Yverdon-les-Bains () (called Eburodunum and Ebredunum during the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

era) is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the district of Jura-Nord vaudois of the

canton of Vaud Vaud ( ; , ), more formally Canton of Vaud, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of ten districts; its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat of arms bears the motto "Liberté et patrie" on a white-green bicolou ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. It is the seat of the district. The population of Yverdon-les-Bains, , was . Yverdon is located in the heart of a natural setting formed by the

Jura mountains The Jura Mountains ( ) are a sub-alpine mountain range a short distance north of the Western Alps and mainly demarcate a long part of the French–Swiss border. While the Jura range proper (" folded Jura", ) is located in France and Switzerla ...

, the plains of the Orbe, the hills of the

Broye The Broye (; ''Dictionnaire-Dikchenéro: Français-Patois/Patê-Franché''. Société cantonale des patoisans fribourgeois. Fribourg: 2013. p. 87 ) is a 68 km long river, in the cantons of Fribourg and Vaud, in Switzerland. It has a watershe ...

and

Lake Neuchâtel Lake Neuchâtel ( ; ; ) is a lake primarily in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. The lake lies mainly in the canton of Neuchâtel, but is also shared by the cantons of Vaud, Fribourg, and Bern. It comprises one of the lakes in th ...

. It is the second most important town in the Canton of Vaud. It is known for its thermal springs and is an important regional centre for commerce and tourism. It was awarded the

Wakker Prize The Wakker Prize (German: ''Wakkerpreis'', French: ''Prix Wakker'', Italian: ''Premio Wakker'') is awarded annually by the Swiss Heritage Society to a Municipality of Switzerland for the development and preservation of its architectural herita ...

in 2009 for the way the city handled and developed the public areas and connected the old city with Lake Neuchâtel.

History

The heights nearby Yverdon seem to have been settled at least since the

Neolithic Age The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wid ...

about 5000 BCE, as present archeological evidence shows. The town was at that time only a small market place, at the crossroads of terrestrial and fluvial communication ways. People began to settle, at first in temporary huts at the water-front, for fishers and merchants, then in permanent dwellings. Yverdon-Clendy-02

The

Celt The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...

Helvetii The Helvetii (, , Gaulish: *''Heluētī''), anglicized as Helvetians, were a Celtic tribe or tribal confederation occupying most of the Swiss plateau at the time of their contact with the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC. According to Ju ...

are said to have been the first permanent settlers of Eburodunum (Celtic and Roman name of Yverdon), from about the 2nd century BCE. About a century later, the Romans realized the commercial and strategic importance of this place: it controlled major routes such as

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

Avenches Avenches () is a Switzerland, Swiss municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, located in the district of Broye-Vully District, Broye-Vully. History The roots of Avenches go back to the Celts. A ...

, connecting the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...

and

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

basins, as well as those of Rhone and

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

. The imposing ''Castrum'', or stronghold, called ''Castrum Ebredunense'' was the second largest in Switzerland and demonstrated the importance the Romans attached to Yverdon. The port served as naval base for the barges supplying the defensive positions along the Rhine, which marked the North-Eastern border of the

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

. Thus the Roman "

Vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus ...

" of Eburodunum developed into a prosperous urban centre. The

sulphur Sulfur (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundance of the chemical ...

springs were already used for a thermal spa, as attested by excavations. It is even possible that the Helvetii appreciated the beneficial effects of these waters.

The Castrum

About a century after the first invasions of the

Alemanni The Alemanni or Alamanni were a confederation of Germanic peoples, Germanic tribes * * * on the Upper Rhine River during the first millennium. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Roman emperor Caracalla of 213 CE ...

, when the "Vicus" had been completely destroyed, the Romans built a large military stronghold (about 325 CE). It covered about and was protected by gigantic ramparts and 15 masonry towers (''Castrum''). The

Barbarian A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may ...

s invaded Italy in the 5th century, and threatened to assault Rome. In a last desperate effort to save the city, all troops stationed North of the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

were ordered back to Italy. The

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

and the Roman administration had to abandon the Yverdon camp. The inhabitants of Eburodunum, up to then assigned to live beyond the ramparts, immediately took possession of the ''Castrum'', using it for their own safety. Like this, Eburodunum-Yverdon survived the hard times, until the 15th century. The Castrum was noted in the ''

Notitia Dignitatum The (Latin for 'List of all dignities and administrations both civil and military') is a document of the Late Roman Empire that details the administrative organization of the Western and the Eastern Roman Empire. It is unique as one of very ...

