Échandens
Echandens is a municipality in the district of Morges in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.
Geography
Echandens is located on 432 m above sea level. M., 4 km north-east of the district capital Morges ( straight line ). The village is located on a ridge on the southeast slope of the plateau of Echandens, west of the Venoge, in the Vaud Mittelland, a scenic location about 50 m above the lake level of Lake Geneva.
The area of 3.9 km ² large municipality area includes a portion in the Vaud Mittelland. The main part of the area is occupied by the plateau of Echandens on which at Sur Sian with 462 m above sea level. M. the highest point of the municipality is reached. This plateau falls south to the valley floor of Denges, from east to the valley of the Venoge. These forms, with its winding course of the eastern border. In the north of the municipality floor comprises the two forest areas Bois de la Cote and Bois Gondou right Venoge. From the municipal area in 1997 was 28% in settlements, 17 % of forest and woody plants, 54 % in agriculture and somewhat less than 1% was unproductive land.
To Echandens included major commercial and industrial zones in Venogetal and the hamlet of Les Abbesses ( 445 m above sea level. M. ) at the edge of the plateau of Echandens. Neighboring communities of Echandens are in the north Bussigny- pres-Lausanne, in the east Ecublens, in the south Denges, southwest and northwest Lonay Bremblens.
Population
With 2214 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012) Echandens belongs to the medium-sized municipalities in the canton of Vaud. Of the 86.5 % inhabitants are French-speaking, German-speaking 5.8 % and 1.9 % Italian-speaking (as of 2000). The population of Echandens amounted in 1850 to 354 residents in 1900 to 411 inhabitants. Since 1950 (477 inhabitants), a rapid population increase was recorded with a quadrupling of the population within 50 years.
Economy
Echandens was until the second half of the 20th century, mainly coined by farming village. Today, agriculture has little significance in the occupational structure of the population. On the southern slopes of the plateau of Echandens there are several small wine-growing regions.
In the early 19th century came to the Venoge two cantonal powder mills, since 1822 a flour mill was operated. The Chocolate Factory Kohler 1900 was in operation, is still reflected in the Quartier La Chocolatière name of the former chocolate. Since 1919 the printing Nestlé was in Echandens. Since the 1960s, new commercial and industrial zones have been established to provide numerous jobs. Among the local companies include companies in the metal processing, construction and telecommunications. In recent decades, the village has developed thanks to its attractive location into a residential community. Many workers are therefore commuters who work mainly in Lausanne and Morges.
Traffic
The community is easily accessible via. It is located above the main road from Morges to Crissier. Through the southern municipality runs the A1 was opened in 1964 ( Geneva, Lausanne). The next ports are located in Morges and in Crissier. On 1 July 1855 section was Renens - Morges railway line Lausanne- Geneva inaugurated, the stop Denges - Echandens but was not inaugurated until 1890.
History
The territory of Echandens was inhabited very early, leave what traces of settlement from the Bronze Age, a burial ground from the La Tène period and finds from the Roman period and the early Middle Ages Close. The first documentary mention of the place was already in the year 853 under the name Escannens. In the 11th century the name Eschagnens appeared, followed by the spellings damage Ndens ( 1164 ), scan one ( 1165 ), Ash Andens ( 1184 ) and Eschanens ( 1228 ). The place name probably goes back to the Burgundian personal names Scamna and means for the people of Scamna.
Since the Middle Ages belonged to a part of the rule Echandens the Lausanne cathedral chapter, the. Others the Bishop of Lausanne, who gave him the nobles of Echandens as a fief With the conquest of Vaud by Bern in 1536, the village came under the administration of the bailiwick of Morges. After the collapse of the ancien régime Echandens 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 Morges.
Attractions
The present building of the parish church of Echandens, first mentioned in 1228, came from 1729th The castle was built in the 16th and 17th centuries on the foundations of a medieval castle. It shows a mixture of styles from Gothic and Renaissance and is equipped with numerous turrets, a polygonal stair tower and a Renaissance portal. The castle is now the seat of the municipal administration. In the old town some arable and wine houses from the 18th and 19th centuries have been preserved.