La Praz
La Praz is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord Vaudois in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.
Geography
La Praz is at 873 m above sea level. M., 10 km southwest of Orbe and 20 km southwest of the district capital Yverdon- les- Bains ( straight line ). The farming village stretches along the Jura south slope, in a panoramic location high above the plains of the Vaud Mittelland.
The area of 5.1 km ² large municipality area includes a section on the Vaud Jura south slope. The communal land extends from the edge of the Bois Prins westward across the clearing island of La Praz and the steep wooded slope ( Côte de la Praz ) up to the height of the Jura chain between the Nozontal and the Central Plateau. The highest point of the municipality lies at 1,300 m above sea level. M. close to the chalet Dernier. Here there is an extensive Jura mountain meadows with the typical tall spruce trees that are either individually or in groups. From the municipality surface 1997 4 % came from settlements, 51 % of forest and woody plants and 45 % to agriculture.
At La Praz include some individual farms. Neighboring communities of La Praz are Juriens, Moiry and Mont- la -Ville.
Population
With 162 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012) La Praz is one of the smallest municipalities in the canton of Vaud. Of the 94.9 % inhabitants are French-speaking, German-speaking 4.3 % and 0.9 % in English (as of 2000). The population of La Praz 1850 amounted to 247 inhabitants. After a strong migration was recorded until 1970 (102 inhabitants). Since then, the population has increased slightly again.
Economy
La Praz is still a dominantly agricultural village, which formerly prevailed in the village near the farming, while today, especially livestock and dairy farming. More jobs offers local small businesses. Since La Praz gradually developed in the last decades into a residential community, many of the working population commuters.
Traffic
The community is located off the major thoroughfares, it has connections with the three neighboring villages. By Postbus course, which runs from Croy to L' Isle, La Praz is connected to the public transport network.
History
Traces evidence of an early settlement of the municipality. The first written mention of the village was carried out in 1330 under the present name. Later, the names Prata (1400) and Lapraz published (1867 ). The place name comes from the Latin word pratum ( meadow, pasture ).
Since the Middle Ages belonged to the monastery of La Praz Romainmôtier. With the conquest of Vaud by Bern in 1536, the village was part of the Kastlanei and bailiwick Romainmôtier. After the collapse of the ancien régime La Praz 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. It was in 1798 the district of Orbe allocated. In 1881, numerous houses were a village destroyed by fire.
Attractions
The late-classical church of La Praz was built in 1841. In a forest south of the village there is a horseshoe-shaped stone circle with five large and seven smaller mossy stones.