Cudrefin

Origin of the name Cudrefin

First mentioned in 999 as «Curtefin». The origin of the name is not explained in the sources consulted.

Founding of Cudrefin

The area was settled long before the town: numerous archaeological remains are attested from the Neolithic onwards. In 999 Cudrefin was dependent on the bishop of Sion. In 1246 the place was sold to Peter II of Savoy, and it was the House of Savoy that created the town: attested in 1268, it must have been founded between 1246 and 1255. This Savoyard new town is one of the rare urban foundations in Vaud with a concentric quadrangular plan. A fortified town, it was protected by ditches at least around 1280 and reinforced at its southern and northern corners by two castles or large towers. At an unknown date the town received franchises, which were confirmed in 1471.

History of Cudrefin

Neolithic. Numerous archaeological remains attest early settlement of the area.

999. First mention, as «Curtefin»; the place is dependent on the bishop of Sion.

1246. Cudrefin is sold to Peter II of Savoy.

1246-1255. Probable foundation of the Savoyard new town.

1268. First attestation of the town.

around 1280. The fortified town is protected by ditches; two castles or large towers reinforce its southern and northern corners.

early 14th century. The town passes into the hands of the Grandson family.

1342. The town, attached to the parish of Montet, has a chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame.

1393. Confiscation of the property of Otto III of Grandson, ending the rule of the Grandson family.

1403. Cudrefin is part of the appanage of Humbert the Bastard of Savoy.

1471. Confirmation of the town's franchises, received at an unknown date.

1474-1477. The Fribourgeois occupy the town during the Burgundian Wars.

before 1522. The chapel is transferred to the building that is today's Protestant church.

1536. The town submits to the Bernese; it is united with Avenches in a single bailiwick but continues to follow the Coutumier de Vaud. A council of the XII, chaired by a castellan representing Their Excellencies of Bern, governs the community.

1553-1554. A tower is added to the church; it is rebuilt in 1636-1637.

1605. Erection of the Fountain of Justice (fontaine de la Justice), the work of Benoît Magnin.

1790. A fire destroys part of the town.

1798. Cudrefin belongs to the district of Avenches, until 2006.

1839. Rebuilding of the town hall; in the 19th century the town gates are demolished.

1970. The vast wetland created by the first Jura water correction is designated a nature reserve.

2002. The former municipality of Champmartin is merged into Cudrefin.

2008. Cudrefin becomes part of the new district of Broye-Vully.

Population of Cudrefin

Population of Cudrefin

1416	70 hearths (households)
1453	60 hearths (households)
1764	483
1803	625
1850	683
1900	658
1950	651
1970	544
2000	844
2025	1'915 (municipality, including Champmartin and Montet)

Historic sites in Cudrefin

The old town. Savoyard new town founded between 1246 and 1255, one of the rare urban foundations in Vaud with a concentric quadrangular plan. It was surrounded by ditches and flanked by two castles or large towers at its southern and northern corners; its gates were demolished in the 19th century.

The Fountain of Justice. Fountain dating from 1605, the work of Benoît Magnin, listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance (to be cross-checked).

The Protestant church. The chapel of Notre-Dame, attested in 1342, was transferred before 1522 to the building that forms today's church; a tower was added in 1553-1554 and rebuilt in 1636-1637.

The town hall. Rebuilt in 1839, after the fire of 1790 that had destroyed part of the town.

Montet and its church. The village of Montet, seat of the old parish to which Cudrefin belonged, overlooks the town; its church, dedicated to Saint Theodulus, is a 15th-century Gothic building (to be cross-checked). The site of Montet is listed in the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites (ISOS) (to be cross-checked).

The Vers-chez-Jacot school. A fine building at Vers-chez-Jacot now houses the school.

Remains in Cudrefin

Prehistoric remains. Numerous archaeological remains are attested from the Neolithic onwards; two Late Bronze Age sites are reported at the place called Le Brolliet (to be cross-checked).

Layout of the fortified town. The quadrangular plan of the medieval town, protected by ditches around 1280, can still be read in the town, even though the gates disappeared in the 19th century.

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Cudrefin »
• Wikipédia, « Cudrefin »
• Wikipedia (EN), « Cudrefin »
• Wikipédia, « Districts du canton de Vaud »
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »

Localities of the municipality with a page

• Champmartin
• Montet (Cudrefin)

Other villages near Cudrefin

• Montet (Cudrefin) (VD)
• Champmartin (VD)
• Vallamand (VD)
• Montmagny (VD)
• Bellerive (VD)