Moudon

Old Town of Moudon

Moudon is a municipality in the district Broye Vully the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. In Roman times the city was called Minnodunum. The former German name Milden is no longer used today. The community has a historic old town is in the middle Broyetal.

Geography

Moudon lies on 510 m above sea level. M., 19.5 km southwest of the district town Payerne ( straight line ). The historic town extends in the middle Broyetal, both sides of the Broye, in the region of the mouth of the river MERINE, surrounded by the hills of the eastern Molassehügellandes Vaud Mittelland.

The area of ​​15.7 km ² large municipality area includes a portion of the middle Broyetals and the adjacent hill country. The eastern part of the territory occupied by Broyetal, which is oriented from southwest to northeast and in the range of Moudon has a flat valley floor of 500 to 1000 m wide. To the east of the valley floor of the municipality comprises the wooded escarpment (Chalet à Canon ), which is divided by several small Erosionstälchen. To the north, the area extends to the creek Riau Gresin and on the high plateau of Bussy -sur -Moudon. In the western part of the municipal area to the adjacent ridge extends into the headwaters of the Cerjaule with the vast forests and Bois de la Forêt Derrière Cerjaule. Also, the ridge of Planche signal ( 833 m above sea level. M. ) and the Forest Hill Les Bourlayes where 850 m above sea level. M. the highest point of Moudon is achieved, part of the city. The southwestern part is cut by up to 200 m in the tertiary sandstone and taken flanked by steep wooded slopes of the valley MERINE. To the south extends the communal land along the Broye to the mouth of Bressonne. From the municipality surface 1997 15 % came from settlements, 35 % of forest and shrubs, 48% to agriculture and slightly more than 2% was unproductive land.

To Moudon include extensive commercial and industrial zones in Broyetal, settlements Bressonnaz (537 m above sea level. M. ) at the mouth of the Bressonne in the Broye and Grange- Verney ( 567 m above sea level. M. ) on a terrace on the western flank of Broye, the hamlet of Le Plan (509 m above sea level. M. ) at the outlet of the stream Voraire from its erosion valley in the Broyetal as well as numerous individual farms. Neighboring communities of Moudon are Bussy -sur- Moudon, Lucens, Curtilles, Chesalles -sur- Moudon, Chavannes -sur- Moudon, Vulliens, Syens Rossenges, Hermenches, Jorat Menthue and Montanaire.

Population

With 5078 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012) Moudon belongs to the medium-sized municipalities in the canton of Vaud. Of the 79.5 % inhabitants are French-speaking, 4.5 % and 3.9 % speak Albanian portugiesischsprachig (as of 2000). The population of Moudon long remained relatively constant level. Only after 1950 a significant population increase has been registered, with the highest growth rates were recorded during the 1960s. Then there was a temporary stagnation before the region is once again clearly increased over the 1980s. Since then, the population has remained stable.

Economy

Until the second half of the 19th century was a predominantly agrarian Moudon embossed town and focused on the processing of agricultural products from the surrounding area. With the construction of the railway from Murten to Palézieux was a gradual industrialization. With the establishment of a cheese merchant in 1899 Moudon became a center of trade in cheese. The rapid economic upswing took place but only in the middle of the 20th century with the founding of several major companies, namely the Fonderies Gisling SA (1951; Foundry ), the Fabrique de boîtes de montres SA (1956; watch case ) and the Cartonneries et Papeteries de Moudon SA (1956).

In recent decades, Moudon has increasingly developed into a service center. In 2001, 3% of the labor force was still employed in the primary sector, while the industrial sector 33 % and the services sector could unite 64 % of the workforce in coming.

Thanks to the relatively large surrounding area have agriculture with agriculture and animal husbandry, and forestry still of little significance in the occupational structure of the population. Along the railway line and especially south of the city larger commercial and industrial zones have developed since the 1950s. Major players are still the foundry Gisling SA and various enterprises in the sectors of mechanical engineering, mechanics, packaging, plating, gemstone and in the construction and transportation industry. A total of about 180 small and medium-sized enterprises have settled in Moudon.

Moudon is a regional center of the Vaud Mittelland northeast of the high plateau of the Jorat with a relatively large but relatively sparsely populated catchment area. It is the site of the district administration, has banks and insurance companies, a regional hospital and many other service companies. Southwest of the town there is a military hospital, which serves as a barracks in Friendenszeiten. Here, the Medical Corps of the Swiss Army are trained.

The major residential areas of Moudon extend east and south of the old town. On the sun-exposed south-facing slope north of the city numerous single-family homes have emerged in recent decades.

Education

As a regional center Moudon has primary and secondary schools. In Grange- Verney is the Ecole Cantonal d'agriculture. There is also a dairy cantonal school (1889 established ), an institute for deaf-mute children and the Institut de jeunes filles protestant.

Traffic

The community is conveniently technically quite well developed. It lies on the main road 1 from Lausanne to Bern over Payerne. The transit traffic, which at times reached high frequencies in western Switzerland especially before the opening of highways of Bern is performed on a dual carriageway along the railway line outside the actual residential areas. In addition, there are Moudon main roads to Yverdon -les- Bains and via Oron- la -Ville to Vevey.

On August 25, 1876, the railway line from Payerne was taken via Moudon after Palézieux in operation. Moudon is also the terminus of the bus line 62 the Transports publics de la région Lausannoise. For the dispersion in public transport buses provide Moudon after Ursy, Romont and Thierrens.

