Pully
Origin of the name Pully
The name appears in 994 in the form "Pulliacum". It is often linked to a Gallo-Roman estate belonging to a certain Pollius or Pullius, with the suffix "-acum" marking ownership; this owner's name is a hypothesis (to be cross-checked).
Founding of Pully
Pully has no identified founder. A Neolithic cemetery of some thirty graves (4300-3900 BC) was excavated in 1826 at Pierra-Portay. In Roman times a large villa occupied the site from the 1st to the 4th century. From the 10th century until 1536 the lands of Pully belonged to the Cluniac priory of Payerne, which had a priory there. The place remained a winegrowing village until the 19th century, then became a residential town with the arrival of the railway and the growth of Lausanne.
History of Pully
4300-3900 BC. Neolithic cemetery of some thirty graves at Pierra-Portay (excavated in 1826).
1st-4th century. Occupation of a large Roman villa.
early 2nd century. A mural of a chariot race is painted in the villa's semicircular pavilion.
994. First mention, in the form "Pulliacum".
10th century-1536. The lands of Pully belong to the priory of Payerne.
14th-16th century. The parish church is rebuilt and dedicated to Saint Germain.
1536. Bernese conquest and Reformation; end of the Payerne priory's lordship.
1764. The village has 626 inhabitants (141 hearths).
1798. The village has 818 inhabitants.
1861-1862. Arrival of the railway.
late 19th century. Numerous boarding schools make the place's reputation.
1900. The commune has 2'339 inhabitants.
1935-1951. The future King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej, lives in Pully at the Villa Vadhana.
1947. The writer Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz dies in Pully, where he lived.
1960. The commune has 12'505 inhabitants.
1979. Opening of the Octogone performance hall.
1981. Tetra Pak moves its headquarters to Pully.
2000. The commune has 16'034 inhabitants.
Population of Pully
| 1764 | 626 |
| 1798 | 818 |
| 1850 | 1'113 |
| 1900 | 2'339 |
| 1950 | 6'989 |
| 1960 | 12'505 |
| 2000 | 16'034 |
| 2025 | 19'550 |
Historic sites in Pully
Roman villa museum. It displays the remains of the villa occupied from the 1st to the 4th century, including the semicircular pavilion and its early 2nd-century mural of a chariot race, visible on site.
Priory and church of Saint-Germain. The former priory, linked to the priory of Payerne, and the church rebuilt in the 14th-16th centuries, now a Reformed church, form the historic core.
Musée d'art de Pully. It presents regional art and holds a collection devoted to C. F. Ramuz.
Lavaux vineyards. Pully lies at the western entrance to the Lavaux wine region, whose terraced vineyards are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Remains in Pully
Roman villa. Large villa of the 1st to 4th centuries, whose east wing included a semicircular pavilion decorated with an early 2nd-century chariot-race painting, still visible in situ.
Pierra-Portay cemetery. Some thirty Neolithic graves dated to 4300-3900 BC were excavated here in 1826.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Pully »
- Wikipédia FR, « Pully »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Localities of the municipality with a page
Other villages near Pully
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