History and origin

Roman period

The origins

Archaeological evidence suggests that, as early as Roman times, the site of Jongny was a crossing point between the Rhône Valley (Rauraci) and Avenches, the capital of Roman Helvetia. The “Sentier Romain” and “Chemin Romain” may be the remains of this route. The road passed through the localities of “Sous-Mont,” “Les Friboges” and “Vers les Galley” on its way to Attalens Castle.

Certain toponymic clues suggest that there was a farm on the land that is now part of the municipality. It is thought that the owner was called Juvenius, Gallinius or Gallenius. The name Jongny would then mean “Gallenius’ estate.”

Medieval period

A feudal estate

It was after the decline of the Roman Empire and the barbarian invasions that the first mentions of Jongny appeared under various names: Jaunie, Jalnie, Galniei, then Jongnye in 1373. The small community probably owes its existence to the former Roman agricultural estate.

During the Holy Roman Empire, the Bishop of Lausanne ruled over the region of “La Vaux,” which stretched from Lausanne to Vevey. He remained suzerain until the arrival of the Bernese in 1536. Little is known about the modest lives of the inhabitants, except that six men from Jongny were in the service of the bishop in 1443. At that time, the Church held both temporal power and spiritual authority.

A chapel dedicated to Saint Lawrence, in use at the beginning of the 14th century, was dependent on the parish church of Corsier. Its bell, which still rings from the top of the bell tower of the former college, a listed historical monument, was made by a certain Pierre Mouron de Chardonne. In addition to a few figurines, it bears the following invocation in Latin: “Holy Mary, full of grace, may the Lord and Saint Lawrence be with you; we invoke you twice; in the year of our Lord 1504.” “

The municipal coat of arms adopted in 1924, featuring the historic bell accompanied by the heart and stars of the former parish of Corsier, is described as follows: “Azure with a bell accompanied by two stars at the top and a heart at the bottom, all in silver.”

Bern period

The former parish of Corsier

When the Bernese conquered the Pays de Vaud in 1536, their allies from Fribourg seized Châtel-St-Denis and Attalens but failed to take possession of
Vevey. From then on, Jongny, located on the border of Fribourg territory, became part of the bailiwick of Lausanne.
The parish of Corsier was then governed by a “grand governor,” chosen from among the Vaudois families. It became an administrative and political district in addition to its ecclesiastical role.

The parish constituted a bourgeoisie whose revenues were used to meet the needs of all the parishioners. The assets were divided into two funds. The first, known as the Parish Fund, covered expenses relating to public buildings and roads, as well as the salaries of the pastor and the regent. The second, known as the Hospital Fund, provided for the poor and destitute.

Near the Place du Molard, the building known as “La Bourse des Pauvres” (the Poor Fund) was intended to house the needy bourgeoisie.

The village community was governed by a “petit gouverneur” (little governor). The six-member Petit Conseil (Small Council) was accountable to the Conseil général (General Council). One had to be a bourgeois of the village to sit on either council. The Taverney, Cupelin, Demontet, Dupont, Forestier, and Butticaz families acquired the bourgeoisie of Jongny under the Bernese regime.

In 1550, the parish of Corsier had 155 households, each with an average of five people. Only six families owned property in Jongny, and their wealth placed them far behind those of Corseaux, as vineyards were worth ten times more than fields.
Two centuries later, a survey revealed that Jongny had 23 households, totaling 110 people. Living conditions were difficult, and many residents depended on aid from the parish hospital fund.
The municipal authority, exercised by a few property-owning citizens, was renewed by co-optation. This is evidenced by the minutes of the council meeting of April 8, 1737:

“The honorable Jean François Taverney, Jean Cuppelin, Abram Bron, and Jacob Louys Neyroud, village councilors, considering the death of Sr. Claude Taverney, the first councilor, deemed it appropriate to elect another in his place, so that, having been able to look only to Jean Samuel Taverney, eldest son of the late Claude, to appoint with him two young men who are not yet in a position to function either in public office or in positions of responsibility, with consideration and other factors, the aforementioned Jean Samuel Taverney was unanimously elected councilor of the said village and took the usual and customary oath.

At the end of the Bernese regime in 1798, Jongny had a population of around 150. All of them earned their living from agriculture, with the exception of a tile maker and a doctor.

Jongny in the 19th century

The municipality, its authorities, its citizens

After revolutionary France liberated the canton of Vaud from Bernese rule, Bonaparte established the canton’s sovereignty, and it voted to join the Swiss Confederation.

