Vaud is the third-largest Swiss canton by population and fourth by size. It is located inRomandy, the French-speaking western part of the country, and borders the canton ofNeuchâtel to the north, the cantons ofFribourg andBern to the east, the canton ofValais to the south, the canton ofGeneva to the south-west, and France to the west. The geography of the canton includes all three natural regions of Switzerland: theJura Mountains, theSwiss Plateau, and the(Swiss) Alps. It also includes some of the largest lakes of the country:Lake Geneva andLake Neuchâtel. It is a major tourist destination, renowned for its landscapes and gastronomy.
The largest city isLausanne, followed byYverdon-les-Bains andMontreux. As of 2020, the canton had a population of 814,762.[2] It is one of the four cantons where French is the only official language. Formerly a Bernese bailiwick, Vaud joined the Swiss Confederation as an independent canton in 1803.
Roman column in NyonBailiwicks of Bern in Vaud in the 18th century
Humans lived alongside the Vaud lakes in prehistoric times. Later, theCeltic tribe of theHelvetii inhabited the area.Caesar's troops defeated the Helvetii in 58 BC and as a consequence theRomans settled in the area. The many towns established by the Romans includeVevey (Latin:Viviscus) and Lausanne (Lausonium orLausonna).
While the exact date of the founding of Aventicum is not exact, it was likely established during or shortly after Augustus' reign. There are still many Roman remains around the town today. Between the 2nd and the 4th centuriesAlemannic tribes repeatedly invaded the area, and in the 5th century theBurgundians occupied the territory. TheMerovingian Franks later replaced the Burgundians. Their control did not last long either, and in 888 the area of the canton of Vaud became part of theCarolingian Empire (the successor state to the Merovingians). In 1032 theZähringens of Germany defeated the Burgundians. The Zähringens themselves were succeeded in 1218 by the counts ofSavoy. It was only under the counts of Savoy that the area gained political unity as theBarony of Vaud. A part stretching fromAttalens to the riverSarine, in the north, was absorbed by the canton of Fribourg.
Built by the Bishop ofLausanne during the 15th century,Château Saint-Maire has been the seat of the cantonal government since 1803.
As the power of theHouse of Savoy declined at the beginning of the 15th century, troops fromBern occupied the land. By 1536 Bern had completely annexed the area. Vaud'sProtestant Reformation started with co-workers ofJohn Calvin likePierre Viret (a famous debate took place at the cathedral of Lausanne), but it was only decisively implemented when Bern put its full force behind it.
The Bernese occupiers were not popular amongst the population. In 1723 MajorAbraham Davel led a revolt against Bern, in protest at what he saw as the denial of political rights of the French-speaking Vaudois by the German-speaking Bernese; he was subsequently beheaded.[8] Later, inspired by theFrench Revolution of 1789–1799, the Vaudois drove out the Bernese governor in 1798 and declared theLemanic Republic. Vaud nationalists likeFrédéric-César de La Harpe, born in Rolle, had called for French intervention in liberating the area, and French Revolutionary troops moved in, taking over the whole of Switzerland itself in the process and setting up theHelvetic Republic. UnderNapoleon I (Emperor 1804–1815), Vaud became (1798–1803) thecanton of Léman. Unrest about the abolition offeudal rights and taxes led to increased discontent, which culminated in the revolt of theBourla-papey in spring 1802, closely followed by theStecklikrieg (August to October 1802) that brought the end of the entire Helvetic Republic in 1803. In 1803 Vaud joined the re-installedSwiss Confederation. In spite of Bernese attempts to reclaim Vaud, it has remained a sovereign canton ever since.
In the 19th century, the canton of Vaud was an outspoken opponent of theSonderbund Catholic separatist movement, which led to intervention by 99,000 Swiss Federal troops under GeneralHenri Dufour against 79,000 separatists, in the Sonderbund War (November 1847). Separation was prevented at the cost of very few lives.
The current cantonal constitution dates from 14 April 2003, replacing the constitution of 1885.[9]
Along with the canton of Berne, Vaud is one of the two cantons whose territory extends from the Jura to the Alps, through the three distinctgeographic regions of Switzerland.
