the territory is crossed by the Roman road of the Vy d'Etraz, no Roman or Burgundian remains have been found here. In the Middle Ages the territory was split into several fiefs. The village has always lived mainly from wine: in the 17th century only a few large landowners benefited from the spread of the vineyards, while the population remained poor, and phylloxera hit the crops and the inhabitants hard.

History of Vinzel

Roman period. The territory is crossed by the Roman road of the Vy d'Etraz; no Roman or Burgundian remains have been discovered here.

1145. First mention of the place as «Vyncgel» or «Vynciel».

Middle Ages. The territory is split into several fiefs.

1306. The land of Vinzel is granted as a fief to the knight Jean de Senarclens (to be cross-checked).

1350. The abbey of Bonmont leases a winegrower's house in Vinzel on the Etraz road (to be cross-checked).

Bernese period. The Bernese attach the village to the bailiwick of Morges; it depends on the lordship of Rolle.

17th century. Spread of the vineyards, which benefits only a few large landowners; the population remains poor.

18th century. The municipality is run by a governor, a Council of six members and a general assembly. The Château de La Bâtie is rebuilt.

1798. Vinzel joins the district of Rolle, to which it belongs until 2006.

1817-1956. A brick and tile works is in operation.

19th century. Construction of the railway line, which hardly changes the rural character of the municipality.

late 19th century. School merger with Luins.

1964. Construction of the A1 Lausanne-Geneva motorway.

2008. Vinzel becomes part of the new district of Nyon, created by the 2006 territorial reorganisation.

early 21st century. Vinzel, which belonged to the parish of Bursins, becomes part of the parish of Le Coeur de La Côte.

Population of Vinzel

Population of Vinzel

1764	66
1798	82
1850	138
1900	155
1950	114
2000	295
2025	385

Historic sites in Vinzel

Château de Vinzel. One of the municipality's two castles; it has been listed in the cantonal heritage inventory since 1995 (to be cross-checked).

Château de La Bâtie. Rebuilt in the 18th century, it belonged to the writer Gonzague de Reynold, then to the historian and diplomat Carl Jacob Burckhardt.

Etraz road. Old Roman road of the Vy d'Etraz crossing the municipal territory; in 1350 the abbey of Bonmont leased a winegrower's house there (to be cross-checked).

Legends of Vinzel

The «beignet de Vinzel». According to an oral tradition, Swiss soldiers from Geneva and the Vaud Côte who fought before Sevastopol, defended by the Malakoff fort, during the Crimean War (1853-1856), took to frying slices of cheese in a pan at their bivouac; back home, they are said to have kept meeting to eat them, hence the name «malakoff». In Vinzel this dish is also called «beignet de Vinzel».

Sources

• Dizionario storico della Svizzera, « Vinzel »
• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Luins »
• Wikipédia, « Vinzel »
• Wikipédia, « Malakoff (gastronomie) »
• Wikipédia, « Districts du canton de Vaud »
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »

Other villages near Vinzel

• Luins (VD)
• Bursins (VD)
• Le Vernay (VD)
• Les Serraux (VD)
• Gilly (VD)