Yverdon-les-Bains
Origin of the name Yverdon-les-Bains
The name is Celtic: the Roman form "Eburodunum" (its inhabitants are called "vikani Eburodunenses" in the 2nd century) combines the term "dunum", meaning a fortress or fortified place, with a first element "eburo", interpreted either as the yew tree or as a personal name. The name evolved into "Yverdon". The commune took the official name "Yverdon-les-Bains" in 1981, in reference to its thermal springs (change confirmed on 27 November 1981).
Founding of Yverdon-les-Bains
The site has been occupied since prehistory, as the Clendy menhirs show. In Roman times a settlement (vicus) grew up around the thermal springs, followed from 325 by a fortified camp (castrum). The present town is a medieval "new town": around 1258 Peter II of Savoy began building the castle and a planned town, whose official foundation dates from 26 April 1260. The regular plan of three parallel streets laid out by the Savoyard prince still shapes the historic centre.
History of Yverdon-les-Bains
4500-4000 BC. Erection of the Clendy menhirs, a group of 45 Neolithic standing stones, some of them anthropomorphic.
2nd century. The inhabitants of the Roman vicus are called "vikani Eburodunenses"; the settlement grows around the thermal springs.
around 325. Construction of a Roman fortified camp (castrum) covering more than two hectares.
around 1258. Peter II of Savoy begins building the castle and the new town.
26 April 1260. Official foundation of the Savoyard new town.
1268. The town has about 700 inhabitants.
1379. The population reaches about 1'800.
1536. Bernese conquest of Vaud; Yverdon becomes the seat of a Bernese bailiwick.
1730-1735. Rebuilding of the thermal baths.
1757. Construction of the temple (Reformed church).
1770-1780. Publication of the Encyclopédie d'Yverdon under the direction of Fortunato Bartolomeo De Felice.
1773. Construction of the town hall.
1798. The town has 2'484 inhabitants.
1805-1825. The educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi runs his institute in the castle.
1 May 1855. Opening of the first railway line in French-speaking Switzerland, starting from Yverdon.
1900. The town has 7'985 inhabitants.
1909. The battery maker Leclanché sets up in the town.
1920-1974. Manufacture of Paillard (Hermes) typewriters.
1975. The Clendy menhirs are rediscovered and identified as such; they are re-erected in 1986.
1977. The thermal baths reopen after 28 years of closure.
27 November 1981. The new official name "Yverdon-les-Bains" is confirmed.
1986. Creation of the Y-Parc technology park.
2002. Yverdon-les-Bains is one of the sites (arteplage) of the Swiss national exhibition Expo.02.
2011. Merger with the commune of Gressy.
Population of Yverdon-les-Bains
| 1798 | 2'484 |
| 1850 | 3'619 |
| 1900 | 7'985 |
| 1950 | 12'266 |
| 2000 | 24'376 |
| 2010 | 27'678 |
| 2025 | 30'600 |
Historic sites in Yverdon-les-Bains
Yverdon Castle. Built from 1258-1260 by Peter II of Savoy, it is the heart of the Savoyard new town. Seat of the Bernese bailiffs after 1536, it housed Pestalozzi's institute from 1805 to 1825.
Historic centre with three streets. The regular plan laid out by Peter of Savoy, with three parallel streets, still shapes the old town; the temple (1757) and the town hall (1773) reflect the 18th-century revival.
Thermal centre. The springs used since Roman times gave the town its present name. The baths were rebuilt in 1730-1735 and reopened in 1977 after a long closure.
Maison d'Ailleurs. Museum devoted to science fiction, utopia and extraordinary journeys.
Remains in Yverdon-les-Bains
Clendy menhirs. A group of 45 standing stones erected around 4500-4000 BC, some in human form. Rediscovered and identified in 1975, they were re-erected in 1986 on the lakeshore at the Promenade des Anglaises.
Roman castrum. Fortified camp of more than two hectares built around 325 under Emperor Constantine, with gates and towers; it shows the importance of Eburodunum in late Antiquity.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Yverdon-les-Bains »
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Vaud »
- Wikipédia FR, « Yverdon-les-Bains »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Localities of the municipality with a page
Other villages near Yverdon-les-Bains
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