Lucens

Lucens village

Coat of arms

Lucens

Location of Lucens

Coordinates: 46°42′N 6°51′E / 46.700°N 6.850°ECoordinates: 46°42′N 6°51′E / 46.700°N 6.850°E

Country

Government

• Mayor

Syndic

Area

• Total

17.7 km² (6.8 sq mi)

Elevation

498 m (1,634 ft)

Population (Dec 2015)

• Total

3,937

• Density

220/km² (580/sq mi)

Postal code

1522

SFOS number

5675

Surrounded by

Bussy-sur-Moudon, Cremin, Curtilles, Forel-sur-Lucens, Moudon, Oulens-sur-Lucens, Seigneux, Surpierre (FR), Villeneuve (FR)

Website

www.lucens.ch
Profile (French), SFSO statistics

Lucens is a municipality in the Broye-Vully district in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. In 2017 the former municipalities of Brenles, Chesalles-sur-Moudon, Cremin, Forel-sur-Lucens and Sarzens merged into the municipality of Lucens.

Lucens is first mentioned in 964 as in villa Losingus. It was formerly known by the German name Losingen.

In 1969 the Lucens reactor, an underground nuclear reactor, began operations. It was a pilot project to test a heavy-water moderated, carbon dioxide gas-cooled reactor. Soon after the initial start up, an undetected blockage in one of the cooling pipes led to a partial fuel meltdown and massive radioactive contamination of the underground site. Following the accident, the reactor was decommissioned and the cavern was then sealed. No humans were irradiated in the accident.

After the 2017 merger Lucens had an area of 17.7 km² (6.83 sq mi).

Before the merger Lucens had an area, (as of the 2004/09 survey) of 7.83 square kilometers (3.02 sq mi). Of this area, about 42.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 36.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 18.0% is settled (buildings or roads) and 2.3% is unproductive land. In the 2013/18 survey a total of 94 ha (230 acres) or about 12.0% of the total area was covered with buildings, an increase of 32 ha (79 acres) over the 1981 amount. Over the same time period, the amount of recreational space in the municipality decreased by 1 ha (2.5 acres) and is now about 0.38% of the total area. Of the agricultural land, 3 ha (7.4 acres) is used for orchards and vineyards, 340 ha (840 acres) is fields and grasslands. Since 1981 the amount of agricultural land has decreased by 28 ha (69 acres). Over the same time period the amount of forested land has decreased by 5 ha (12 acres). Rivers and lakes cover 18 ha (44 acres) in the municipality.

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Wikipedia