Mormont

Top of the Mormont

The Mormont (French skin you Mormont ) is a 605 m high hill in the Swiss canton of Vaud. This to the municipality Eclépens at La Sarraz belonging, and mostly forested hilly terrain is 4 km long, an average of 1 km wide and extends up to 160 m above the surrounding valleys on. The name is first mentioned in the year 814 as Mauro Monte. As of 1344 the present name is already narrated, appeared in the 19th century, the names Maurimons and Mauremont. The name comes from the Latin personal name Maurus and therefore means mountain of Maurus.

Geography

About the Mormont runs the main European watershed between the basins of the Rhine and the Rhone. It reaches into the Entreroches Gorge, which crosses the eastern part of Mormont, 455 m above sea level. M. their lowest point on the Swiss territory. As a cross- bar of the Mormont forms the southern end of the Orbeebene ( by the Nozon and the Orbe drained the Rhine ) and separates it from the neighboring Southern wide Talniederung Venoge, which flows to Lake Geneva. In the west, the hill chain is released from the limestone plateaux of the Jura foothills, to the east it merges into the high plateau of Gros de Vaud.

Geology

In geological- tectonic aspect, the Mormont is an anticline of the Jura, which is disturbed by several fault lines. She sits to the east continued under the Molassesedimenten of Gros de Vaud. The yellow and beige limestones of Mormont, alternating with marly layers were deposited in the lower Cretaceous period, around 100 million years ago in a shallow sea and relatively contain many fossils. In the Pliocene the Mormont anticline was formed in connection with the Jura folding. The risks associated with the formation of the Jurassic tectonic processes caused the complex Horst structure of the hill chain. Got its present shape the Mormont with the glacial overprinting by the glacial Rhone glacier.

Archeology

In January 2006, the Vaud cantonal archaeologist Denis Weidmann let the Mormont of professionals scan and made loudly Swiss Celts specialists a discovery of enormous scientific importance. The Mormont was 120-80 BC a place of worship (or a shrine ) of the Helvetii, which is unique in shape, size and richness in Europe. Comparable sanctuaries are known from Gournay -sur- Aronde and Ribemont -sur- Arcy.

Out of more than 250 mines and victim wells that were dug in a moraine and its depth varies between 0.8 m and 5 m, archaeological material was recovered. Among them were ceramic and bronze vessels, iron tools, jewelry, grinding stones and coins. Fauna remains demonstrate the use of mines as Fanum. In the complete skeleton of a large horse is an early import from the south. Human body in extreme positions, skull and skeleton parts depots indicate rituals of the Helvetii at the end of the Iron Age. The picture of the religion of the Celts could be corrected due to the increased days to tracks.

The excavations also confirm the doubts about Julius Caesar's account of the exodus of the Helvetii from their homes in 58 BC for this period show an unbroken continuity and vitality of the cult.

Since the Mormont for the extraction of limestone was released for cement production, only a rescue excavation was carried out. It was originally intended to reduce the crest of the hill in the years 2006-2009 as the next zone. So this is unique in Europe archaeological sites and posterity would have been lost forever. The excavations will now go on to 2014-15. The scientific evaluation of the finds is very costly.

Conservation

As a result of the calcareous subsoil has on the Mormont a remarkable flora and fauna established, so the area is one of the landscapes and natural monuments of national importance.

Use

The Mormont is crossed by the slightly curved Entreroches Gorge, a very narrow arroyo, whose highest point is 10 meters higher than the Orbeebene respectively the Venogetal. Through this gorge the Entrerocheskanal between Yverdon and Cossonay was built from 1638 to 1648, which should produce a waterway connection between the Rhine and the Rhone. Because the portion of the Venoge was not removed for lack of funds, the channel never had national significance. Remnants of which are still visible in the canyon.

In 1855 the railway line was opened from Yverdon to Lausanne, which crosses under the Mormont in two short tunnels; the intermediate, 100 m long open path passes through the Entreroches Gorge. On the communal land of Eclépens is a large limestone mine, which is owned by Holcim today.