Le Chenit

Le Chenit
State :	Switzerland
Canton :	Vaud (VD)
District :	Jura north vaudois
BFS no. :	5872
Postal code :	1348 Le Brassus 1341 L'Orient 1347 Le Sentier
Coordinates :	507 427  /  162490 coordinates: 46 ° 36 '26 "  N , 6 ° 13' 49"  O ; CH1903:  507,427  /  162490
Height :	1013  m above sea level M.
Height range :	1004–1609 m above sea level M.
Area :	99.19  km²
Residents:	4586 (December 31, 2018)
Population density :	46 inhabitants per km²
Website:	www.communeduchenit.ch
Church of Le Sentier
Location of the municipality

Le Chenit ([ lə ʃ (ə) ni ], in the native Franco-Provençal dialect [ (ao) ʦəˈnɛ ]) is a municipality in the Jura-Nord vaudois district of the Swiss canton of Vaud .

geography

Aerial photo (1964)

The large community of Le Chenit is 1013  m above sea level. M. , 37 km southwest of the district capital Yverdon-les-Bains and 32 km west-northwest of Lausanne (linear distance). The municipality extends in the Vallée de Joux on the Orbe , southwest of the Lac de Joux , in the Vaudois Jura .

The 99.2 km² municipal area covers a section in the Vaud Jura and the entire south-western part of the (Swiss) Vallée de Joux. The central part of the area is formed by the approximately 1 km wide valley of the Orbe, which is oriented from southwest to northeast. The river has numerous meanders and flows below Le Sentier into the Lac de Joux, the south-western part of which belongs to Le Chenit. To the north-west of the valley there is a steeply rising edge of terrain (up to 1181  m above sea level ), behind it the depressions of Derrière la Côte and Le Solliat and finally the extensive forest area of ​​the Grand Risoux . The north-western border runs along the ridge of the Risoux anticlines over the Roche Champion ( 1,327  m above sea level ) and Mont Risoux ( 1,384  m above sea level ). To the southeast of the Orbe valley, the municipality extends to the Mont-Tendre chain . The heights of Vue de Genève ( 1492  m above sea level ), Grande Rolat ( 1389  m above sea level ) and Chaumilles ( 1430  m above sea level ) run parallel to the valley . This is followed by the Combe des Amburnex , a valley depression consisting of various hollows. The southeast border lies on the ridge of the Mont-Tendre chain with (from southwest to northeast) Crêt de la Neuve ( 1495  m above sea level ), the Col du Marchairuz pass , the Monts de Bière ( 1530  m above sea level ). and the Cunay , which is 1609  m above sea level. M. forms the highest point of Le Chenit. The Mont-Tendre chain is characterized by typical karst features , namely numerous aboveground depressions and sinkholes as well as cart fields and several cave systems. On this chain there are extensive Jura high pastures with the typical mighty spruce trees , which either stand individually or in groups. Large parts of this Jura chain are located in the protected area of ​​the Parc jurassien vaudois . In 1997, 3% of the municipal area was in settlements, 66% in forests and woodland, 29% in agriculture and a little less than 2% was unproductive land.

Community structure

The large municipality of Le Chenit consists of three sub-municipalities, so-called fractions de commune (municipality fractions ) with their own municipal assemblies and administrations:

• Le Sentier , 1013  m above sea level M. , left the orbe; Administrative seat of the municipality and was the capital of the La Vallée district, which existed until the end of 2007 .
• Le Brassus , 1033  m above sea level M. , at the stream of the same name on the right of the Orbe, starting point for the Col du Marchairuz.
• L'Orient, 1021  m above sea level M. , a street line village to the right of the Orbe, opposite Le Sentier.

Not having the status of a parliamentary group, but also having their own municipal administration:

• Le Solliat, 1058  m above sea level M. , at the southeast foot of the Grand Risoux.
• Derrière la Côte, 1076  m above sea level M. , in a depression at the southeast foot of the Grand Risoux.

There are also numerous other settlements and hamlets:

• Le Rocheray , 1006  m above sea level M. , on the west bank of the Lac de Joux.
• La Golisse , 1015  m above sea level M. , southwest of the Lac de Joux.
• La Brasserie , 1065  m above sea level M. , on the edge of the Risoux.
• Les Moulins , 1010  m above sea level M. , right of the Orbe at Le Sentier.
• Chez Villard , 1028  m above sea level M. , on the right edge of the Orbe valley.
• Le Campe , 1030  m above sea level M. , on the right edge of the Orbe valley.
• Chez le Maître , 1020  m above sea level M. on the left edge of the Orbe valley.
• Piguet lingerie , 1023  m above sea level M. on the left edge of the Orbe valley.
• Crêt Meylan , 1020  m above sea level M. , in the Orbetal on the northern edge of Le Brassus.
• Chez Tribillet , 1022  m above sea level M. , to the left of the Orbe, opposite Le Brassus.
• Bas du Chenit , 1054  m above sea level M. , along the road southwest of Le Brassus.
• Piguet-Dessus , 1086  m above sea level M. , on the edge of the Risoux.

In addition, many individual farms, which are widely scattered at the height of the Mont-Tendre chain and on the edge of the Risoux, belong to Le Chenit.

