Les Planches
Origin of the name Les Planches
The name "Les Planches" is first attested in 1295. It probably designates, as is usual for this type of place name in French-speaking Switzerland, wooden planks used to cross a watercourse or wet ground, or else planted strips of cultivated land; the precise origin remains uncertain and would deserve further cross-checking. The hamlet of Glion, which was part of the commune, already bore this distinct name before the whole commune was renamed "Montreux-Planches" between 1953 and 1961, in anticipation of the merger to come.
Founding of Les Planches
Les Planches was not "founded" by a single act but formed as a seigneurial and then a communal entity from the Middle Ages onward. In 1295, the bishop of Sion sold the parish of Montreux to Girard d'Oron. In 1317, the territory of the former parish of Montreux was divided between two seigneurial powers: the lords of Oron received Le Châtelard, while the Counts of Savoy received Les Planches (still to be cross-checked). This 14th-century territorial division is the origin of the lasting separation between the two neighbouring communes, which would only be reunited in 1962. Les Planches encompassed the main village as well as the hamlets of Territet, Veraye, Collonge and Glion; Territet administratively belonged to Les Planches and was never an independent commune.
History of Les Planches
1295. First documented mention of the place called "Les Planches", in the context of the sale of the parish of Montreux by the bishop of Sion to Girard d'Oron.
1317. Division of the territory of the former parish of Montreux: the lords of Oron obtain Le Châtelard, the Counts of Savoy obtain Les Planches. Origin of the separation between the two future communes (still to be cross-checked).
1536. Bernese conquest of the Pays de Vaud: the Protestant Reformation is imposed on the region, marking a religious break and a lasting political and economic stabilization.
1693. First documented mention of a tithe barn at Glion, the oldest known reference point for this hamlet (still to be cross-checked).
1764. The commune of Les Planches has 406 inhabitants according to the first reliable census available.
before 1846. Les Planches is the chief town of a circle, an administrative function it loses in 1846.
1829-1840. Beginnings of hotel tourism in the territory: the region's first hotel opened at Veytaux in 1829, then the "Chasseur des Alpes" inn at Territet in 1840.
1848. The first foreign tourists begin staying at Territet, marking the start of the hamlet's tourist boom.
1855. The "Chasseur des Alpes" inn at Territet becomes the Hôtel des Alpes-Grand Hôtel, today a cultural property of national importance.
1861. Arrival of the Simplon railway (Lausanne-Villeneuve line), which considerably accelerates the tourist development of Territet.
1865. Construction of the Territet landing stage for navigation on Lake Léman.
1872. Construction of the Les Planches town hall.
1875. Building of an Anglican church at Territet, evidence of the British tourist clientele of the time.
1879. Switzerland's first telephone is installed at Territet (still to be cross-checked).
1883. Opening of the Territet-Glion water-powered funicular, built on the initiative of the hotelier and entrepreneur Ami Chessex; one of the oldest funiculars in Switzerland.
1887. Opening of the Grand Hôtel de Territet.
1888. Entry into service of the Vevey-Chillon tramway, serving Territet.
1890. Henri Nestlé, founder of the Nestlé company, dies at Glion of a heart attack.
1892. Opening of the Glion-Rochers-de-Naye rack railway.
1894. Switzerland's first tennis court laid out at Territet (still to be cross-checked).
1900. The population of Les Planches reaches 4'533 inhabitants, driven by the tourist boom.
1909. Entry into service of the Montreux-Glion railway.
1910. Opening of the Territet-Mont-Fleuri funicular (in service until 1992).
1914. Tourist peak of Glion and Caux, which together have five churches and fourteen hotels; the outbreak of the First World War brings the hotel expansion of the whole region to an abrupt halt.
1953. The commune of Les Planches is renamed "Montreux-Planches", in anticipation of the merger to come.
16 April 1961. Popular vote on the proposed merger of the communes of Le Châtelard, Les Planches and Veytaux into a single commune of Montreux; it is one of the first times that women of Montreux vote, ten years before the introduction of women's suffrage at federal level. The proposal is accepted at Les Planches and Le Châtelard, but rejected at Veytaux, where the municipal council itself was divided (three members opposed to the merger against two in favour).
