Bercher
Bercher is a municipality in the district of Gros- de -Vaud in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.
Geography
Bercher is located on 637 m above sea level. Level, 20 km north of the canton capital Lausanne ( straight line ). The scattered village extends on the high plateau of the northeastern Gros de Vaud, west of the deep valley of the Mentue, in the Vaud Mittelland.
The area of 4.3 km ² large municipality area includes a section of Gros de Vaud, the granary of the canton of Vaud. Most of the community land is occupied by slightly more than 1 km wide plateau of Bercher that in the south on the hill La Chavanne 668 m above sea level. M. reaches the highest point. The plateau is bounded on the east by the 100 m deep, cut into the molasse wooded valley of the middle Mentue, while the western boundary along the creek Foirause runs. In the far south, the area extends as far into the forest Béta. From the municipality surface 1997 14 % came from settlements, 26 % of forest and woody plants and 60% for agriculture.
To Bercher include the settlement Le Martinet (559 m above sea level. M. ) on the Mentue below the village as well as some individual farms. The neighboring communities of Bercher are in the southwest Fey, in the west Rueyres, in the north Oppens, northeast Ogens, in the east and southeast Montanaire Boulens.
Population
With 1138 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012) Bercher one of the smaller municipalities in the canton of Vaud. Of the 92.1 % inhabitants are French-speaking, German-speaking 3.4 % and 1.4 % portugiesischsprachig (as of 2000). The population of Bercher amounted in 1850 to 329 residents in 1900 to 524 inhabitants. After the population had decreased to 1960 to 407 people, a rapid population increase was observed with a doubling of the population within 40 years.
Economy
Bercher was up to the beginning of the 20th century mainly by agriculture embossed village. Today, farming, fruit growing and cattle breeding have only a minor role in the occupational structure of the population.
Since the 14th century, a mill on the Mentue has been demonstrated; at Le Martinet there was a smithy. A major economic boom followed in 1880 with the founding of condensed milk by Nestlé, which until 1921 in operation. Bercher thereby became a regional center for trade and commerce. Today, there are farms in the village of the transport industry, horticulture, mechanical workshops, a cereal central warehouse and numerous smaller companies. Bercher is the seat of an agricultural cooperative.
In recent decades, the village has developed into a residential community. Many workers are therefore commuters who work mainly in the greater Lausanne and Yverdon.
Traffic
The community is conveniently technically quite well developed. It is located on a link road from Echallens towards Payerne. On November 24, 1898, the stretch Echallens - Bercher the narrow gauge railway Chemin de fer Lausanne- Echallens - Bercher ( LEB) was put into operation. Reason for the extension of the railway line from Echallens to Bercher was the development thrust by the condensed milk. From the terminus in Bercher run buses to Yverdon -les- Bains and after Thierrens.
History
The earliest traces in the municipality of Bercher date from the Roman period. The first written mention of the village was carried out in 1154 under the name de Berchiaco and Bergie. Later, the spellings Bercie ( 1166 ), Bergi, Bergy and Berchie ( 1223 ) and Berchier ( 1453) appeared. The place name is derived from the proper names Bercius.
In the Middle Ages Bercher was a dominion, which also included the surrounding villages Fey, Rueyres and Saint- Cierges, owned by the Lords of Cossonay. 1420 Bercher came to the Duke of Savoy; this gave the rule of de Glérens family. Later there were further changes of ownership. With the conquest of Vaud by Bern in 1536 Bercher came under the administration of the bailiwick of Yverdon. Under the Bernese rule Bercher 1712 raised to Kastlanei which exercised the lower courts. After the collapse of the ancien régime, the village belonged from 1798 to 1803 during the Helvetic Republic to the canton of Geneva, who came up then with the enactment of the Act of Mediation in the canton of Vaud. 1798 Bercher was initially assigned to the district of Yverdon, moved in 1803 to the district Moudon and finally came to the district in 1960 Echallens.
Attractions
Since the 12th century the parish church of Bercher is mentioned, which belonged to the priory of Saint- Maire in Lausanne. The church outside the village near the castle standing in 1724 transformed. The castle was the seat of the Lords of Bercher. The present building dates from the late 17th century and is now a handsome farmhouse with large outbuildings. In the old town and some characteristic farmhouses from the 18th and 19th centuries have been preserved.