'' (dated c. 420 CE).

Savoy era

With the lake receding, the ancient town confined to the ''Castrum'' had lost its strategic position: no more direct access to the port, or to the new trade routes alongshore. When

Peter II of Savoy Peter II (c. 120315 May 1268), called the Little Charlemagne, was Count of Savoy from 1263 until his death in 1268. He was also holder of the Honour of Richmond, Yorkshire in England, and the English lands of the Honour of the Eagle also known a ...

gradually extended his rule over the ''Pays de Vaud'' (''Land of Vaud''), he managed to impose road tolls as well as port and fishing taxes. He founded the new town ("Ville Neuve") of Yverdon, defended by walls and a castle. Construction works were launched around 1259 and attracted many settlers.

Yverdon Castle

The imposing main walls and their four towers were erected within a few years. The design of the castle followed the geometric characteristics used for castles set in plains, and had been planned by the young mason and architect Jacques de Saint-Georges. Jacques also planned Caernarvon Castle and built the castle Saint-Georges d'Espéranches, near

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

. Yverdon's castle used to be the residence of the castellans of the

Savoy Savoy (; )  is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...

dynasty, until 1536, followed by the

bailiffs A bailiff is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. There are different kinds, and their offices and scope of duties vary. Another official sometimes referred to as a '' ...

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

state. In 1798, the ''Département du Léman'' became the castle's owner. The ''Département'' had been set up by the short-lived "Helvetian Republic" (1798–1803), imposed by

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. A few years later, Yverdon acquired the castle, to entrust it to

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (; ; ; 12 January 1746 – 17 February 1827) was a Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer who exemplified Romanticism in his approach. He founded several educational institutions both in German- and French-speaking ...

and his institute. After 1838, the castle housed a public school. New classrooms were created, especially on the second floor: dividing walls were erected, additional windows changed the severe look of the castle's façade. After 1950, these classrooms were gradually abandoned; the last classes left in 1974. The original medieval structure was then restored. The castle is today a multi-purpose cultural centre, housing a regional museum, a theatre, various conference rooms and the oldest public library of French-speaking Switzerland, founded already in 1763. The library is now part of the castle museum, existing since 1830.

Bernese era (1536–1798)

The Savoy rulers granted bountiful franchise and liberties to the burghers of Yverdon. The township prospered during the two hundred years preceding the Burgundy wars. The Bernese conquest followed. During the nearly three hundred years of Bernese occupation, economic life continued to thrive. The 18th century proved to be one of Yverdon's most favorable periods, marked by cultural and economic highlights. Then a town of about 2.000 inhabitants, Yverdon became known as a

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...

, and as a centre of thought (58 tomes of Yverdon Encyclopedia, published between 1770 and 1780), being in close contact with the great minds and movements of the time.

Town hall

Burnand, its architect, erected the town hall between 1768 and 1773, on the site of the former covered market. Inside the building, furniture and decorations are displayed,

faience Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white Ceramic glaze, pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an stannous oxide, oxide of tin to the Slip (c ...

stoves A stove or range is a device that generates heat inside or on top of the device, for -Space heater, local heating or cooking. Stoves can be powered with many fuels, such as natural gas, electricity, gasoline, wood, and coal. Due to concerns ab ...

, panels, wainscots and paintings. The vaults of the ancient

granary A granary, also known as a grain house and historically as a granarium in Latin, is a post-harvest storage building primarily for grains or seeds. Granaries are typically built above the ground to prevent spoilage and protect the stored grains o ...

are used year-round for art exhibitions.