History

The beginnings of Moudon probably date back to the Celts, who founded a sanctuary here, which they called Minnodunos. This place name refers to one of the deity Minnos sacred hill. During the Roman period Moudon was a stage on the main road from Aventicum ( Avenches ) through the Broyetal and along the eastern shore of Lake Geneva via Octodurum ( Martigny ) on the pass of the Great St. Bernard. Moudon is mentioned by several Roman street directories as Vicus Minnodunum; the former Celtic name was Latinized words. However, archaeologically from Roman times only a few traces are known, for example, a foundation stone of the church from the second half of the 2nd century AD by Quintus Aelius Aunus.

The first mention of the modern era took place in 1156 under the name of Castrum Milduni. Later published numerous other names, namely Meldon ( 1160 ), Meldunum and Mildunum ( 1167 ), messages ( 1177 ), Melduns ( 1228 ) and Modon, Moldon and Myldunum. From the former place names, the German name Milden, which is, however, since been forgotten developed.

Little is known about the founding period of the medieval town Moudon. The area around Moudon came in 1011 by the then King of Upper Burgundy to the bishop of Lausanne. Probably founded by the Counts of Geneva in 1130 on the site of today Bourg on the ledge between the Broye and their side Bach MERINE the fortified settlement. Other sources speak of a Zähringen foundation to 1190th Moudon but fell in the first quarter of the 13th century in the sphere of influence of the Savoy. The town became an important base of the Savoy, Vaud. In 1260 under Peter of Savoy, it became the residence of the Savoy bailiff in the Vaud. This recognizes the importance of Moudon increased rapidly. The city expanded and was surrounded with new walls. 1285 Moudon was equipped with city rights. Especially in the 14th and 15th centuries, the city experienced a period of prosperity as the administrative center and venue of the Vaudois stands.

With the conquest of Vaud by Bern in 1536 Moudon came under Bernese domination. The Reformation was introduced. The city was the center of the bailiwick Moudon. This included approximately the area of present-day district Moudon, but in addition also the southern parts of the district of Payerne, the location in the catchment area of the Bressonne part of the district Oron and as enclaves of the two communities Daillens and Bettens.

The first governor of Moudon, Hans Frisching, had its headquarters in the city Moudon. Wolfgang von Erlach, his successor, moved its headquarters in 1542 in the castle of Lucens, which he described as much easier to defend regarded as the seat of the bailiff in Moudon. All other bailiffs of the Bernese bailiff Moudon resided thereafter in Lucens why Moudon lost its status as the administrative center of the middle Broyetals.

After the collapse of the ancien régime Moudon 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, the city was the capital of the district of the same and thus gained its status as the administrative center of Lucens back. With the improved transport links through the construction of the railway (1876 ) to Moudon gradually developed into an industrial site.

Attractions

Moudon has a well -preserved historic townscape. The medieval old town is divided into two parts: the original upper town called Le Bourg, on the hill between Broye and MERINE and sustained in the 13th century lower town to the Broye, located at the eastern foot of the hill. From the former town fortification Broye tower is only obtained a powerful, possibly created by the Zähringians tower building ( 12th century ) between the lower and the upper town. The city walls and the former residential palace no longer exist.

On the southeast corner of the city is the Protestant church of Saint- Etienne, whose construction began in the 13th century. It is an important three-aisled construction of the Western Swiss Early and High Gothic; the north chapel date from the 15th and 16th centuries. The interior wall and stained glass windows have been preserved from the 13th to the 17th centuries; in addition also includes a stone pulpit from 1695 and an ornately carved choir stalls ( 1500) furnishing. The bell tower was originally part of the town fortifications and received his spire placed until much later.

In the lower town are also the arsenal (1774-75 ), which formerly served as a granary, and the former Hôpital de Malte 1556 on the right side of the Broye. The Hôtel de Ville (City Hall ), with its arcades was built between 1835 and 1842. La grenette is another former grain hall, which was built in 1861. Many bourgeois and patrician houses from the 16th to 18th centuries have been preserved, including the Maison du Chasseur and the Maison de Cerjat ( 1698 ).

The upper town has another important building next to the Broye tower. Through the creation of representative buildings in the 15th to 18th century, the former high medieval character of the upper town has changed significantly. The late- Gothic building of the Maison des Etats du Pays de Vaud has its origins in the late 15th century. Noteworthy is the large canopy of the Maison d' Arnay whose core dates back to the Middle Ages; However, the building was extensively rebuilt in the 16th and 17th centuries.

At the Château de Rochefort, an imposing building of 1595 with staircase turret, now the Musée du Vieux -Moudon is housed showing a collection for commercial and rural life in the city. Another building from the 17th century, the works of the painter Eugène Burnand, who was born in Moudon ( Musée Eugène Burnand ). The Château de Carrouge was rebuilt with its adjacent buildings in the 18th and 19th centuries. In his garden there is a watch tower from the middle ages. On the western exit of the upper town is still a late Gothic group of houses from the 15th and 16th centuries preserved.

Outside of the city stands the Château de Billens, a mansion from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Sons and daughters

• Daniel Peter (1836-1919), Swiss chocolatier and entrepreneur, is considered the inventor of milk chocolate
• Eugène Burnand (1850-1921), painter
• Philippe Jaccottet ( born 1925 ), French -writing poet, essayist and translator
• Eric Voruz ( b. 1945 ), Swiss politician ( SP) and a member of the National Council

Twinning

Moudon has entered into a twinning with the French community Mazan in the Vaucluse department in 1986.