Yvonand
Origin of the name Yvonand
First written mention in 1010, in the form «Evonant», in the charter by which King Rudolph III of Burgundy returned half of the village to the Bishop of Lausanne. In the Vaud patois the name is «Invouenan». The origin of the name is unknown: the hypotheses put forward (notably a Germanic personal name Evo and «nant» meaning stream) are not considered convincing.
Founding of Yvonand
The bay of Yvonand, a fertile area on Lake Neuchâtel near the mouth of the Menthue, saw successive occupations. Six lakeshore settlements have been recorded there, from the Neolithic (around 3900 BC) to the Late Bronze Age (around 1000 BC). In Roman times a large farming estate (villa) was worked at Mordagne, on the left bank of the Menthue. No source consulted names a founder of the medieval village: it developed on the right bank of the Menthue and appears in the records in 1010. It belonged to the barony of Grandson and, after the Burgundian Wars, became one of the five métralies (administrative districts) of the common bailiwick of Grandson, with its own court and two Councils of twenty-four and seventeen members. The municipality also includes the hamlets of La Mauguettaz, Niédens and Mordagne. The inhabitants are nicknamed the «Tapa-Sablias» (sand-tappers in patois, as the village is built on sandy ground).
History of Yvonand
around 3900 BC. Beginning of the lakeshore occupations of the bay of Yvonand (Middle Neolithic, Cortaillod culture, Yvonand III settlement).
Late Neolithic. Villages of the Horgen and Lüscherz cultures at the place called Le Marais (Yvonand IV and V): rectangular houses protected on the landward side by a double palisade.
around 1000 BC. Last lakeshore village, in the Late Bronze Age (Yvonand II).
around AD 100. The estate of the Roman villa of Mordagne begins to be worked; it is partly occupied until around 400.
400-700. Cave dwelling in the rock shelter of the Roche de la Baume.
1010. First mention, «Evonant»: Rudolph III returns half of the village to the Bishop of Lausanne; the church of Saint-Ours is mentioned for the first time.
1011. The other half of the village is given to Hermengarde, then to the Church of Vienne.
early 14th century. A counterfeiter strikes false deniers in the cave of the Roche de la Baume.
1476. The Confederates conquer Grandson and Yvonand; the village becomes one of the five métralies of the common bailiwick of Grandson.
1531. Antoine Froment preaches the Reformation; the church's 14th-century opening Virgin (Vierge ouvrante) is taken to safety in Cheyres.
1532. In August, vote in favour of the Reformation.
1603. Dispute with Fiez over the supply of wood.
1748-1749. Rebuilding of the church (temple) and construction of the parsonage; stones from the ruins of the Roman villa of Mordagne are reused.
1798. Yvonand joins the district of Yverdon, to which it belongs until 2006.
1877. Opening of the station on 1 February, on the Yverdon-Payerne railway line.
1880-1979. Operation of the Dutoit-Morandi tile and brick works.
1920-1921. Drainage works at Le Marais make it possible to identify the pile-dwelling settlements precisely.
1959. Construction of the Catholic chapel.
1977. Opening of the marina.
2011. The Yvonand-Le Marais site is inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage List among the prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps.
Population of Yvonand
| 1776 | 401 |
| 1850 | 861 |
| 1900 | 1'187 |
| 1950 | 1'295 |
| 2000 | 2'278 |
| 2010 | 2'537 |
| 2025 | 3'536 |
Historic sites in Yvonand
Church of Saint-Ours (temple). Church mentioned from 1010, rebuilt in 1748-1749 partly with stones from the Roman villa of Mordagne. It received a new bell tower in 1906 and a baroque organ in 1988. Before the Reformation it held a 14th-century opening Virgin (Vierge ouvrante), now in Cheyres.
Bay of Yvonand and mouth of the Menthue. Lakeshore terrace formed by the alluvium of the Menthue delta, where the prehistoric villages followed one another; today a shore with beaches, campsites (from 1950) and a marina (1977).
Yvonand station. Station on the Yverdon-Payerne line opened in 1877 which, together with the route des Grèves to Yverdon, encouraged the industrial development of the village.
Hamlets of Mordagne, Niédens and La Mauguettaz. Hamlets which, together with Yvonand, formed the métralie dependent on Grandson from 1536 to 1798. Helvetian graves are reported at Niédens. The inhabitants of Niédens are nicknamed the «Coucous», those of La Mauguettaz the «Merles».
Remains in Yvonand
Lakeshore settlements of Yvonand-Le Marais (Unesco). Group of prehistoric villages (Yvonand II, IV and V) inscribed as World Heritage in 2011. Piles were reported from 1860 by Frédéric Troyon; the settlements were identified in 1920-1921, the Late Bronze Age settlement was discovered in 1950 and first excavated in 1953 by Jean-Charles Hübscher, then studied in 1973-1974 during the test excavations for the A1 motorway. The site illustrates particularly well the transition between the Horgen and Lüscherz cultures; two copper pins with rolled heads attest the earliest copper metallurgy in western Switzerland.
Roman villa of Mordagne. Large Roman farming estate on the left bank of the Menthue, worked from around AD 100 (the early 1st century is also suggested, to be cross-checked). Besides the master's house, partly occupied until around 400, it comprised an enclosure of 600 m by 60 containing a dozen buildings. Since the 18th century the site has yielded mosaics, coins and bronze statuettes; aerial photography (from 1976) and excavations (until 2002) revealed the layout of the estate, which had columns and wall paintings.
Orpheus mosaic of La Baumaz. Roman mosaic depicting Orpheus, discovered at the place called La Baumaz (details of the discovery to be cross-checked).
Roche de la Baume. Rock shelter used as a cave dwelling around AD 400-700, then the hideout of a counterfeiter in the early 14th century.
Menhirs. Menhirs erected in the Neolithic in the region, including one near the church (to be cross-checked).
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Yvonand »
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Yvonand - Le Marais »
- Commune d'Yvonand, « Un peu d'histoire : de l'origine à l'Empire romain »
- Commune d'Yvonand, « Un peu d'histoire : le Moyen-Âge »
- Commune d'Yvonand, « Un peu d'histoire : de l'invasion bernoise au XIXe siècle »
- Association pour la promotion du site romain d'Yvonand-Mordagne, « La villa »
- Wikipédia, « Yvonand »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Other villages near Yvonand
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