The areas in the south east are mountainous, situated on the north side of theBernese Alps. This region is commonly named theVaud Alps (French:Alpes Vaudoises). TheDiablerets massif, peaking at 3,210 metres (10,531 ft), is the highest mountain of the canton. Other summits such as theGrand Muveran and theTour d'Aï are visible from most of the canton. The area also hosts several popular skiing destinations such asVillars,Les Diablerets andLeysin.
The central area of the canton, in contrast, consists ofmoraines and is hilly. There are plains along the lakes. In the north, Avenches is in anexclave of the canton surrounded by the canton of Fribourg and Lake Neuchâtel. On the other hand, there are three enclaves of thecanton of Fribourg (Estavayer-le-lac, Vuissens, Surpierre), as well as two enclaves of the canton ofGeneva (Céligny), that are surrounded by the canton of Vaud.[10]
The north-western part of the canton is also mountainous but in a more modest way with mountains generally not above 1,500 metres (4,900 ft); theJura Mountains. TheVallée de Joux is one of the most popular destinations in the region and also a centre of luxury mechanicalSwiss watch manufacturing.[11]
The population is French-speaking and historically was mostlyProtestant (Calvinist), dating from the early years of theReformation. Recently, however, this has been changing due to immigration from Southern Europe. In 2000, the population was nearly evenly split between Protestants (40%) andRoman Catholics (34%).[14]
The population of the canton (as of 31 December 2020) was 814,762.[2] As of 2010[update], the population included about 28% foreigners, including many Italians.[15] The major population centres of the canton are: Lausanne (140,202 inhabitants on 31 December 2020),Montreux-Vevey (Montreux: 26090 Vevey:19752 inhabitants) andYverdon-les-Bains (29,955 inhabitants). The region aroundNyon is often considered part of the agglomeration ofGeneva. All of these are on Lake Geneva (calledLéman in French), except for Yverdon, which is on Lake Neuchâtel.
Main languages spoken at home in the canton (2020):[16]
French: 82.40% English: 9.10% Portuguese: 7.51% German: 5.15% Italian: 5.00% Spanish: 3.88% Albanian: 2.37% South Slavic languages: 1.61% Other languages: 6.75% Note: Respondents were permitted to choose more than one language.
The capital,Lausanne, is the major city of the canton. There are light industries concentrated around it. In 1998, 71.7% of the workers worked in the tertiary sector and 20.8% in the secondary.
The canton is the second-largest producer of wine in Switzerland. Most of the wine produced in the canton is white, and most vineyards are located on the steep shores of Lake Geneva such as theUNESCO World Heritage Site theLavaux Vineyard Terraces. There is agriculture in the areas away from Lake Geneva. Sugar beet is important aroundOrbe, tobacco inLa Broye Valley, and fruit at the foot of theJura mountains. Cattle breeding and pasture are common in theAlps and the Jura mountains. There is asalt mine atBex. Tourism is important in many towns along Lake Geneva. Major lakeside resorts include Lausanne,Montreux, andVevey.
TheUnion Cycliste Internationale is based in Aigle, and many of its defamation lawsuits against critics have been heard in the Est Vaudois district court of Vevey.[17]
The canton is often referred to as the "culinary capital of Switzerland" and is renowned for its many cheeses, wines and charcuterie.[18] It is also home to a high number of gourmet restaurants, such as the Hôtel de ville inCrissier, founded byFrédy Girardet.
Papet Vaudois is a very popular dish of the canton. It consists of potatoes and leeks accompanied by regional sausages, notablySaucisse aux choux.Taillé aux greubons are a salted bakery specialty of the region consisting ofcrackling encased inpuff pastry. Another of the canton's specialties iscarac, a sweet tart consisting of asweetcrust pastry case (pâte sucrée) filled with chocolateganache, covered by a characteristic greenicing orfondant layer topped with a dot of chocolate.[19]
Pierre Gilliard (1879 in Fiez – 1962) a Swiss academic and author, French language tutor to the five children of EmperorNicholas II of Russia from 1905 to 1918.
Marcel Regamey (1905–1982), Swiss essayist and journalist
Flore Revalles (1889 in Rolle – 1966) a Swiss entertainer, singer and dancer
(in French) Laurent Flutsch and Séverine André (with the collaboration of Bernadette Gross),Y en a point comme nous. Un portrait des Vaudois aujourd'hui [There are none like us. A portrait of the Vaudois of today], Éditions Infolio, 2015, 368 pages (ISBN9782884747615).
