Oleyres

Canton of Vaud · District: Broye-Vully · At the time of its merger with Avenches in 2011, Oleyres had around 230 inhabitants, after having seen its population fluctuate over the last two centuries between a little under 180 and nearly 340 inhabitants.

Part of the municipality of Avenches

Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Oleyres

The origin of the name Oleyres remains uncertain and poorly established. The oldest known written mentions place the location around 1101-1150 in the Latinised form "de Holeriis", then between 1151 and 1200 in the form "de Oleres". Several etymological hypotheses have been put forward without any being confirmed with certainty: a derivation from the old term "olier" (potter), a Latin origin linked to "aula" or "aulearia" (denoting seigneurial lands), or an alteration of the name Eulalie. These leads would deserve further cross-checking before being presented as established.

Founding of Oleyres

No verifiable source specifies who founded Oleyres or the exact circumstances of its creation. The first written trace of the place dates back to the early 12th century in the form of a place name, suggesting the existence of a rural settlement already established at that time, though its original origin is not known. The first known lord is Borcard d'Oleyres, a burgher of Fribourg, who in 1272 ceded all his possessions in the territory to the Cistercian convent of Hauterive. The latter resold this land in 1310 to the d'Avenches family. After the Bernese conquest, Fribourg claimed the territory in 1537 in the name of its bailiwick of Montagny, but an arbitration ruled in favour of Berne, which attached Oleyres to its bailiwick of Avenches until 1798. Under this regime, the village functioned as a castellany court and a court of fiefs, administered by a Council of Twelve.

History of Oleyres

1101-1150. First known written mention of the place, in the Latinised form "de Holeriis".

1151-1200. The place is mentioned in the form "de Oleres".

1272. Borcard d'Oleyres, a burgher of Fribourg, cedes all his local possessions to the Cistercian convent of Hauterive.

1310. The convent of Hauterive resells this land to the d'Avenches family.

1537. After the Bernese conquest, Fribourg claims the territory of Oleyres in the name of its bailiwick of Montagny; an arbitration rules in favour of Berne.

1537-1798. Oleyres belongs to the Bernese bailiwick of Avenches; the village is a castellany court and a court of fiefs, governed by a Council of Twelve.

1734-1735. Construction of the Oleyres Reformed church, the village having become a religious annexe of Avenches since the Reformation.

1798. End of Bernese rule; Oleyres is attached to the district of Avenches, which will last until 2006.

1879. Establishment of a rolling mill on the village's territory, marking the beginning of local industrial activity.

1916. First restoration of the Oleyres church.

1935. The 1879 rolling mill is replaced by a metal packaging factory, later becoming Lecoultre Emballages SA.

1949. Second restoration of the Oleyres church.

1984. The metal packaging factory, straddling the cantonal border with its head office in Misery, is taken over by the French group Massily.

2006. On 31 August, with the disappearance of the district of Avenches, Oleyres is attached to the new district of Broye-Vully.

2011. On 1 July, Oleyres loses its status as an independent municipality and merges with Avenches, of which it becomes a locality.

Population of Oleyres

180

1764

338

1850

283

1900

219

1950

174

1970

223

2000

230

2005

Historic sites in Oleyres

The Oleyres church. Built in 1734-1735 after the village's religious attachment to the parish of Avenches during the Reformation, this church was restored in 1916 and again in 1949. It is the main witness to the village's Protestant religious heritage.

The hillside street-village. Oleyres has the typical layout of a street-village, built on a hill overlooking the Broye plain south-east of Avenches, on the border with the canton of Fribourg. This linear layout characterises the place's old urban structure.

The former metalworking factory. On the site of a rolling mill created in 1879, a metal packaging factory developed from 1935, becoming Lecoultre Emballages SA and then being taken over in 1984 by the French group Massily. This cross-border industrial activity reflects the village's economic past.

Sources

Other villages near Oleyres

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