Neighboring municipalities of Le Chenit are Le Lieu , L'Abbaye , Montricher , Berolle , Bière , Gimel , Saint-George , Longirod , Marchissy , Bassins and Arzier-Le Muids in the canton of Vaud as well as Bois-d'Amont , Chapelle-des-Bois , Chaux-Neuve and Mouthe in neighboring France .

population

Population development
year	Residents
1609	309
1764	1733
1850	2766
1900	3796
1950	4604
1960	5242
1970	5465
1980	4359
1990	4328
2000	4297

With 4586 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2018), Le Chenit is one of the medium-sized municipalities in the canton of Vaud. 88.6% of the residents are French-speaking, 2.9% Italian-speaking and 2.5% German-speaking (as of 2000). The population of Le Chenit increased continuously until 1970. The effects of the economic crisis then caused a marked decline until 1980. Since then the population has fluctuated around 4,300, before a further decrease occurred in recent years.

economy

In addition to agriculture , craft and industrial activities developed in Le Chenit early on . The development started in the mid-16th century with the blast furnaces in Le Brassus, a glassworks in Pré-Rodet as well as sawmills, tanneries and mills. In the course of the 18th century, these branches of industry were replaced by watchmaking , which was initially carried out at home and then in factories from the middle of the 19th century. Le Chenit was hit hard by the global economic crisis in the 1930s, and the number of unemployed rose to 10% at times. During the Second World War , peat was cut in the moor areas along the Orbe. The crisis in the watch industry in the mid-1970s triggered massive emigration.

Today the population is employed in the watch industry, which specializes in the production of quality watches (luxury and jewelry watches), e.g. B. in the Audemars Piguet factory . This also includes the gemstone industry and other suppliers. There are other jobs in the electronic industry, in precision mechanics, in sawmills and in wood processing, in the tourist sector and in local businesses. The Comptoir de la Vallée, a performance exhibition of the Vallée de Joux, has been held in Le Chenit every year since 1976. Agriculture is of little importance with cattle breeding and dairy farming as well as cheese production.

tourism

Towards the end of the 19th century, with the connection to public transport, tourism developed in Le Chenit. However, there has only been a major upturn since around 1970. Winter tourism is particularly important with a few ski lifts at Le Brassus and L'Orient. The topography of the Jura heights is ideal for cross-country skiing . Between 1930 and 2002 there was a ski jumping hill in Le Brassus , on which international Nordic ski competitions took place. The area of ​​Le Chenit is also a popular destination in summer for long hikes on the Jura heights or for water sports on the Lac de Joux.

Education and culture

Le Sentier is home to several regional schools, including the secondary school (since 1876) and a vocational school for watchmakers and micromechanics (since 1902). The district hospital founded in 1934 and a large sports center are also located in this sub-community. In Le Sentier there is a school museum and the L'essor art gallery, established in 1982.

traffic

Le Chenit is located on the main road from Vallorbe to La Cure . From the Lake Geneva area, Le Brassus and Le Sentier can be reached via the Col du Marchairuz . On August 21, 1899, the Chemin de fer Pont – Brassus company started operating the railway line from Le Pont to Le Brassus. There are train stations and stops in Le Sentier, Chez le Maître, La Golisse and Le Rocheray. There is a bus from Le Sentier via L'Orient to Le Pont, and from Le Brassus there is a bus to Nyon twice a day .

history

Church of Le Sentier

Le Chenit was first mentioned in documents in 1489 under the name Chinit as a summer pasture area. A permanent settlement has probably only existed since around 1547. Under the Bernese rule over the Vaud, which lasted from 1536 to 1798, the entire area initially belonged to the Kastlanei Les Clées under the bailiffs of Yverdon . In 1566 it came to the Romainmôtier bailiwick . It was not until 1646 that Le Chenit formed an independent municipality after it was separated from the municipality of Le Lieu .

After the collapse of the Ancien Régime , Le Chenit belonged to the canton of Léman from 1798 to 1803 during the Helvetic Republic, which then became part of the canton of Vaud when the mediation constitution came into force . In 1798 the municipality was assigned to the La Vallée district. Due to tensions and rivalries within the municipality at the end of the 19th century, the Vaudois Grand Council (Grand Conseil) decided to create the three autonomous sub-municipalities: Le Sentier (1900), L'Orient (1904) and Le Brassus (1908).

Attractions

See also : List of cultural assets in Le Chenit

The first church was built in Le Sentier in 1612. Today Le Sentier has a Reformed and a Catholic church. There is also a Reformed church (built 1835–1837) and a Catholic church in Le Brassus, dating from the end of the 19th century.

Personalities

The French ski racer Françoise Macchi (* 1951) was born in the district of Le Sentier. The cyclist, aviation pioneer and entrepreneur Edmond Audemars (1882-1970) came from the Le Brassus district. The chef Philippe Rochat (1953–2015) also came from Le Chenit. The politician Josiane Aubert (* 1949) also comes from the community.

literature

• Germain Hausmann: Chenit, Le. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
• Germain Hausmann: Brassus, Le. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
• Germain Hausmann: Orient, L '. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .

Web links

Commons : Le Chenit  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website of the municipality of Le Chenit (French)
• Official website of the Le Brassus Group (French)
• Aerial views of Le Sentier
• Aerial views of Le Brassus
• Aerial views of L'Orient
• Vallée de Joux (French)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Permanent and non-permanent resident population by year, canton, district, municipality, population type and gender (permanent resident population). In: bfs. admin.ch . Federal Statistical Office (FSO), August 31, 2019, accessed on December 22, 2019 . 
2. ↑ Lexicon of Swiss municipality names . Edited by the Center de Dialectologie at the University of Neuchâtel under the direction of Andres Kristol. Verlag Huber, Frauenfeld / Stuttgart / Vienna 2005, ISBN 3-7193-1308-5 and Éditions Payot, Lausanne 2005, ISBN 2-601-03336-3 , p. 516.