Château-d'Œx
Origin of the name Château-d'Œx
Name origin: the place is recorded from 1115 in the forms « Oit », « Oyz », « Oix » and « Oyez »; the old German name is « Oesch ». The name « Œx » may come from a Celtic word « Ogo » meaning « high country » (to be cross-checked).
Founding of Château-d'Œx
The upper Sarine valley was already frequented at the end of prehistory: a rock shelter under a boulder served as a seasonal dwelling for hunter-gatherers from at least 9500 to 6000 BC. Place names of Celtic origin survive in the local patois, while Romanisation left few traces; Alemannic settlement reached the pastures of L'Etivaz but stopped before the 10th century. From the 10th century the valley was conquered by the counts of Gruyère, under whom the community developed. The church of Saint-Donat depended on the Cluniac priory of Rougemont, founded in 1080. The sources consulted do not name a specific founder of the village.
History of Château-d'Œx
9500-6000 BC. An Epipalaeolithic and Mesolithic rock shelter under a boulder serves as a seasonal dwelling for hunter-gatherers.
10th century. The valley is conquered by the counts of Gruyère.
1080. Foundation of the Cluniac priory of Rougemont, on which the church of Château-d'Œx will depend.
1115. First written mention in the forms « Oit », « Oyz », « Oix », « Oyez ».
1175. First mention of the church dedicated to Saint Donatus.
14th century. The church is rebuilt at the beginning of the century. From the 14th to the 18th century the commune is divided into seven « établées »: Sous le Scex, le Mont, le Village, la Frasse, Entre deux Eaux, le Monteiller and L'Etivaz.
1388. The serfs are freed from mortmain.
1403. The commune signs a treaty of co-burghership with Bern, against the will of the count of Gruyère.
1555. Bern acquires upper Gruyère; Château-d'Œx is incorporated into the German-speaking Bernese bailiwicks and the parish adopts the Reformation.
1713. L'Etivaz ceases to be part of the parish of Château-d'Œx.
1748. A Fribourg toll is set up on the carriage road to Bulle; it is abolished with the customs and monetary union of 1848.
1798. The commune joins the canton of Léman.
1800. A great fire destroys the wooden houses on the central hill; rebuilding involves masons from Savoy, carpenters from the Simmental and plasterers from lower Gruyère.
1849. Opening of the secondary college of the Institut Henchoz, replacing a Latin class.
1865-1871. Construction of the Col des Mosses road.
1883. Construction of the Turrian suspension bridge.
1904. Arrival of the Montreux-Oberland bernois railway: the commune becomes a resort popular with British tourists.
1916-1918. The commune hosts English internees.
1945. First ski lifts, the Berceau bridge and creation of the Pierreuse nature reserve.
1999. On 1 March, Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones take off by balloon from Château-d'Œx for their round-the-world flight.
Population of Château-d'Œx
| 1416 | 120 hearths (households) |
| 1764 | 1'751 inhabitants (480 hearths), excluding L'Etivaz |
| 1803 | 2'001 |
| 1850 | 2'054 |
| 1900 | 3'025 |
| 1930 | 3'840 |
| 1950 | 3'381 |
| 1980 | 2'872 |
| 1990 | 3'110 |
| 2000 | 2'949 |
| 2022 | 3'564 |
| 2025 | 3'689 |
Historic sites in Château-d'Œx
Church of Saint-Donat. Mentioned from 1175, the church dedicated to Saint Donatus depended on the Cluniac priory of Rougemont; it was rebuilt at the beginning of the 14th century and became Protestant after 1555.
Musée du Vieux Pays-d'Enhaut. Opened in 1922, the museum holds among other things a collection of paper cuttings.
Town hall. Communal building dating from 1912, restored in 1958.
Turrian bridge and Berceau bridge. The Turrian suspension bridge (1883) and the Berceau bridge (1945) mark the development of the commune's communications and tourism.
Pierreuse nature reserve. Nature reserve created in 1945 on the commune's territory.
Villages of L'Etivaz, Les Moulins and Les Granges. Besides the main village, the commune includes the villages of L'Etivaz, Les Moulins and Les Granges, 35 hamlets and 22 alpine pastures.
Remains in Château-d'Œx
Prehistoric rock shelter. Epipalaeolithic and Mesolithic rock shelter under a boulder, occupied from at least 9500 to 6000 BC as a seasonal dwelling; located at about 1'200 metres above sea level, it was excavated between 1989 and 1999. Bronze Age knives have also been discovered.
La Motte tower. A military tower is said to have been built on the hill of La Motte in the 11th century; fortifications were rebuilt in the 14th century (to be cross-checked).
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Château-d'Œx »
- Wikipédia, « Château-d'Œx »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Localities of the municipality with a page
Other villages near Château-d'Œx
Missing information, or do you have a source? Suggest a correction or addition. Every submission is checked before it's published.
Suggest a change