Rolle

Castle of Rolle

Coat of arms

Rolle

Location of Rolle

Coordinates: 46°27′N 06°20′E / 46.450°N 6.333°ECoordinates: 46°27′N 06°20′E / 46.450°N 6.333°E

Country

Government

• Mayor

Syndic

Area

• Total

2.74 km² (1.06 sq mi)

Elevation

376 m (1,234 ft)

Population (Dec 2015)

• Total

6,109

• Density

2,200/km² (5,800/sq mi)

Postal code

1180

SFOS number

5861

Surrounded by

Bursinel, Essertines-sur-Rolle, Gilly, Mont-sur-Rolle, Perroy, Tartegnin, Lake Geneva

Twin towns

Wallisellen (Switzerland)

Website

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

Rolle is a municipality in the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It was the seat of the district of Rolle until 2006, when it became part of the district of Nyon. It is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) between Nyon and Lausanne. Rolle is approximately 30 kilometers (19 mi) northeast of Geneva (Genève) in the La Côte wine-growing region, and commands spectacular views of the high Alps.

Rolle is also the birthplace of Frédéric-César de la Harpe (1754–1838), who was the tutor of Alexander I of Russia and was largely responsible for the independence of the Canton of Vaud from the Bernese.

Rolle is first mentioned in 1294 as Rotuli. In 1295 it was known as Ruello and Ruelloz the city in 1330 after it passed into the hands of Jean De Grailly the 1st an Knight entrusted to care for the future King Edward the 2nd

A late Bronze Age lake side settlement was discovered and partially destroyed in 1835 during construction of the artificial island of Ile de La Harpe. A second settlement from the same period was found in Fleur d'Eau. In 1984, in La Combe, a first to third century AD Gallo-Roman estate was discovered. The remains of the moat and the ramparts of Rolle Castle were uncovered in 1985. Fragments of a medieval city wall were found in the Champ de verse which may have come from the village of Saint-Nicolas de Ver.

In 1261, the Lords of Mont planned to build a city along the lake that would compete with the Aubonne and Saint-Prex. By around 1264, Rolle Castle was built to protect the pier at the lake. However, the planned city was never built by the Mont family. In 1291, the castle was in possession of Count Amadeus V of Savoy, who granted it to several different families as a fief. In 1295 it passed to the Knight Jean De Grailly the 1st who named it Ruello changed centuries later to Rolle. In the course of the rivalry between the Counts of Savoy and the Lords of Vaud, in 1319 Amadeus V of Savoy finally built a city around the castle. This new city closed a gap in the savoy settlements on the northern shores of Lake Geneva. The layout of the town, a large main street running parallel to the lake shore with a cross street the connects the port with the hinterland, follow the construction patterns of typical Zähringer towns.

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Wikipedia