Bussigny-sur-Oron

Canton of Vaud · District: Lavaux-Oron · 79 inhabitants (2011, just before the merger)

Part of the municipality of Oron

Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Remains Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Bussigny-sur-Oron

The name Bussigny-sur-Oron derives from the Latin personal name Bussenius, to which is added the suffix of Celtic origin -acos, which became -acum in Latin, a formation pattern common in Gallo-Roman times to designate a landowner's estate. The place name is first attested in 1433 in the form «Bussignye» in a land register, then again in 1517 in the Extentes of Count Jean II of Gruyère. The compound form «Bussigny-sur-Oron» was adopted to distinguish the locality from the other Vaud village of the same name, Bussigny-près-Lausanne, located in the Lausanne agglomeration.

Founding of Bussigny-sur-Oron

Bussigny-sur-Oron has no identified founder and no known founding act: like most rural hamlets in the region, it took shape gradually in the Middle Ages through clearing and agricultural settlement, under the authority of the lords of Oron. The village was part of the seigneury of Oron, which came under the influence of the house of Gruyère (mentioned in the Extentes of 1517) before the latter collapsed financially in the mid-16th century. After the Bernese conquest of the Pays de Vaud, Bussigny was incorporated from 1557 into the Bernese bailiwick of Oron, then, from 1798, into the district of Oron.

History of Bussigny-sur-Oron

1433. First attested mention of the village in the form «Bussignye» in a land register.

1517. New mention of the village, this time in the Extentes of Count Jean II of Gruyère, lord of the region.

1536-1557. With the Protestant Reformation, the inhabitants, until then parishioners of Saint-Martin (Fribourg), are detached from this Catholic parish and attached to the new Protestant parish of Châtillens; the village is said to have then separated administratively from the ecclesiastical grouping of the Haute-Veveyse (to be verified).

1557. Bussigny is incorporated into the Bernese bailiwick of Oron, after the collapse of the house of Gruyère and the Bernese conquest of the Pays de Vaud.

1798. With the end of Bernese rule, the village is attached to the new district of Oron.

1839. The village acquires its own school.

1918-1920. Some inhabitants attempt, without great success, local extraction of coal and bituminous shale (to be verified, information found in only one reference).

1923. Adoption of the municipal coat of arms, taking up the stars and crescent of an old parish seal of Châtillens, with a kid goat recalling the nickname given to the villagers.

1922-1926. Closure of the village school for rationalization reasons (sources disagree on the exact year, between 1922 and 1926, to be verified); the pupils of Bussigny, Oron-le-Châtel and Chesalles-sur-Oron are then grouped together in a shared school at Chesalles.

31 August 2006. The village leaves the old, abolished district of Oron to join the new district of Lavaux-Oron.

1 January 2012. Bussigny-sur-Oron merges with Châtillens, Chesalles-sur-Oron, Écoteaux, Oron-la-Ville, Oron-le-Châtel, Palézieux, Les Tavernes, Les Thioleyres and Vuibroye to form the new municipality of Oron.

2022. The municipality of Essertes in turn joins the municipality of Oron, without this directly affecting the former territory of Bussigny-sur-Oron.

Population of Bussigny-sur-Oron

1764

1803

1850

1880

1900

1950

1990

2000

2010

2011

Historic sites in Bussigny-sur-Oron

Panoramic viewpoint over the Prealps. From the village, the view extends over the Vaud and Fribourg Prealps as far as the Moléson, as well as, on clear days, toward the mountains of Savoy and the Mont-Blanc and Dents-du-Midi massifs. This landscape of hills, pastures and forests has remained one of the characteristic features of the place.

Former site of the village school. The village had its own school from 1839. It closed in the early 20th century (the exact year varies by source, between 1922 and 1926, to be verified), after which the children of Bussigny were schooled together with those of Oron-le-Châtel and Chesalles-sur-Oron in a shared school at Chesalles-sur-Oron.

Landscape of hedgerows and orchards. The territory of Bussigny-sur-Oron is described as historically bordered by hedgerows along every stream and every path, with traditional apple orchards, a rural landscape typical of the district's higher ground.

Parish church of Châtillens. Although not physically located within the territory of Bussigny-sur-Oron, the church of the neighbouring parish of Châtillens played a central historical role for the village: the inhabitants of Bussigny were attached to it from the Protestant Reformation onward, and the municipal coat of arms of Bussigny takes up elements of an old seal of that parish.

Remains in Bussigny-sur-Oron

Traces of a mining attempt (1918-1920). Between 1918 and 1920, inhabitants of the village attempted to locally extract coal and bituminous shale, without great economic success. This is not an ancient archaeological remain but a trace of the village's more recent industrial history, mentioned by only one reference consulted (to be verified).

Sources

Other villages near Bussigny-sur-Oron

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