In 1799, a municipality was established in Jongny. The governor covered the cost of the drinks served at the inauguration of the municipality, which consisted of three municipal officials. The minutes of the installation of the General Council on August 21, 1803, tell us that citizen Jean François Louis Taverney was elected mayor. Citizens David Louis Butticaz and Jean-Louis Forney were elected deputy mayors.
The General Council, with 15 members, remained in place until 1892, when the first Municipal Council was elected.
Shaped like a ham, the municipal territory covers 209 hectares. Its border, sometimes natural (the Bergère), is mostly marked by boundaries. Jongny is bordered to the northeast by Attalens (canton of Fribourg), to the southeast by Corsier, and to the west by Chardonne.

In 1804, the municipalities of Chardonne and Jongny requested the division of parish property, which was poorly managed. The interests of the upper and lower municipalities diverged. Everything contributed to the breakup of the parish municipality and the division of its property and citizens. In 1816, an agreement was signed between the four municipalities. It was implemented in 1828, leading to the municipal autonomy of Jongny.

As a result of this dislocation, around fifty people opted for citizenship in Jongny: the Chaubert, Chaudet, Chollet, Leubaz, Richard, and Gürtner families. Later, other families, often refugees, also obtained citizenship.

In addition to the breakup of the parish of Corsier, other problems were causing unrest in Jongny, which, like Chardonne, was isolated due to a lack of transport links. In response to their request, the Vaud authorities built the Vevey-Châtel-St-Denis road in 1842. Seventy years later, a project for a Vevey-Bulle-Thun railway line, which would have crossed the municipal territory, was never realized.
The new transport links did little to change daily life in Jongny. Farming remained the dominant activity. Cultivated fields gave way to meadows. The vineyard remained at around 4 hectares. In addition to farming and crafts, the construction of transport links and hotels also contributed to the economy. Furthermore, many traveling merchants and peddlers crisscrossed the municipality.

Material progress was reflected in the installation of public lighting (two lamps) and, above all, the construction of a new school in 1893. This included two classrooms, a gym, a community hall, two apartments for teachers, cellars, and large attics for storing firewood. The population was around 300.

In 1892, the first municipal council, with 45 members (the minimum allowed by cantonal law), was established. It can be assumed that it was difficult to find volunteers, as only 36 of them were present. It was not until the cantonal law of 1956 that the threshold was lowered to 30 councilors. The municipal council, which had to choose between the status quo and the minimum, accepted the second option by 22 votes to 4, on the proposal of the municipality and the bureau. The introduction of women’s suffrage and the increase in population led to the election of a 50-member council in the 1990-93 legislative period.

Contemporary period

Demographic pressure

While Jongny had 300 inhabitants in 1900, the population quickly surpassed 1,000 before the end of the century. Homes, which were mainly concentrated in the village, gradually spread across the Lake Geneva hillside. New neighborhoods were built in Petit Maconnaix, Faug, La Perrette, Cherpenau, and Laviau. To make it easier to locate families (and facilitate the work of postal workers), the roads were named using existing names, and the houses were numbered.

For several years, the restoration of municipal roads and the development of water, sewer, electricity, and gas networks required significant financial investment to meet demographic pressure. Jongny, which had an agreement with the municipality of Remaufens for the supply of water, had to sell its network to the Vevey-Montreux Water Service, of which it became a member (1973), in order to fully secure its supply.

The municipal administration, which was carried out in the homes of the officials (registry, stock exchange, social insurance), was consolidated in 1980 in the Rosiers building, which was acquired by the municipality for this purpose. It is now run by full-time civil servants. In 1996, it moved permanently into a new building that also houses the post office and a parking lot.

The municipal administration, which used to operate from the homes of its employees (registry, stock exchange, social security), was consolidated in 1980 in the Rosiers building, which was acquired by the municipality for this purpose. It is now run by full-time civil servants. In 1996, it will move permanently into a new building that also houses the post office and a parking lot.

The population increasingly wanted a multipurpose hall. However, priority was given to the construction of a second secondary school (1984) to accommodate the influx of new students. In 1988, a performance hall with a civil defense shelter and a fire station was inaugurated.

The zoning plan adopted in 1994 strictly limits the areas available for construction, subject to the development of neighborhood plans such as those for Praz-de-Crêt and Sur-Jongny, which are currently underway. Let’s hope that the population of Jongny will gradually reach the threshold predicted by the URBAPLAN office: 2,000 inhabitants!