1 January 1962. The merger between Le Châtelard and Les Planches takes effect, giving rise to the commune of Montreux. Veytaux remains an independent commune and continues its cooperation with Montreux through agreements.
1962. Opening at Glion of the Centre international de Glion (hotel school), today the Glion Institute of Higher Education.
1975. Complete modernization of the Territet-Glion funicular: switch to electric traction and a single track with a central passing point, replacing the original water-counterweight system.
Population of Les Planches
| 1764 | 406 |
| 1798 | 489 |
| 1850 | 728 |
| 1860 | 1'122 |
| 1900 | 4'533 |
| 1960 | 5'507 |
Historic sites in Les Planches
Territet. Former hamlet of Les Planches that became, from the mid-19th century onward, one of the major tourist hubs of the Vaud Riviera. It concentrated large hotel establishments including the Hôtel des Alpes-Grand Hôtel (today a Swiss cultural property of national importance), a landing stage on Lake Léman, an Anglican church and several Swiss technical innovations (telephone, tennis). It welcomed a prestigious international clientele, including Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sissi) on several occasions in the 1890s.
Glion. Hamlet perched above Montreux, developed in the 19th century as an air-cure resort thanks to its climate and its view over Lake Léman. At its peak in 1914, Glion and the neighbouring hamlet of Caux together had five churches and fourteen hotels. It is today home to the Glion Institute of Higher Education (a hotel school founded in 1962) and the Institut Villa Pierrefeu, Switzerland's oldest finishing school.
Territet-Glion funicular. Built in 1883 on the initiative of the hotelier and entrepreneur Ami Chessex, this funicular linking the lakeshore to the heights of Glion is among the oldest in Switzerland. It originally operated by water counterweight, without mechanical traction. Modernized in 1975 with a switch to electric drive, it is still in operation today (632 metres, 300 metres of vertical difference).
Glion-Rochers-de-Naye rack railway. Opened in 1892, this rack railway extends tourist access from Glion up to the summit of the Rochers-de-Naye (2'042 m), offering a panorama over Lake Léman and the Alps. Together with the Territet-Glion funicular, it constitutes one of the major tourist railway developments that shaped the economy of Les Planches from the late 19th century onward.
Les Planches town hall. Built in 1872, it served as the commune's administrative seat until the 1962 merger.
Former Saint-Vincent parish church. Church of the historic parish shared by Le Châtelard, Les Planches and Veytaux, converted into a Protestant temple after the introduction of the Reformation under Bernese rule in 1536.
Remains in Les Planches
Grand Hôtel des Alpes (Territet). Opened in 1855 under the name Hôtel des Alpes-Grand Hôtel, on the site of the former "Chasseur des Alpes" inn (1840). Listed as a cultural property of national importance, it bears witness to Territet's golden age of hotel-keeping before 1914.
Territet-Glion funicular. An 1883 infrastructure still in operation, modernized in 1975, a major technical and tourist remnant of the boom of Les Planches during the Belle Époque.
Cadastral plans of Les Planches (1842-1846). These cartographic documents are a valuable source for reconstructing the organization of the rural territory of Les Planches before the great tourist boom of the 19th century.
Sources
- Dictionnaire Historique de la Suisse, article "Planches, Les"
- Dictionnaire Historique de la Suisse, article "Montreux"
- Dictionnaire Historique de la Suisse, article "Glion"
- Ville de Montreux, "Il y a 60 ans, les Montreusien-ne-s votaient sur la fusion des Planches et du Châtelard"
- Ville de Montreux, rapport final de la convention de fusion Montreux-Veytaux (contexte historique de 1961-1962)
- Ville de Montreux, plan directeur communal, "Un héritage à redécouvrir"
- Ville de Montreux, Archives communales, "Territet à la Belle Époque, 1896-1902"
- Wikipédia (EN), "Territet"
- Wikipédia (EN), "Glion"
- Wikipédia (EN), "Montreux"
- Wikipédia (EN), "List of mayors of Les Planches"
- Wikipédia (FR), "Funiculaire Territet-Glion"
- GeneaWiki, "Suisse - Montreux"
Other villages near Les Planches
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