Faoug

Origin of the name Faoug

The name is attested in 1228 as «Fol»; later forms are «Fo» (1290) and «Foz» (1441) (to be cross-checked). The German name is «Pfauen». The name is said to come from the Latin «fagus», the beech tree (to be cross-checked); the coat of arms alludes to it. The German name earned the inhabitants the nickname «Paons» (peacocks) (to be cross-checked).

Founding of Faoug

The site, on the shore of Lake Morat, was occupied very early: several Neolithic pile-dwelling villages, a Hallstatt-period land settlement at the place called en Chaney, then a Roman villa and a small Roman cemetery. None of the sources consulted names a founder of the medieval village. In the Middle Ages its inhabitants were subject to the Bishop of Lausanne, to whom they owed mounted service (military service) and the guarding of a tower. The parish, dedicated to Notre-Dame, is mentioned from 1228.

History of Faoug

Neolithic. Several pile-dwelling villages on the shore of Lake Morat.

Iron Age. Hallstatt-period land settlement at the place called en Chaney.

Roman period. A Roman villa and a small Roman cemetery occupy the territory.

1228. First mention of the place («Fol») and of the parish, with the church of Notre-Dame.

Middle Ages. The inhabitants are subject to the Bishop of Lausanne, to whom they owe mounted service and the guarding of a tower.

1491. The inhabitants obtain citizenship of Morat (to be cross-checked).

1536. Bernese conquest and Reformation; Faoug belongs to the bailiwick of Avenches until 1798.

1550. The village has 24 hearths (households).

1635. A school is built.

1646. First mention of wine-growing.

1765. The parsonage is restored.

1798. Faoug is attached to the Helvetic canton of Sarine et Broye.

1846-1849. The parish is an annex of Donatyre.

1876. The railway station opens.

1920. A brickworks opens.

1986. The parsonage is restored again.

1990. A boatyard and a harbour are built; lake tourism develops.

1990s. The A1 motorway attracts many German speakers, about one third of the population in 2000.

2008. Faoug moves from the district of Avenches to the new district of Broye-Vully.

Population of Faoug

Population of Faoug

1550	24 hearths (households)
1764	203
1798	235
1850	425
1900	440
1950	458
1980	391
2000	559
2025	902

Historic sites in Faoug

Church and parsonage. Notre-Dame parish mentioned from 1228, reformed in 1536; the parsonage was restored in 1765 and 1986.

Domaine Cornaz and its outbuildings. Estate listed as a cultural property of national significance.

Lake Morat shore and harbour. Harbour and boatyard built in 1990, at the heart of the village's lake tourism.

Remains in Faoug

Lake dwellings. Several Neolithic pile dwellings, notably at Poudrechat, Gare and Port, listed as cultural properties of regional significance.

Hallstatt settlement of en Chaney. Land settlement of the Early Iron Age.

Roman villa. A villa and a small Roman cemetery attest to the occupation of the site in the Roman period.

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Faoug »
• Wikipédia, « Faoug »
• Wikipédia, « Districts du canton de Vaud »
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »

Other villages near Faoug

• Mur (VD) (VD)
• Cotterd (VD)
• Vallamand (VD)
• Salavaux (VD)
• Bellerive (VD)