Bournens

Origin of the name Bournens

The village is mentioned in 1184 as «Brunens». The etymology of the name is not explained in the sources consulted.

Founding of Bournens

The sources consulted do not say when or by whom the village was founded. A rural priory, run until the Reformation by the canons of the Great St Bernard, is mentioned there from 1177, and the village itself appears in 1184. In the Middle Ages, Bournens came under the lord of Cossonay; in 1211 the lord of Vufflens held a fief there.

History of Bournens

1177. First mention of a rural priory run by the canons of the Great St Bernard.

1184. First mention of the village as «Brunens».

Middle Ages. Bournens comes under the lord of Cossonay; its chapel is a dependency of the parish of Penthaz.

1211. The lord of Vufflens holds a fief in Bournens; it later passes to the Duin, the Colombier and then the Allinges families.

1453. The village has 14 hearths (households).

1536. Bernese conquest and Reformation: the chapel is deconsecrated and the priory ceases to be run; Bournens belongs to the bailiwick of Morges until 1798, is administered by a council of Twelve and depends on the parish of Cheseaux.

1589. The fief passes to the Charrière family.

1764. The village has 184 inhabitants.

1798. Bournens is attached to the district of Cossonay, until 2007.

1837. The village moves from the parish of Cheseaux to that of Penthaz, then, from 1852, to that of Vufflens-la-Ville.

1953. Land consolidation.

1980. The nearby motorway interchange allows villas to be built south of the village from then on.

1987. The converted former threshing barn houses the municipal offices and a performance hall.

2008. Bournens joins the district of Gros-de-Vaud, created by the new territorial organisation of Vaud.

2009. Bournens castle is listed as a cultural property of regional importance in the cantonal inventory (to be cross-checked).

2025. The municipality has 612 inhabitants on 31 December.

Population of Bournens

Population of Bournens

1453	14 hearths (households)
1764	184
1850	246
1900	210
1910	225
1950	173
1960	143
2000	251
2025	612

Historic sites in Bournens

Bournens castle. Listed as a cultural property of regional importance in the cantonal inventory drawn up in 2009 (to be cross-checked).

Former threshing barn. Converted, it has housed the municipal offices and a performance hall since 1987.

Remains in Bournens

Remains of the priory. Remains of a rural priory first mentioned in 1177 and run until the Reformation by the canons of the Great St Bernard.

Legends of Bournens

The nickname «Argants». The inhabitants are nicknamed the Argants, after a French general (D'Argang or d'Organd) who, according to tradition, is said to have stayed in the village (to be cross-checked).

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Bournens »
• Wikipédia, « Bournens »
• Wikipédia, « Districts du canton de Vaud »
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »

Other villages near Bournens

• Sullens (VD)
• Boussens (VD)
• Daillens (VD)
• Penthaz (VD)
• Mex (VD)