La Praz
Origin of the name La Praz
First mentioned in 996/997 as «in villare Prata», then «ad villam que vocatur li Pra» in 1276, «Adeline de la Praa» in 1282, «de la Praz» in 1403, «villagium de Prata» and «hominibus de Lapra» around 1440, «villagii dez la Pra» in 1553. The name is the Franco-Provençal form of the Latin «pratum», «meadow». The presence of the article in the place name would indicate a foundation around the 10th century (to be cross-checked); the village is in any case attested from 996/997.
Founding of La Praz
The site has been frequented since prehistory, as the nearby cromlech and cup-marked stones bear witness. The medieval village, whose name denotes a meadow, is thought to have arisen from an early medieval clearing, around the 10th century according to the form of the place name (to be cross-checked); it is mentioned from 996/997. None of the sources consulted names a founder. In the Middle Ages La Praz was part of the lordship of the monastery of Romainmôtier and had its own mayor, attested from 1330; this dependency continued after 1536 in the Bernese bailiwick of Romainmôtier. In religious terms the village is an annex of the parish of Mont-la-Ville, which depended on the abbot of the Lac de Joux and, after the Reformation, on the bailiwick of Yverdon. The village, which never recovered from the plagues of the 14th century, has always lived from agriculture (cereals, cattle farming) and its forests, which cover about half of the municipal territory.
History of La Praz
prehistory. Traces of prehistoric occupation and cup-marked stones; probable erection of the cromlech located in the forest, south of the village (dating not established).
996/997. First mention, as «in villare Prata».
1276. Mention «ad villam que vocatur li Pra»; the village belongs to the monastery of Romainmôtier.
1282. Mention of «Adeline de la Praa».
1330. The village has 24 hearths and its own mayor, attested from this date.
14th century. The village never recovers from the plague epidemics: in 1529 it has only 6 hearths.
1403. The name appears in the form «de la Praz».
around 1440. Mentions of the «villagium de Prata» and of the «hominibus de Lapra».
1536. Bernese conquest of the Pays de Vaud: La Praz is incorporated into the castellany and bailiwick of Romainmôtier (until 1798).
1588. La Praz and Mont-la-Ville conclude an agreement on the upkeep of the cemetery and the bells.
1745. The village chapel, attested in the 18th century, is given a bell.
1798. Under the Helvetic Republic, La Praz belongs to the canton of Léman and is attached to the district of Orbe (until 2006), then to the canton of Vaud from 1803.
1841. Construction of the temple by the Lausanne architect Henri Perregaux.
1871. The cromlech is examined by P. Vionnet.
1881. A fire destroys many houses in the village.
1900. The cromlech is listed as a historic monument (to be cross-checked).
1928. Adoption of the municipal coat of arms, which evokes the municipality's vast forests.
1960. The temple is listed as a historic monument.
1970. Demographic low point (102 inhabitants) after a long period of rural exodus.
1984. Start of land improvement works.
2006. Dissolution of the district of Orbe: La Praz joins the district of Jura-Nord vaudois.
2015. The village cheese dairy wins the Mondial de la fondue in the professional category.
Population of La Praz
| 1330 | 24 hearths (households) |
| 1529 | 6 hearths (households) |
| 1550 | 8 hearths (households) |
| 1764 | 104 |
| 1803 | 143 |
| 1850 | 247 |
| 1900 | 208 |
| 1950 | 139 |
| 1970 | 102 |
| 2000 | 117 |
| 2022 | 183 |
| 2023 | 206 |
| 2025 | 214 |
Historic sites in La Praz
La Praz temple. Protestant temple built in 1841 by the Lausanne architect Henri Perregaux, on a traditional plan with a three-sided apse later adopted in other Vaud temples. It was listed as a historic monument in 1960.
Cheese dairy. The village cheese dairy, which processes milk from local farms notably into Gruyère AOP, illustrates the municipality's dairy vocation.
Remains in La Praz
La Praz cromlech. In the forest, between La Praz and Mont-la-Ville, a group of large blocks arranged in an arc of a circle or a pentagon about 8 metres in diameter forms a cromlech, a megalithic monument rare in the canton. The southern block bears about 170 cup marks 2 to 7 cm in diameter and a larger cup mark (18 cm) from which channels run. Excavated or examined in the 19th century (1871), the site has yielded no datable finds; it is protected by the canton (listed in 1900 according to one source, protected since 1989 according to another; to be cross-checked). Its exact function remains unknown.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « La Praz »
- Wikipédia, « La Praz »
- Wikipedia (de), « La Praz VD »
- Wikipedia (en), « La Praz »
- Feuille des avis officiels du canton de Vaud, « Alphabet des communes vaudoises : La Praz »
- Wikipédia, « Cromlech de La Praz »
- Archeoplus, « La Praz (VD) »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Other villages near La Praz
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