Le Sentier

Origin of the name Le Sentier

The name of the locality is attested in the form "Sendey" between 1611 and 1616. The evolution towards "Sentier" (path) is thought to refer to a track or passage cut through the forest during the first clearings of the valley, but this etymology still needs to be cross-checked against a dedicated linguistic source.

Founding of Le Sentier

Le Sentier has never been an independent commune or parish: it has always been part of the commune of Le Chenit, itself created in 1646 by separation from the commune of Le Lieu. The site was settled following the first clearings in the second half of the 16th century, carried out by inhabitants who came mostly from Le Lieu and settled here at the beginning of the 17th century. Le Sentier became the de facto main village of the commune of Le Chenit, and in 1900 obtained the official status of a "commune fraction", at the same time as the other villages of the commune were being organised administratively (L'Orient in 1904, Le Brassus in 1908).

History of Le Sentier

2nd half of the 16th century. First clearings of the area that would become Le Sentier, in the broad valley of the Vallée de Joux, then under Bernese rule.

Early 17th century. Arrival of the first permanent inhabitants, mostly from the neighbouring commune of Le Lieu; the locality then had about 370 inhabitants.

1612. Construction of the first temple (Reformed church) of Le Chenit in Le Sentier, on a rectangular plan (to be cross-checked: a mason of Burgundian origin is mentioned by some local sources).

1646. Creation of the commune of Le Chenit by separation from the commune of Le Lieu; Le Sentier becomes its de facto administrative centre.

1647. Opening of a school in the commune house built in 1646.

1704. Official establishment of the parish of Le Chenit, whose church stands in Le Sentier; the parsonage is built in 1705 (remodelled in 1777).

1725. Rebuilding of the temple; the population of Le Sentier reaches about 1'360 inhabitants.

around 1737. Watchmaking takes root in the Vallée de Joux and develops in Le Sentier throughout the 18th century, outside the Geneva guilds.

1769. Completion of the carriage road over the Col du Marchairuz, improving links between the Vallée de Joux and the rest of the canton.

1798-2006. Le Sentier is the capital of the district of La Vallée, until that district is abolished in the Vaud territorial reform of 2006.

1833. Founding of the watch manufacture Le Coultre & Cie in Le Sentier, which would become Jaeger-LeCoultre in 1937.

1870. Opening of a secondary school (collège) in Le Sentier.

1894. Founding of an industrial college (technical school) to train watchmakers and micro-mechanics.

1897 (to be cross-checked). Fire at the church of Le Sentier (exact date found in a single source only, to be confirmed).

1898. Rebuilding of the temple of Le Chenit in Le Sentier.

1898. Founding of the Le Sentier development society (Société de développement).

1899. Opening of the private Le Pont-Le Brassus railway line, serving Le Sentier ("Le Sentier-L'Orient" station).

1900. Le Sentier obtains the official status of a fraction of the commune of Le Chenit and becomes its administrative centre.

1902-1903. Founding of the Le Sentier watchmaking school, dedicated to training watchmakers and micro-mechanics (to be cross-checked).

1937. The Le Coultre & Cie manufacture takes the name Jaeger-LeCoultre.

1996. Opening of a watchmaking museum in Le Sentier (today the Espace Horloger de la Vallée de Joux).

2000. The population of Le Sentier reaches about 1'911 inhabitants according to the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.

Around 2000. Construction of an "industrial village" in Le Sentier to preserve watchmaking jobs and training in the region.

Population of Le Sentier

Population of Le Sentier

2000

1'911

Historic sites in Le Sentier

Temple of Le Sentier. Built in 1612, rebuilt in 1725 and again in 1898 (after a fire whose date is still to be cross-checked), the temple is the heart of the parish of Le Chenit, officially established in 1704.

Espace Horloger de la Vallée de Joux. Contemporary watchmaking museum in Le Sentier (opened in 1996), devoted to the history of regional watchmaking, the trades of the sector and the great complications that made the Vallée de Joux famous.

Jaeger-LeCoultre manufacture. Founded in 1833 in Le Sentier under the name Le Coultre & Cie and renamed Jaeger-LeCoultre in 1937, this manufacture is one of the oldest and most prestigious in the Vallée de Joux, which is home to other renowned houses in the neighbouring villages, notably in Le Brassus.

Former commune house (1646). Communal building that housed the first school of Le Sentier from 1647.

Le Sentier-L'Orient station. Stop on the Le Pont-Le Brassus railway line opened in 1899, a reminder of how the railway opened up the Vallée de Joux at the end of the 19th century.

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, article "Sentier, Le"
• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, article "Chenit, Le"
• Commune du Chenit, page Histoire
• Wikipédia (EN), "Le Sentier"
• Wikipédia (FR), "Vallée de Joux"
• Espace Horloger Vallée de Joux, présentation du musée
• Archives culturelles de la Vallée de Joux, "Les églises du Sentier"
• Patrimoine Vallée de Joux, "La balade de dom Poncet" (contexte : légende rattachée au Lieu, non au Sentier)

Other villages near Le Sentier

• Le Chenit (VD)
• Le Solliat (VD)
• L'Orient (VD)
• Les Bioux (VD)
• Le Brassus (VD)