Corseaux

Origin of the name Corseaux

The village is mentioned in 1179 as « de Corsal ». Other early forms are reported: « Corsaly » (1100), « Corjal » (1147), « Corsial » (around 1147-1163) and « Corsel » (around 1200) (to be cross-checked). The name would come from the Latin « cursus », « elongated piece of land », with the suffix « -ale »: Corseaux would thus mean a place of terraced vineyards (to be cross-checked).

Founding of Corseaux

The site has been inhabited since the Neolithic: a lakeside settlement was located in 1921 at Creux de Plan, and a necropolis from the end of the Middle Neolithic (3650-3380 BC) was excavated at En Seyton. In the Middle Ages Corseaux was subject to the bishop of Lausanne and belonged to the general commune (parish) of Corsier, together with Chardonne and Jongny. None of the sources consulted names a founder of the village.

History of Corseaux

3650-3380 BC. Necropolis of En Seyton: Chamblandes-type stone cist graves, reused for successive burials.

1179. Mention as « de Corsal ».

Middle Ages. Corseaux is subject to the bishop of Lausanne and belongs to the general commune of Corsier.

1453. First mention of the chapel of Saint-André, an annex of Corsier.

1497. Consecration of the chapel of Saint-André.

1536-1798. Under Bernese rule Corseaux belongs to the bailiwick of Lausanne. The village holds two seats on the Council of Twelve and four on the Council of Twenty-Four of the general commune of Corsier.

1608. Village statutes, preserved.

1798. Creation of the political municipality, attached to the district of Vevey.

1816. Division of property upon separation from Corsier.

1841. Construction of a school building; others follow in 1905, 1960 and 1983.

1898. Concession for the Vevey-Chardonne-Mont-Pèlerin funicular, whose construction is spurred by the growth of regional tourism from 1900; Corseaux becomes a popular resort.

1910. Nearly half the inhabitants work in winegrowing and agriculture (about 5% in 2000).

1921. A prehistoric lakeside settlement is located at Creux de Plan, not excavated.

1923-1924. Construction of the Villa « Le Lac », designed by Le Corbusier.

1930. Construction of a lido, bought back by Vevey in 1977.

1939. Atelier De Grandi, built by the architect Alberto Sartoris.

1942. The municipality buys the Dubochet house, former home of the Tavel family.

1963-1975. Excavation of 27 Neolithic graves at En Seyton.

2008. New district boundaries come into force: Corseaux belongs to the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut.

2016. The Villa « Le Lac » is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List together with 16 other works by Le Corbusier.

Population of Corseaux

Population of Corseaux

1764	254
1798	420
1850	311
1900	456
1950	1'221
1990	2'146
2000	2'079
2025	2'326

Historic sites in Corseaux

Villa « Le Lac » (Petite Maison). Small lakeside house designed by Le Corbusier, built in 1923 or 1924 depending on the source. It belongs to the Fondation Le Corbusier; since 1 January 2013 the Association Villa « Le Lac » Le Corbusier has managed its opening to the public. It is one of the 17 works by Le Corbusier inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2016.

Chapel of Saint-André. Attested from 1453 and consecrated in 1497, it was an annex of the church of Corsier. After the Reformation it was used only occasionally for worship and served as a school and town hall.

Atelier De Grandi. Studio built in 1939 by the architect Alberto Sartoris. The painters Italo and Vincent De Grandi are among the figures associated with Corseaux.

Dubochet house. Former home of the Tavel family, bought by the municipality in 1942.

Remains in Corseaux

Neolithic necropolis of En Seyton. Between 1963 and 1975, 27 graves dated to 3650-3380 BC were examined. The dead lay in a crouched position on their left side, in stone cists of the Chamblandes type whose lids almost reached the surface. Some graves, reopened several times, successively received three to seven individuals. Ornaments of stone or bone buttons, lignite beads, pendants of Mediterranean shells; a breastplate of about thirty boar tusk plates sewn onto a garment; two small petrified bags containing red ochre and white lead. These finds shed light on the transition from individual to multiple burial.

Lakeside settlement of Creux de Plan. A prehistoric lakeside settlement was located in 1921 at Creux de Plan, but has not been excavated.

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Corseaux » (version allemande)
• Wikipédia, « Corseaux »
• Villa « Le Lac » Le Corbusier, « Information »
• Wikipédia, « Districts du canton de Vaud »
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
• geo.admin.ch, Répertoire des localités (swisstopo)

Other villages near Corseaux

• Chardonne (VD)
• Le Mont-Pèlerin (VD)
• Corsier-sur-Vevey (VD)
• Vevey (VD)
• Jongny (VD)