Ogens
Origin of the name Ogens
The village is first mentioned in 1166, in the form «Ogens». The origin of the name is not explained by the sources consulted.
Founding of Ogens
The sources consulted do not say when or by whom the village was founded. The area was frequented from the Mesolithic, as the rock shelters of La Baume show, and graves attest a presence in the early Middle Ages. The village, a street village on a plateau above the right bank of the Mentue, along an Echallens-Payerne axis, appears in written records in 1166.
History of Ogens
around 6785 BC. Occupation of the rock shelters of La Baume, at the foot of a cliff on the right bank of the Augine: flint tools and bone ornaments have been radiocarbon dated.
Early Middle Ages. Two graves from this period were discovered in 1964.
1166. First mention of the village.
Middle Ages. Ogens belongs to the lordship of Belmont-sur-Yverdon.
1227. Rudolph III of Gruyère gives Ogens to the chapter of Lausanne.
1536-1798. In the Bernese period, the village belongs to the bailiwick of Yverdon (to be cross-checked).
1757. The municipal hall, which still survives, is built.
1798. Ogens is assigned to the district of Moudon (to be cross-checked).
1889. The nearby Lausanne-Echallens-Bercher railway line opens new outlets for the village.
1903. The present church (chapel of Saint-Etienne) is built; it belongs to the parish of Thierrens and is restored in 1976.
1955. Rodolphe Kasser discovers the Mesolithic site of La Baume d'Ogens.
2000. Three quarters of the working population commute to Lausanne and Yverdon-les-Bains.
2008. New Vaud districts (2006 law): Ogens moves from the district of Moudon to the district of Gros-de-Vaud (1 January).
Population of Ogens
| 1803 | 240 inhabitants |
| 1850 | 372 inhabitants |
| 1900 | 357 inhabitants |
| 1950 | 224 inhabitants |
| 1980 | 180 inhabitants |
| 2000 | 227 inhabitants |
| 2010 | 265 inhabitants |
| 2022 | 324 inhabitants |
| 2025 | 342 inhabitants |
Historic sites in Ogens
La Baume rock shelter. Group of four rock shelters at the foot of a cliff above the Augine, occupied in the Mesolithic and discovered in 1955 by Rodolphe Kasser. It is listed as a cultural property of regional significance.
Church (chapel of Saint-Etienne). The present building dates from 1903 and was restored in 1976. It belongs to the parish of Thierrens.
Municipal hall (1757). 18th-century building that survives in the village centre.
Heritage site of national significance. The whole village of Ogens is listed in the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites (ISOS).
Remains in Ogens
Mesolithic site of La Baume d'Ogens. The four rock shelters yielded flint tools and bone ornaments, radiocarbon dated to about 6785 BC. The site was discovered in 1955 by Rodolphe Kasser.
Early medieval graves. Two graves from this period were uncovered in 1964.
Legends of Ogens
The «Bocans». According to tradition, the people of Ogens are nicknamed «lè Bocans», the billy goats in Vaud dialect: it is told that there was only a single billy goat at a village fair. A billy goat also appears in the municipal coat of arms.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Ogens »
- Wikipédia (français), « Ogens »
- Wikipedia (anglais), « Ogens »
- Wikipédia, « Districts du canton de Vaud »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Other villages near Ogens
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