Champvent

Castle of Champvent

Pittet is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord Vaudois in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.

Geography

Pittet is on 530 m above sea level. M., 5 km west of the district capital Yverdon- les- Bains ( straight line ). The scattered village stretches along the edge of the Jura plateau, above the Talniederung the Bey and the Orbeebene, opposite the Mont de Chamblon, in the northern Vaud Mittelland.

The area of ​​the prior to the incorporation of Essert Villars and 6.9 km ² large municipality area includes a portion of the Jura plateau. The central part of the region is the plateau of Pittet ( in Montilier 547 m above sea level. M. ), by the small valley of the Brine, is bounded on the south by the Talniederung of Bey in the north. To the south extends the municipality of ground above the Bey to the foot of Mont de Chamblon, to the southwest in the valley of the Mujon. In the northwest, the lower slope of the ridge Pipechat belongs to Pittet. Here is 590 m above sea level. M. reached the highest point of the municipality. In the northeast is beyond the creek Brine the former exclave Mornens that includes a slash island and part of the surrounding forest. Since the merging of Essert -sous- Champvent the former enclave is connected to the municipal area. From the municipality surface 1997 4 percent went to settlements, 25 percent of the forest and shrubs, 70 percent to agriculture and slightly less than 1 percent was unproductive land.

To Pittet include Hofsiedlungen Grange Neuve (446 m above sea level. M. ) in the valley of Bey below the village and Saint- Christophe ( 545 m above sea level. M. ) at the edge of the Jura plateau above the valley of Mujon as well as some individual farms and since 1 January. , 2012, the former municipalities Essert -sous- Pittet and Villars -sous- Pittet. Neighboring communities of Champvent are Suscévaz, mathod, Rances, Baulmes, Vuiteboeuf, Orges, Valeyres -sous- Montagny Montagny- près -Yverdon and Chamblon.

Population

With 598 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012) Pittet is one of the small communities of the Canton of Vaud. Of the 94.0 % inhabitants are French-speaking, German-speaking 3.0 % and 1.3 % Spanish speaking (as of 2000). The population of Pittet amounted in 1850 to 431 residents in 1900 to 416 inhabitants. After the population had decreased to 1970 to 264 persons, a slight increase in population was recorded again since then.

Economy

Pittet was until the second half of the 20th century, mainly coined by farming village. Even today, agriculture has an important role in the economic structure of the population. On the southern slopes of the Jura plateau below the village there are several wine regions. More jobs are in small local manufacturing and services available. In recent decades, Pittet has developed thanks to its attractive location into a residential community. Many employed persons are therefore commuters who work mainly in Yverdon.

Traffic

The community is located off the major thoroughfares, but is easily accessible from Yverdon. The motorway Yverdon- Ouest on the A5 which opened in 1984 ( Yverdon- Grandson) and Orbe at the 1989 opened A9 are both only 5 km from the center. By Postbus course Pittet is connected to the station Essert -sous- Champvent on the narrow gauge line Yverdon -Sainte -Croix and thus connected to the network of public transport.

History

The first written mention of the village was carried out in 1011 under the name Canvent. Later published numerous other names: Canventum ( 1012), Chaventum ( 1049 ), Chanvent ( 1224 ), Chanvenz ( 1237 ), Chanvens ( 1260 ), Chanventz ( 1275 ), and for the first time Chanvant Pittet ( 1315) and Champvenz ( 1347 ).

Pittet made ​​since the 11th century, a rule that was under the Lords of Grandson. Through an inheritance Pittet came in the 13th century to a side branch of the lords of Grandson -La Sarraz. The new rulers called themselves since that time de Pittet, and their rule was henceforth independent of the rule Grandson. This extended from the Orbeebene at Suscévaz northward over the foot of the Jura plateau to Sainte- Croix. Shortly after 1300 to La Mothe and 1317 also Sainte -Croix split off with Bullet from the rule Pittet. The settlement of the same name north of the castle was probably founded in the 13th century by the Lords of Pittet.

After the family of the lords went out of Pittet, the rule came in 1336 to the Counts of Neuchâtel, 1373 to Marguerite de Vufflens and after her marriage to the Burgundian family de Vergy. Because the Lord of the Manor connections to Duke Charles the Bold entertained, the Confederates burned the castle down in 1475. After the conquest of Vaud by Bern in 1536, the rule Pittet belonged to the bailiwick of Yverdon. From 1611 to 1731 belonged to the rule of the family of this stream, after Johann Rudolf Tillier was through marriage to Mr. Pittet. Castle and estate remained until their extinction in 1940 in the possession of the last owners family. 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 was assigned to the district of Yverdon. The previously associated with mathod hamlet of Saint -Christophe in 1811 the municipality slammed Pittet. With effect from 1 January 2012, the formerly independent communities Essert -sous- Pittet and Villars -sous- Champvent were incorporated by Pittet.

Attractions

The parish church of Notre -Dame was rebuilt in 1693 on the site of a previous medieval building, the front tower dates from 1890 and the rectory of 1682nd In the center some characteristic agricultural and wine farmhouses dating from the 17th to 19th centuries have been preserved.

The present castle, a superb example of the Savoyard Carré (square outline ), dates from the second half of the 13th century. It is situated on a mountain ridge south of the village, on the Orbeebene. Four equal big round corner towers flanking the castle. The largest of them was the former donjon, but was shortened in the 18th century to 15 meters in height and moderately adjusted the other three towers. Otherwise, the castle retained much of its original shape. Also noteworthy is the Gothic chapel. Even today, there is the Champvent castle is privately owned and is therefore not accessible to the public.