Vully-les-Lacs
Origin of the name Vully-les-Lacs
The name is older than the commune. From 2005 to 2009 eight communes study a merger they already call the «Vully-les-Lacs» project. The seven that carry it out keep the name.[1]
Founding of Vully-les-Lacs
Bellerive, Chabrey, Constantine, Montmagny, Mur, Vallamand and Villars-le-Grand, in the Broye-Vully district, form Vully-les-Lacs on 1 July 2011. The original project also included Cudrefin, whose communal council said no in January 2009. The other seven took up the plan again at once. The commune's arms bear «sept besants d'or posés en grappe». The territory reaches both lakes. Vallamand overlooks Lake Morat, Chabrey lies on a plateau above the cliffs of Lake Neuchâtel, and Mur straddles the border between the cantons of Vaud and Fribourg. Cotterd and Vallamand-Dessous belonged to Bellerive. For a long time the villages formed groupings that did not match the communes existing before 2011: Constantine included Montmagny and part of Salavaux, Chabrey belonged to the community of Villars-le-Grand, and Villars-le-Grand to the parish of Constantine.[1][2][3][5][6]
History of Vully-les-Lacs
13th century. Constantine, until then part of the domain of the bishop of Sion, is attached to the castellany of Cudrefin.[1]
around 1350. The large lordship comprising Mur, Lugnorre, Joressens, Villars-le-Grand and Cudrefin is split in two.[1]
1393-1394. Feudal rights of the community of Montmagny are recorded.[1]
1416. The church of Cotterd appears in the records.[5]
1536. After the Bernese conquest, the church of Cotterd adopts Protestant worship.[5]
1584. Mur separates from Cudrefin. Bern recognises its autonomy on 10 October 1664.[1]
second half of the 17th century. Chabrey breaks away from the community of Villars-le-Grand.[1]
late 17th century. Bern detaches Villars-le-Grand from the parish of Constantine and makes it a parish.[1]
1709. The avoyer Emmanuel de Graffenried obtains leave from Bern to attach his house at Vallamand to Vallamand-Dessous, in the lordship of Bellerive.[6]
1777. Antoine-Abraham Bonjour, of Avenches, buys the lordship of Bellerive. He is its last lord in 1798.[1][5][6]
1811. Montmagny separates from Constantine. Its municipality is created on 28 August.[1]
1846-1864. Abolished and joined to Montet, the parish of Cotterd is restored in 1864.[5]
1874. Gustave de Bonstetten reports the lakeside settlement of Montbec I.[7]
2005-2009. Eight communes study the «Vully-les-Lacs» merger project.[1]
2009. On 22 January seven general councils adopt the agreement, but the communal council of Cudrefin rejects it.[1]
2009. From February the executives of the seven remaining communes set up a working group for a seven-commune merger.[1]
2009. The seven general councils adopt the agreement again on 25 June.[1]
2009. Simultaneous votes of 29 November: the voters of all seven communes say yes.[1]
2010. On 3 March the Council of State signs the draft decree ratifying the agreement.[1]
2011. Vully-les-Lacs becomes a commune on 1 July.[1][2][3]
Population of Vully-les-Lacs
Sources and references: [4]
| 2025 | 3'698 |
Historic sites in Vully-les-Lacs
Administrative seat. The commune has its administrative seat in Salavaux.[1]
Church of Cotterd. At Cotterd. A remodelling in the early 18th century gave it its present appearance, and its porch tower dates from the 1730s. A partial collapse of the molasse cliff made its consolidation necessary in 1994-1995. The parsonage dates from 1752.[5]
Castle of Vallamand-Dessous. Built in the early 18th century, probably by Emmanuel de Graffenried, it later passed to the Bonjour family, to Bernard de Mandrot and to Ch. Le Roy d'Amigny, whose heirs sold it in 1914 to Georges Cailler.[6]
Montbec I lakeside settlement. On the Vaud shore of Lake Neuchâtel, between Cudrefin and Port-Alban, this prehistoric site covers almost two hectares. Since June 2011 it has been one of the 111 pile-dwelling sites of the Alpine region on the UNESCO World Heritage List.[7]
Manor house of Cotterd. Known as the château de Cotterd, this 18th-century house stands in front of an older outbuilding. A polygonal projecting wing was added in 1854.[5]
Church of Villars-le-Grand. It stands on the site of a 15th-century chapel dedicated to Saint Lawrence. The gridiron, the saint's attribute, has been the village emblem since the 17th century.[1]
Sources
- État de Vaud, Conseil d'État, exposé des motifs et projet de décret no 278 sur la fusion des communes de Bellerive, Chabrey, Constantine, Montmagny, Mur, Vallamand et Villars-le-Grand (mars 2010)
- Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS), Répertoire officiel des communes, mutation 3269
- État de Vaud, « Fusions de communes en chiffres (2025) »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
- Office fédéral de la culture, Inventaire fédéral des sites construits (ISOS), « Cotterd », fiche 4308
- Swisscastles, « Château de Vallamand »
- Pierre Corboud, « La station littorale préhistorique de Montbec I : Sauvegarde d'un site classé à l'UNESCO », Archéologie vaudoise, Chroniques 2014
Localities of the municipality with a page
Other villages near Vully-les-Lacs
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