The temple

The Geneva architect Billon erected this

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

church in 1757, on the site of Notre-Dame chapel of the 14th century. Its

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...

had been rebuilt in 1608, on the base of the original one, for which huge, sculpted blocks from the ruins of the Roman "Castrum" had been used. 14 stalls, figuring apostles and prophets, originate from the ancient chapel and are ascribed to Claude de Peney, who had worked at

Fribourg or is the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Canton of Fribourg, Fribourg and district of Sarine (district), La Sarine. Located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss Plateau, it is a major economic, adminis ...

and Hauterive. Peney died in 1499, and Bon Bottolier, cabinetmaker in

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

, was charged with crafting the stalls (1501–1502). Potier, of French origin, built the

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

in 1766.

Thermal springs

The springs were known for their mineral baths and used at least since the Roman era, but most probably before, at the time of the Helvetii. It is supposed that the springs were a sacred place, with some sort of wooden structure. Middle Age documents prove the existence of a spa centre, as early as 1429, and mention several useful buildings. By 1728, the authorities decided to have a new spa constructed. Its reputation grew rapidly. The 18th century saw major developments and brilliant success, for the town and the spa. Then followed a period of decline: the spa lost its popularity, and by 1800 had declined to a simple political meeting point. Completely neglected, the buildings dilapidated. Encouraged by the Spanish scientist A. Gimbernat, the local Council decided to reconstruct the spa centre and to renovate its hotel in 1897. The consequences of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

(1914–1918) were detrimental, the number of guests having significantly declined. Its reputation remained intact, however, until the 1930s. Another period of decay followed, and by 1960 the centre and its equipment were again so dilapidated that they had to be closed. The idea of balneology had also completely changed. The

Municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

repurchased the spa, including the neighbouring Château d'Entremonts. Restoration failed twice, but in 1974 the project could finally be realized. The spa reopened in 1977. Prospects for further thermal springs were successful in 1982, and a new outdoor pool was added a year later. Today, the spa welcomes more than 1200 visitors per day. During an independent test by the RTS in February 2008, it was found that the water in the shower area of the thermal center had high levels of

legionella pneumophila ''Legionella pneumophila'', the primary causative agent for Legionnaires' disease, Legionnaire's disease, is an Aerobic organism, aerobic, pleomorphic, Flagellum, flagellated, non-spore-forming, Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-negative bacterium. ' ...

. During another test in 2011, the same programme found no significant levels of dangerous bacteria in the waters. However, in October 2014, there was a leak of 4000l of

hydrochloric acid Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid or spirits of salt, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride (HCl). It is a colorless solution with a distinctive pungency, pungent smell. It is classified as a acid strength, strong acid. It is ...

from one of the tanks in the thermal center. No one was hurt, and the bathers remaining in the pools were asked to evacuate.

Champ-Pittet manor house

The 18th century

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

, near the road to Yvonand, has served as summer residence of Frédéric Haldimand, burgher of Yverdon and first Governor of Canada (1777–1786), when this territory became part of the British crown. This country-seat now belongs to Pro Natura, the Swiss League for the Protection of Nature, and is one of its two nature centres; organizing special exhibitions, audio-visual shows as well as guided tours of the nature reserve, the
Grande Caricaie
'.

Geography

Yverdon-les-Bains has an area, , of . Of this area, or 31.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 6.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 57.8% is settled (buildings or roads), or 2.7% is either rivers or lakes and or 1.8% is unproductive land.
2009 data accessed 25 March 2010. Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 6.6% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 26.2% and transportation infrastructure made up 15.2%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 2.5% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 7.4%. Out of the forested land, 4.7% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.6% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 27.1% is used for growing crops and 3.5% is pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. The municipality was the capital of the Yverdon District until it was dissolved on 31 August 2006, and Yverdon-les-Bains became part of the new district of Jura-Nord Vaudois.Nomenklaturen – Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz
accessed 4 April 2011. The municipality of Gressy merged on 1 July 2011 into the municipality of Yverdon-les-Bains.Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz
published by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 17 February 2011.

Coat of arms

The

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

of the municipal

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

is ''Vert, two Bars wavy Argent, in chief Argent, a letter Y Or''.

