Coppet
Origin of the name Coppet
The name appears in 1294 in the form «Copetum», then in 1347 in the form «Copet». According to the municipal tradition, the place probably takes its name from the wheel of one of the mills built along the Greny, called «Copé» in the regional language (to be cross-checked with a linguistic source).
Founding of Coppet
Coppet is a 13th-century new town, one of the last founded in the region. In 1271, the lords of Thoire et Villars, lords of the Haut-Bugey, acquired from the House of Savoy a piece of land of the seigneury of Commugny in order to found a borough and a castle there. The founder is said to be Humbert IV of Thoire et Villars, around 1280 (to be cross-checked). A «bâtie», a rectangular castle with a circular keep, is mentioned in 1284; the borough and the castle are attested from 1300, and fortified buildings protected by ditches are recorded from 1299. In 1314, the seigneury passed to the Allamand family, who granted the town a charter of franchises in 1349. Coppet thus received town status, later administered by a Council of Twelve and two syndics. Its position as a border town between the Pays de Vaud and the Pays de Gex, on the Lausanne-Genève road, made its prosperity through transit trade.
History of Coppet
Bronze Age. A pile-dwelling village occupies the lakeshore.
Roman period. Remains of a villa, a funerary stele and a milestone of Emperor Antoninus.
1271. The lords of Thoire et Villars acquire from the House of Savoy a piece of land of the seigneury of Commugny to found a borough and a castle there.
around 1280. Foundation of the new town, attributed to Humbert IV of Thoire et Villars (to be cross-checked).
1284. The Thoire et Villars own a «bâtie» in Coppet, a rectangular castle with a circular keep.
1294. First written mention, in the form «Copetum».
1299. Fortified buildings protected by ditches are attested.
around 1300. The borough, the castle and the chapel of Notre-Dame are attested.
1314. The seigneury passes to the Allamand family.
1349. The Allamand grant franchises to the town of Coppet (franchises indirectly attested in 1323 and confirmed in 1347 are also recorded: to be cross-checked).
15th century. The burghers found a hospital, to which the chapel of Notre-Dame is joined.
1484. The Duke of Savoy creates the barony of Coppet for Amédée de Viry.
1490. Foundation of a Dominican convent; its church, in the Flamboyant Gothic style, is built around 1500-1510.
1536. Bernese conquest: the castle is set on fire and the convent church becomes the Reformed temple; Coppet belongs to the bailiwick of Nyon until 1798.
around 1665. The Count of Dohna completes the transformation of the medieval castle into an open residence.
1784. Jacques Necker, finance minister of Louis XVI, buys the château and embellishes its interiors.
1803. Coppet becomes the chief town of a circle.
1804. On Necker's death, his daughter Germaine de Staël inherits the château; under the Empire she gathers there the «Coppet group», which gives the small town a European reach.
1946. Opening of the Musée du Vieux-Coppet.
1948. The d'Haussonville family, descendants of Madame de Staël, open the château to the public.
1991. Opening of the Terre-Sainte secondary school.
Population of Coppet
| 1764 | 450 |
| 1850 | 471 |
| 1900 | 561 |
| 1950 | 616 |
| 1970 | 1'097 |
| 2000 | 2'360 |
| 2025 | 3'233 |
Historic sites in Coppet
Château de Coppet. Castle of the lords of Thoire et Villars mentioned from 1284, set on fire in 1536 during the Bernese conquest, then transformed into a classical residence in the 17th and 18th centuries. Acquired in 1784 by Jacques Necker, it was the residence of Madame de Staël and the home of the «Coppet group». Open to the public since 1948, it is listed as a cultural property of national significance.
Temple de Coppet. Former church of the Dominican convent founded in 1490, in the Flamboyant Gothic style (around 1500-1510), which became a Reformed temple at the Reformation; octagonal bell tower around 1723, classical gable in 1774, restoration in 1927. It preserves Gothic choir stalls from the late 15th century and the funerary monuments of Daniel de Bellujon and Gaspard de Smeth. Cultural property of national significance.
Medieval borough. The urban fabric of the new town, built fairly quickly at the end of the 13th century along the Lausanne-Genève road, remains clearly legible; the small town is listed in the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites (ISOS).
Musée du Vieux-Coppet. Local museum opened in 1946; it notably preserves stained-glass windows from 1495 that come from the temple.
Remains in Coppet
Bronze Age pile dwelling. Remains of a Bronze Age lake village have been identified on the lakeshore.
Roman remains. Remains of a villa, a funerary stele and a milestone of Antoninus attest to the occupation of the site in the Roman period, along the ancient lakeshore road.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Coppet »
- Commune de Coppet, « Bref descriptif historique »
- Wikipédia, « Coppet »
- Wikipédia, « Château de Coppet »
- Wikipédia, « Temple de Coppet »
- Wikipedia (en), « Coppet »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Other villages near Coppet
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