Ecublens, Vaud

1 History
2 Geography
3 Notable People
4 Culture
5 References
6 External links

For other places with the same name, see Ecublens (disambiguation).

Ecublens
Country Switzerland

Canton Vaud
District Ouest lausannois
46°32′N 06°34′E / 46.533°N 6.567°E / 46.533; 6.567Coordinates: 46°32′N 06°34′E / 46.533°N 6.567°E / 46.533; 6.567

Population 10,929 (Dec 2009)
- Density 1,914 /km² (4,957 /sq mi)
Area 5.71 km² (2.20 sq mi)
Elevation 428 m (1,404 ft)
Postal code 1024
SFOS number 5635
Mayor Pierre Kaelin
Surrounded by Bussigny-près-Lausanne, Chavannes-près-Renens, Crissier, Denges, Echandens, Lausanne, Renens, Saint-Sulpice
Website www.ecublens.ch
Profile, SFSO statistics

Ecublens

View map of Ecublens

Ecublens is a municipality in Switzerland in the canton of Vaud, located in the district of Ouest lausannois. It is a suburb of Lausanne and is composed of many hamlets hameaux namely the Motty (the administrative and religious centre, Renges, Bassenges, Villars, Epenex and Dorigny. French is the official language, spoken by 77% of the population in 2000 (other languages include Italian (7%) and German (5%)). Ecublens is served by the Lausanne metro line 1 and several bus lines. The nearest train station is Renens.

History

The first written record of Ecublens appears around the year 958, when it was called Scubilingis, in a document recording the property of the cathedral of Lausanne. This document mentions that Scubilingis is situated near Renens. In 1416, Ecublens was composed of only 38 homes, 268 in 1764, 413 in 1798, 613 in 1850, 777 in 1900, 1269 in 1950, 2240 in 1960, 6379 in 1970, and 10 227 in 2000. Strong growth in the agricultural industry in the 1960s fueled to a population explosion mostly through immigration.

On May 9, 1476, Charles the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy, gathered his army in Ecublens after his defeat at the Battle of Grandson, in preparation for the Battle of Morat. The area was under the Bernese Occupation from 1536 until 1798, when French troops arrived. On May 12, 1800, Napoleon inspected two divisions of his troops in Ecublens on his way to the Great St Bernard Pass during his Italian campaign of 1800.

Geography

Ecublens is located on a moraine. Three rivers run through the municipality: the Venoge, Sorge and Chamberonne. Ecublens contains the campuses of the University of Lausanne (since 1970) and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (since 1978).

Notable People

Well-known citizens of Ecublens include Treytorrens de Loys, who commanded a division during the First World War and Francois De Loys. During his exile in Switzerland, Lenin stayed briefly in Ecublens several times.

Culture

Ecublens has a relatively high proportion of non-Swiss nationals (43% in 2009). The main nationalities are Swiss (57%), Portuguese (10%) and Italian (9%). Other nationalities include French (5%), Serbian (3%), Spanish (3%), Turkish (2%), Macedonian (1%) and German (1%).

Church of Ecublens

Church of Ecublens by night

View of the village square also known as the Motty.

References

^ Swiss Federal Statistical Office, MS Excel document – Bilanz der ständigen Wohnbevölkerung nach Kantonen, Bezirken und Gemeinden (German) accessed 25 August 2010