Demographics

Yverdon-les-Bains has a population () of . , 34.2% of the population are resident foreign nationals.Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Superweb database - Gemeinde Statistics 1981-2008
accessed 19 June 2010. Over the last 10 years (1999–2009) the population has changed at a rate of 15.2%. It has changed at a rate of 14% due to migration and at a rate of 1.9% due to births and deaths.
accessed 23 August 2011. Most of the population () speaks French (20,134 or 82.6%) as their first language,

Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian ( / ), also known as Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS), is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. It is a pluricentric language with four mutually i ...

is the second most common (945 or 3.9%) and Portuguese is the third (859 or 3.5%). There are 551 people who speak

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 717 people who speak

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

and 9 people who speak Romansh. The age distribution, , in Yverdon-les-Bains is; 2,821 children or 10.6% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 3,041 teenagers or 11.4% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 3,965 people or 14.9% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 3,858 people or 14.5% are between 30 and 39, 3,791 people or 14.3% are between 40 and 49, and 3,138 people or 11.8% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 2,576 people or 9.7% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 1,939 people or 7.3% are between 70 and 79, there are 1,235 people or 4.6% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 228 people or 0.9% who are 90 and older.Canton of Vaud Statistical Office
accessed 29 April 2011. , there were 9,841 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 11,252 married individuals, 1,687 widows or widowers and 1,596 individuals who are divorced.STAT-TAB Datenwürfel für Thema 40.3 - 2000
accessed 2 February 2011. , there were 10,835 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.2 persons per household. There were 4,201 households that consist of only one person and 634 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 11,082 households that answered this question, 37.9% were households made up of just one person and there were 42 adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 2,848 married couples without children, 2,855 married couples with children. There were 707 single parents with a child or children. There were 182 households that were made up of unrelated people and 247 households that were made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing. there were 1,226 single family homes (or 43.0% of the total) out of a total of 2,850 inhabited buildings. There were 829 multi-family buildings (29.1%), along with 568 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (19.9%) and 227 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (8.0%).Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB - Datenwürfel für Thema 09.2 - Gebäude und Wohnungen
accessed 28 January 2011. , a total of 10,649 apartments (88.2% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 1,094 apartments (9.1%) were seasonally occupied and 331 apartments (2.7%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 1 new units per 1000 residents. the average price to rent an average apartment in Yverdon-les-Bains was 954.90

Swiss franc The Swiss franc, or simply the franc, is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is also legal tender in the Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia which is surrounded by Swiss territory. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) iss ...

s (CHF) per month (US$760, £430, €610 approx. exchange rate from 2003). The average rate for a one-room apartment was 570.22 CHF (US$460, £260, €360), a two-room apartment was about 721.96 CHF (US$580, £320, €460), a three-room apartment was about 897.75 CHF (US$720, £400, €570) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1638.23 CHF (US$1310, £740, €1050). The average apartment price in Yverdon-les-Bains was 85.6% of the national average of 1116 CHF.Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Rental prices
2003 data accessed 26 May 2010. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.49%. The historical population is given in the following chart: Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) ImageSize = width:960 height:210 PlotArea = height:150 left:100 bottom:50 right:100 AlignBars = justify DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:25000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:5000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:1000 start:0 PlotData= color:yellowgreen width:40 mark:(line,white) align:center bar:1850 from:start till:3619 text:"3,619" bar:1860 from:start till:4986 text:"4,986" bar:1870 from:start till:5782 text:"5,782" bar:1880 from:start till:5940 text:"5,940" bar:1888 from:start till:6275 text:"6,275" bar:1900 from:start till:7985 text:"7,985" bar:1910 from:start till:8634 text:"8,634" bar:1920 from:start till:8865 text:"8,865" bar:1930 from:start till:9715 text:"9,715" bar:1941 from:start till:10865 text:"10,865" bar:1950 from:start till:12266 text:"12,266" bar:1960 from:start till:16338 text:"16,338" bar:1970 from:start till:20538 text:"20,538" bar:1980 from:start till:20802 text:"20,802" bar:1990 from:start till:22758 text:"22,758" bar:2000 from:start till:24376 text:"24,376"

Politics

In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SP which received 29.42% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP (22.26%), the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...

