More than just another farm in the Lausanne area, the EHL “Ferme” has a history all its own. Let’s take a closer look at its past and discover together the history of architecture and the hidden treasures in our archives!
Pays de Vaud and Lausanne from the 16th to 19th centuries
In 1536, Lausanne, like the rest of the Pays de Vaud, fell under the rule of the authorities in Bern. Several areas, including Chalet-à-Gobet were bestowed to the town of Lausanne, which was governed by a bailiff dispatched from Bern and two councils comprised of rich landowners from Lausanne. It wasn’t until 1798 that Lausanne and the Vaud Canton would shake off the yoke of Bernese subjugation. This is the historic backdrop against which EHL’s most emblematic structure, La Ferme, was built.
Architectural historians and how the farm came about
The first time that architectural historians were able to study the farm was in 1993 when an architectural census was taken in the Vaud Canton. The initial study, albeit a brief one, advanced the date of 1750 for the construction of the building1.
Commissioned by EHL in 2015, the architectural historian, Isabelle Roland conducted a study of the Cojonnex farm’s history and architecture. According to Roland, the structure was likely built between 1730 and 1735 by the City of Lausanne2. In 1728, it was decided to construct the building, but the funds were actually disbursed two years later. According to Roland, it was likely a new construction, given the budget that was allocated3.
On the map, which dates back to 1746, that traces the road extending from Bern to Lausanne through the Jorat forest– which would become the Route de Berne we know and love today– the farm appears in a name called Cojonnex (or Gojonez as it was known then) that belonged to the City of Lausanne. This is indeed our farm!
![Figure 1: Excerpt of the map of the roadway from Bern to Lausanne through the Jorat, 1746. [Excerpt from the map of the road from Bern to Lausanne via the Jorat, from 1746: ACV, Gc 537.]-- Source: EHL](https://www.hospitalitynet.org/picture/xxl_153164069.jpg?t=1702046319)
![Figure 1: Excerpt of the map of the roadway from Bern to Lausanne through the Jorat, 1746. [Excerpt from the map of the road from Bern to Lausanne via the Jorat, from 1746: ACV, Gc 537.]-- Source: EHL](https://www.hospitalitynet.org/picture/153164069.jpg?t=1702046319)
Figure 1: Excerpt of the map of the roadway from Bern to Lausanne through the Jorat, 1746. [Excerpt from the map of the road from Bern to Lausanne via the Jorat, from 1746: ACV, Gc 537.]– Source: EHL
Why did the City of Lausanne choose to build a farm at this particular location? The answer is laid out in Anne Radeff’s book entitled Lausanne et ses campagnes au 17e siècle, which explains the economic system in Lausanne and suburbs in the 17th century4. Her study provides a detailed explanation of the town’s business model, which utilized large areas abutting the city as a source of revenue through tenant farming.
The farm, built on land belonging to the city in the early 18th century, is therefore a part of this economic system and families of farmers would continue to operate it generation after generation. The EHL farm is an undoubtedly an important example of the construction of a farm/residence mandated by the City of Lausanne in the 18th century.
