Oppens

Origin of the name Oppens

The village is mentioned in 1160-1164 as «Opens». It later appears as «Oupeins» in 1244 and «Oppens» in 1323 (to be cross-checked). The name is said to come from a Germanic personal name, Obbo or Oppo, followed by the suffix «-ingos», common in the Vaud and Fribourg regions (to be cross-checked). An older mention, in a document of 904, is also reported (to be cross-checked).

Founding of Oppens

The sources consulted say neither when nor by whom the village was founded. Remains of Roman-era walls, at the place called En Murgis, show that the site was already occupied in Antiquity. If the name does come from a Germanic personal name, it would originally have designated the estate or the people of a certain Obbo or Oppo (to be cross-checked). In the Middle Ages, Oppens belonged to the lordship of Bioley-Magnoux and to the parish of Orzens.

History of Oppens

Roman period. Walls are built at the place called En Murgis; their remains survive.

904. Mention of a territory including «meadows, pastures, forests, waters» (to be cross-checked).

1160-1164. First reliable mention of the village as «Opens».

1244. The name appears as «Oupeins» (to be cross-checked).

Middle Ages. Oppens belongs to the lordship of Bioley-Magnoux and to the parish of Orzens.

1473. A chapel dedicated to Saints Fabian and Sebastian is built.

1536. Bernese conquest: Oppens passes into the bailiwick of Yverdon until 1798; with the Reformation, the village is attached to the parish of Cronay.

1717. A tile works opens and operates until 1898; it gives its name to the hamlet of La Tuilière.

1798. End of Bernese rule; Oppens is attached to the district of Yverdon, until 2007.

1850. The municipality reaches 268 inhabitants.

1883. A dairy society is founded.

1919. The canton approves the municipal coat of arms, created after the First World War in tribute to the mobilised soldiers.

1970. The population falls to 120 inhabitants.

2000. More than half of the working population commute, mainly to Yverdon-les-Bains.

2005. The primary sector still provides 66% of jobs: the village remains focused on farming and livestock.

2008. Oppens joins the district of Gros-de-Vaud; La Tuilière hosts the Centre de compétence forêt & bois, which groups twenty-six municipalities.

2025. After some fifty years without a public house, the café «La Valeur du Temps» opens in the former schoolhouse. The municipality has 201 inhabitants on 31 December.

Population of Oppens

Population of Oppens

1803	148
1850	268
1900	257
1950	149
1970	120
2000	170
2025	201

Historic sites in Oppens

The village and the Sauteruz valley. The village of Oppens lies on the left bank of the Sauteruz, away from the main roads. The stream once drove a mill and a sawmill. The municipal coat of arms, approved in 1919, bears three wavy silver bars representing the three main watercourses: the Greyle, the Sauteruz and the Menthue, with a gold Gothic O in chief.

Hamlet of La Tuilière. Located on the right bank of the Sauteruz, the hamlet owes its name to the tile works operated from 1717 to 1898. Since 2008 it has housed the Centre de compétence forêt & bois, which groups twenty-six municipalities for forest management and the preservation of local jobs.

Remains in Oppens

Roman walls of En Murgis. At the place called En Murgis, remains of Roman-era walls survive, the oldest known traces of settlement in the municipal territory. The sources consulted do not specify the nature of the building.

Chapel of Saints Fabian and Sebastian. A chapel dedicated to Saints Fabian and Sebastian was built in 1473, when Oppens belonged to the parish of Orzens. The sources consulted do not say what remains of it today (to be cross-checked).

Legends of Oppens

The nickname «Bagnolets». The inhabitants of Oppens are nicknamed the Bagnolets, a nickname that tradition links to the milk containers used in the region's dairy economy.

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Oppens »
• Wikipédia, « Oppens »
• Feuille des avis officiels du canton de Vaud, « Alphabet des communes vaudoises : Oppens »
• Wikipédia, « Districts du canton de Vaud »
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »

Other villages near Oppens

• Orzens (VD)
• Rueyres (VD)
• Pailly (VD)
• Ogens (VD)
• Bercher (VD)