(14.34%) and the FDP (9.98%). In the federal election, a total of 5,744 votes were cast, and the

voter turnout In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This is typically either the percentage of Voter registration, registered voters, Suffrage, eligible voters, or all Voti ...

was 42.2%.

Economy

, Yverdon-les-Bains had an unemployment rate of 8.2%. , there were 179 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 11 businesses involved in this sector. 2,219 people were employed in the

secondary sector In macroeconomics, the secondary sector of the economy is an economic sector in the three-sector theory that describes the role of manufacturing. It encompasses industries that produce a finished, usable product or are involved in constructi ...

and there were 224 businesses in this sector. 10,323 people were employed in the

tertiary sector The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the ...

, with 1,119 businesses in this sector. There were 11,191 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 45.2% of the workforce. the total number of

full-time equivalent Full-time equivalent (FTE), or whole time equivalent (WTE), is a unit of measurement that indicates the workload of an employed person (or student) in a way that makes workloads or class loads comparable across various contexts. FTE is often use ...

jobs was 10,621. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 173, of which 161 were in agriculture and 12 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 2,104 of which 1,268 or (60.3%) were in manufacturing and 654 (31.1%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 8,344. In the tertiary sector; 1,722 or 20.6% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 711 or 8.5% were in the movement and storage of goods, 523 or 6.3% were in a hotel or restaurant, 222 or 2.7% were in the information industry, 253 or 3.0% were the insurance or financial industry, 549 or 6.6% were technical professionals or scientists, 1,040 or 12.5% were in education and 1,751 or 21.0% were in health care. , there were 6,437 workers who commuted into the municipality and 4,894 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 1.3 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. About 7.0% of the workforce coming into Yverdon-les-Bains are coming from outside Switzerland, while 0.0% of the locals commute out of Switzerland for work.Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Statweb
accessed 24 June 2010. Of the working population, 16.7% used public transportation to get to work, and 53.9% used a private car.

Transportation

The municipality has three railway stations, , , and . The first of these is a major interchange on the standard gauge Fribourg–Yverdon and Jura Foot lines and the narrow-gauge Yverdon–Ste-Croix line. It serves 16,800 passengers on a typical weekday and has regular service to , , ,

Zürich Hauptbahnhof Zürich Hauptbahnhof, often shortened to Zürich HB or just HB, and known in English as Zurich Main Station, is the largest railway station in Switzerland and one of the busiest in Europe. It is a major railway hub, with services to and from a ...

, , , , and . is located on the eastern edge of the municipality on the Fribourg–Yverdon line, while Yverdon William Barbey is located west of the city centre on the Yverdon–Ste-Croix line.

Religion

From the , 8,628 or 35.4% belonged to the

Swiss Reformed Church The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), formerly named Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches until 31 December 2019, is a federation of 25 member churches – 24 cantonal churches and the Evangelical-Methodist Church of Switzerland. The P ...

, while 7,489 or 30.7% were

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. Of the rest of the population, there were 835 members of an Orthodox church (or about 3.43% of the population), there were 28 individuals (or about 0.11% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church, and there were 1,389 individuals (or about 5.70% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 25 individuals (or about 0.10% of the population) who were

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, and 1,631 (or about 6.69% of the population) who were

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

. There were 74 individuals who were

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, 183 individuals who were

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

and 38 individuals who belonged to another church. 3,061 (or about 12.56% of the population) belonged to no church, are

agnostic Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, the divine, or the supernatural is either unknowable in principle or unknown in fact. (page 56 in 1967 edition) It can also mean an apathy towards such religious belief and refer to ...

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

, and 1,668 individuals (or about 6.84% of the population) did not answer the question.

Weather

Yverdon-les-Bains has an average of 118.4 days of rain or snow per year and on average receives of

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...

. The wettest month is June during which time Yverdon-les-Bains receives an average of of rain or snow. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 11.2 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is May, with an average of 11.4, but with only of rain or snow. The driest month of the year is April with an average of of precipitation over 9.4 days., the Yverdon-les-Bains weather station elevation is 433 metres above sea level.

Education

Yverdon-les-Bains is a university town, hosting the School of Business and Engineering Vaud, a public university with over 2000 students and largest branch of the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland, distributed over three adjacent sites at Yverdon: Route de Cheseaux, Centre St-Roch, and Centre Y-Parc. In Yverdon-les-Bains about 7,695 or (31.6%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 2,339 or (9.6%) have completed additional higher education (either

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

or a ''

Fachhochschule A (; plural ), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a Hochschule, German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts, such as engineering, te ...

''). Of the 2,339 who completed tertiary schooling, 50.6% were Swiss men, 28.3% were Swiss women, 13.6% were non-Swiss men and 7.5% were non-Swiss women. In the 2009/2010 school year there were a total of 3,093 students in the Yverdon-les-Bains school district. In the Vaud cantonal school system, two years of non-obligatory pre-school are provided by the political districts. During the school year, the political district provided pre-school care for a total of 578 children of which 359 children (62.1%) received subsidized pre-school care. The canton's

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

program requires students to attend for four years. There were 1,589 students in the municipal primary school program. The obligatory lower secondary school program lasts for six years and there were 1,410 students in those schools. There were also 94 students who were home schooled or attended another non-traditional school.Canton of Vaud Statistical Office - Scol. obligatoire/filières de transition
accessed 2 May 2011. , there were 2,043 students in Yverdon-les-Bains who came from another municipality, while 507 residents attended schools outside the municipality. Yverdon-les-Bains is home to the ''Maison d'Ailleurs'' museum, the ''Musée d'Yverdon et région'' and the ''Musée suisse de la Mode''.Canton of Vaud Statistical Office - Fréquentation de quelques musées et fondations, Vaud, 2001-2009
accessed 2 May 2011. In 2009 the ''Maison d'Ailleurs'' was visited by 12,000 visitors (the average in previous years was 9,838). In 2009 the ''Musée d'Yverdon et région'' was visited by 8,051 visitors (the average in previous years was 7,871). In 2009 the ''Musée suisse de la Mode'' was visited by 8,051 visitors (the average in previous years was 7,871). Yverdon-les-Bains is home to 2 libraries. These libraries include; the Bibliothèque publique Yverdon and the ''Haute école d'ingénierie et de gestion du Canton de Vaud''. There was a combined total () of 99,302 books or other media in the libraries, and in the same year a total of 124,282 items were loaned out.

Sport

Yverdon-Sport FC is the municipality's

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club.

Heritage sites of national significance

There are nine sites that are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance in Yverdon. The public buildings are; the Public Library of Yverdon-Les-Bains, Yverdon Castle and museum, the

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

, the L'ancien hôtel de l'Aigle, the Thorens House (formerly Steiner House) and the Villa d'Entremont. It includes one religious building, the Temple. The last two sites are Clendy, a

littoral The littoral zone, also called litoral or nearshore, is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely i ...

settlement and prehistoric

megalith A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. More than 35,000 megalithic structures have been identified across Europe, ranging geographically f ...

ic site and Eburodunum, a Celtic

oppidum An ''oppidum'' (: ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age Europe, Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celts, Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread acros ...

, a

vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus ...

and a medieval and modern village.

Notable buildings and locations

] * the "

Menhir A menhir (; from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large upright stone, emplaced in the ground by humans, typically dating from the European middle Br ...

-Statues", including the

stone row A stone row or stone alignment is a linear arrangement of megalithic standing stones set at intervals along a common axis or series of axes, usually dating from the later Neolithic or Bronze Age.Power (1997), p.23 Rows may be individual or groupe ...

s at Clendy, dating as far back as the

third millennium BC File:3rd millennium BC montage.jpg, 400x400px, From top left clockwise: Pyramid of Djoser; Khufu; Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; Cuneiform, a contract for the sale of a field and a house; Enheduana, a high ...

* the Castrum, remains of gigantic ramparts and towers from the Roman era * th
thermal springs
* the 13th-century castle * the "Temple", an 18th-century Protestant church * the

', a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

stretching along the southern shore of Lake Neuchâtel * the '' Maison d'Ailleurs'' (''House of Elsewhere''), "a museum of

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', which describes a fictiona ...

and extraordinary journeys", founded in 1976 and the only museum of its kind in Europe * th
Benno Besson Theatre
oldest theatre of Yverdon built in 1898.
Town Hall Gallery
File:Picswiss VD-47-01.jpg , Yverdon Castle and Museum File:Yverdon-Clendy, Switzerland (p6080566-8).jpg , Clendy, a

settlement and prehistoric

ic site File:Picswiss VD-47-76.jpg , Eburodunum, a Celtic

, a

and a medieval and modern village File:Yverdon Rathaus.jpg , City Hall File:Picswiss VD-47-56.jpg , L'ancien hôtel de l'Ange File:Yverdon Church.jpg , Temple File:Picswiss VD-47-58.jpg , Villa d'Entremont

World heritage site

The prehistoric settlement at Baie de Clendy is part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps a

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

.UNESCO World Heritage Site - Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps
/ref>

Notable people

* Bernard Gilles Penot (1519–1617), a French Renaissance alchemist and doctor *

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Republic of Geneva, Genevan philosopher (''philosophes, philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment through ...

(1712–1778), a Genevan philosopher, writer and composer * Sir

Frederick Haldimand Sir Frederick Haldimand, KB (born François Louis Frédéric Haldimand; 11 August 1718 – 5 June 1791) was a Swiss military officer best known for his service in the British Army in North America during the Seven Years' War and the America ...

KB (1718–1791), a military officer in the British Army in North America during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War * Fortunato de Felice, 2nd Count Panzutti (1723–1789), an Italian nobleman, author, philosopher and scientist *

(1746–1827), a pedagogue and educational reformer who exemplified Romanticism *

François-Rodolphe de Weiss François-Rodolphe de Weiss (von Weiss, also von Weiß, surname at birth Wyss) (1751–1818) was a Swiss military officer, diplomat, writer, philosopher, and a follower of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Life He was born at Yverdon, son of François Rodol ...

(1751–1818), a political and military leader, writer and philosopher, a follower of

Friedrich Fröbel Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel or Froebel (; 21 April 1782 – 21 June 1852) was a German pedagogue, a student of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, who laid the foundation for modern education based on the recognition that children have unique nee ...

(1782–1852), a German pedagogue, a student of Pestalozzi * Louis Vulliemin (1797–1879), a theologian and historian * Marcel Lequatre (1882–1960), a professional road racing cyclist 1902-1919 * Robert Piguet (1898–1953), a Paris-based fashion designer, trained Christian Dior and Hubert de Givenchy * Manuela Soto Sosa (born 1991), a multidisciplanry artist of Uruguayan descent *

Jona von Ustinov Jona Freiherr von Ustinov (; 2 December 18921 December 1962), often known as Klop Ustinov (), was a German journalist and diplomat who worked for MI5 during the time of the Nazi regime. His father was the Russian-born emigre Baron Plato von ...

(1892–1962), a German journalist and diplomat, father of Sir

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, director and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits for much of his career. Ustinov received #Awa ...

Benno Besson Benno Besson was a Swiss Theatre Director. Benno Besson (born René-Benjamin Besson; 4 November 1922 in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland – 23 February 2006 in Berlin, Germany) was a theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a ...

(1922–2006), an actor and director IMDb Database
retrieved 20 December 2018 * Pierre D'Archambeau (1927–2014), of Belgian parents, an American violin virtuoso and pedagogue *

Rodolphe Kasser Rodolphe Kasser (14 January 1927 – 8 October 2013), was a Swiss philologist, archaeologist, and a Coptic scholar. He specialized in ancient Coptic language manuscripts, notably including the Codex Tchacos which includes the Gospel of Judas. He ...

(1927–2013), philologist and archaeologist, translated ancient Coptic language manuscripts * Christa Muth (born 1949), a German systems scientist, management professor and management consultant * Steve Zacchia (born 1982), a racing driver

International relations

Yverdon is twinned with: