Epesses
Encyclopedia
Epesses is a former municipality
in the Swiss
canton
of Vaud
, located in the district of Lavaux-Oron on Lake Geneva
. It is noted for its wine production.
The municipalities of Cully
, Epesses, Grandvaux
, Riex
and Villette (Lavaux) merged on 1 July 2011 into the new municipality of Bourg-en-Lavaux
.
With the conquest by Bern of Vaud in 1536, the village came under the administration of the Bailiwick of Lausanne. After the collapse of the ancien régime, between 1798 to 1803 it was part of the Canton of Léman during the Helvetic Republic
and then fell under the Canton of Vaud. In 1798 it was assigned to the district of Lavaux.
It was not until 1824, when the community was split from Villette
, that Epesses attained the status of an independent political municipality. A project to merge the independent municipalities Cully, Epesses, Riex, Grandvaux, and Villette failed in a vote on 27 February 2005 due to the resistance of the population of Grandvaux. The project is therefore not being pursued.
Epesses has an area, , of 1.59 square kilometre (0.613902432162131 sq mi). Of this area, 1 km² (0.386102158592535 sq mi) or 62.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 0.47 km² (0.181468014538491 sq mi) or 29.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.13 km² (32.1 acre) or 8.2% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.02 km² (4.9 acre) or 1.3% is either rivers or lakes and 0.01 km² (2.5 acre) or 0.6% is unproductive land.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 1.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 6.9%. Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 3.8% is used for growing crops and 23.9% is pastures, while 35.2% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in lakes.
The municipality was part of the Lavaux District until it was dissolved on 31 August 2006, and Epesses became part of the new district of Lavaux-Oron.
The area is small and covers a section of the Lavaux at the northeastern shore of Lake Geneva for 700 m (2,296.6 ft). The municipal land extends northward from the shore of Geneva up the steep slope and down to the wooded heights to the east of Mont de Gourze. The slope is drained by the Enfer River into Lake Geneva. The highest point, Bois de Romont is 864 m (2,834.6 ft) above sea level.
Epesses consists of the village, the two hamlets Crêt-Dessus (459 m (1,505.9 ft) above sea level) and Crêt-Lingerie (432 m (1,417.3 ft) above sea level), located respectively on the Enfer, and a few detached farms. Epesses borders the municipalities of Cully, Riex
, Forel and Puidoux
.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Per bend Argent and Gules, overall three Pine-trees Vert.
Most of the population speaks French
(273 or 88.6%), with German
being second most common (10 or 3.2%) and Portuguese
being third (10 or 3.2%). There are 5 people who speak Italian
.
Of the population in the municipality 117 or about 38.0% were born in Epesses and lived there in 2000. There were 99 or 32.1% who were born in the same canton, while 31 or 10.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 55 or 17.9% were born outside of Switzerland.
In there were 5 live births to Swiss citizens and 1 death of a Swiss citizen. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 4 while the foreign population remained the same. At the same time, there were 7 non-Swiss men and 11 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was an increase of 3 and the non-Swiss population increased by 18 people. This represents a population growth rate of 6.7%.
The age distribution, , in Epesses is; 35 children or 10.6% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 39 teenagers or 11.8% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 36 people or 10.9% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 57 people or 17.2% are between 30 and 39, 55 people or 16.6% are between 40 and 49, and 39 people or 11.8% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 25 people or 7.6% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 30 people or 9.1% are between 70 and 79, there are 11 people or 3.3% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 4 people or 1.2% who are 90 and older.
, there were 137 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 137 married individuals, 18 widows or widowers and 16 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.53 which is less people per room than the cantonal average of 0.61 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 39.2% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage
or a rent-to-own agreement).
, there were 131 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.3 persons per household. There were 47 households that consist of only one person and 6 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 134 households that answered this question, 35.1% were households made up of just one person and there were 2 adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 32 married couples without children, 41 married couples with children There were 8 single parents with a child or children. There was 1 household that was made up of unrelated people and 3 households that were made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing.
there were 43 single family homes (or 39.4% of the total) out of a total of 109 inhabited buildings. There were 18 multi-family buildings (16.5%), along with 41 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (37.6%) and 7 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (6.4%). Of the single family homes 21 were built before 1919, while 1 was built between 1990 and 2000. The most multi-family homes (11) were built before 1919 and the next most (2) were built between 1919 and 1945.
there were 164 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 3 rooms of which there were 36. There were 12 single room apartments and 58 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 125 apartments (76.2% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 28 apartments (17.1%) were seasonally occupied and 11 apartments (6.7%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 0 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.8%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
and Rivaz
.
, Epesses had an unemployment rate of 2.4%. , there were 84 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 20 businesses involved in this sector. 24 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 4 businesses in this sector. 64 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 8 businesses in this sector. There were 168 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 40.5% of the workforce.
the total number of full-time equivalent
jobs was 124. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 54, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 23 of which 22 or (95.7%) were in manufacturing and 1 was in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 47. In the tertiary sector; 34 or 72.3% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 6 or 12.8% were in a hotel or restaurant, 1 was in the information industry, 3 or 6.4% were technical professionals or scientists, 1 was in education.
, there were 42 workers who commuted into the municipality and 94 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 2.2 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 11.3% used public transportation to get to work, and 50% used a private car.
the most popular party was the FDP
which received 33.68% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the Green Party
(14.93%), the SVP
(12.68%) and the LPS Party
(12.29%). In the federal election, a total of 118 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 52.9%.
. The nearest motorway junction is the A9 road which was opened in 1974 to connect Lausanne
with Sion
and crosses Chexbres, about 3 km from Epesses.
On 2 April 1861, a railway station was established on the Lausanne-Villeneuve. There is also a daily bus service which serves the route from Cully to Chexbres.
World Heritage Site
: Lavaux
, Vineyard Terraces.
The entire village of Epesses is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
Epesses villages has some densely packed wine growers houses, mostly dating from the 17th to 19th century, offering a picturesque townscape. The Saint-Jacques Church in Epesses is dated from the 14th to the 16th century and has been restored several times since then. The Bovard century, dated to the 15th century is a listed building.
. Of the rest of the population, there were 9 members of an Orthodox church
(or about 2.92% of the population), and there was 1 individual who belongs to another Christian church. There was 1 person who was Buddhist
and 1 individual who belonged to another church. 44 (or about 14.29% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 18 individuals (or about 5.84% of the population) did not answer the question.
). Of the 53 who completed tertiary schooling, 58.5% were Swiss men, 20.8% were Swiss women and 13.2% were non-Swiss women.
In the 2009/2010 school year there were a total of 39 students in the Epesses 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 665 children of which 232 children (34.9%) received subsidized pre-school care. The canton's primary school program requires students to attend for four years. There were 21 students in the municipal primary school program. The obligatory lower secondary school program lasts for six years and there were 18 students in those schools.
, there were 20 students in Epesses who came from another municipality, while 48 residents attended schools outside the municipality.
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Vaud
Vaud
Vaud is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and is located in Romandy, the French-speaking southwestern part of the country. The capital is Lausanne. The name of the Canton in Switzerland's other languages are Vaud in Italian , Waadt in German , and Vad in Romansh.-History:Along the lakes,...
, located in the district of Lavaux-Oron on Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
. It is noted for its wine production.
The municipalities of Cully
Cully
Cully may refer to:*Cully, Calvados, a commune in the Allier department, France*Cully, Switzerland, a municipality in the canton of Vaud*Cully, Portland, Oregon is a neighborhood in Portland, Oregon, United States...
, Epesses, Grandvaux
Grandvaux
Grandvaux is a former municipality in the Swiss canton of Vaud, located in the district of Lavaux-Oron. The municipalities of Cully, Epesses, Grandvaux, Riex and Villette merged on 1 July 2011 into the new municipality of Bourg-en-Lavaux.-History:...
, Riex
Riex
Riex is a former municipality in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, located in the district of Lavaux-Oron.The municipalities of Cully, Epesses, Grandvaux, Riex and Villette merged on 1 July 2011 into the new municipality of Bourg-en-Lavaux.-Geography:Riex has an area, , of...
and Villette (Lavaux) merged on 1 July 2011 into the new municipality of Bourg-en-Lavaux
Bourg-en-Lavaux
Bourg-en-Lavaux is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Vaud, located in the district of Lavaux-Oron.The municipalities of Cully, Epesses, Grandvaux, Riex and Villette merged on 1 July 2011 into the new municipality of Bourg-en-Lavaux.-History:...
.
History
Traces of a Roman road and coins finds indicate an early settlement in the municipality. Epesses is first mentioned in 1453 as Espesses. The name comes from the Latin word spissa (meaning dense, thick) probably in reference to the spruce.With the conquest by Bern of Vaud in 1536, the village came under the administration of the Bailiwick of Lausanne. After the collapse of the ancien régime, between 1798 to 1803 it was part of the Canton of Léman during the Helvetic Republic
Helvetic Republic
In Swiss history, the Helvetic Republic represented an early attempt to impose a central authority over Switzerland, which until then consisted mainly of self-governing cantons united by a loose military alliance, and conquered territories such as Vaud...
and then fell under the Canton of Vaud. In 1798 it was assigned to the district of Lavaux.
It was not until 1824, when the community was split from Villette
Villette
-Places:Villette or La Villette is the name or part of the name of several places in Europe:-France:*Villette, in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département*Villette, in the Yvelines département*Villette-d'Anthon, in the Isère département...
, that Epesses attained the status of an independent political municipality. A project to merge the independent municipalities Cully, Epesses, Riex, Grandvaux, and Villette failed in a vote on 27 February 2005 due to the resistance of the population of Grandvaux. The project is therefore not being pursued.
Geography
Epesses is located at 464 m (1,522.3 ft) above sea level, 10 km (6.2 mi) east-southeast of the capital of the canton of Lausanne (as the crow flies). The village is located on a small flat surfaces on steep slopes amid the vineyards of Lavaux on the slopes of Mont de Gourze in a scenic location about 80 m (262.5 ft) above the lake level of Lake Geneva.Epesses has an area, , of 1.59 square kilometre (0.613902432162131 sq mi). Of this area, 1 km² (0.386102158592535 sq mi) or 62.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 0.47 km² (0.181468014538491 sq mi) or 29.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.13 km² (32.1 acre) or 8.2% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.02 km² (4.9 acre) or 1.3% is either rivers or lakes and 0.01 km² (2.5 acre) or 0.6% is unproductive land.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 1.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 6.9%. Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 3.8% is used for growing crops and 23.9% is pastures, while 35.2% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in lakes.
The municipality was part of the Lavaux District until it was dissolved on 31 August 2006, and Epesses became part of the new district of Lavaux-Oron.
The area is small and covers a section of the Lavaux at the northeastern shore of Lake Geneva for 700 m (2,296.6 ft). The municipal land extends northward from the shore of Geneva up the steep slope and down to the wooded heights to the east of Mont de Gourze. The slope is drained by the Enfer River into Lake Geneva. The highest point, Bois de Romont is 864 m (2,834.6 ft) above sea level.
Epesses consists of the village, the two hamlets Crêt-Dessus (459 m (1,505.9 ft) above sea level) and Crêt-Lingerie (432 m (1,417.3 ft) above sea level), located respectively on the Enfer, and a few detached farms. Epesses borders the municipalities of Cully, Riex
Riex
Riex is a former municipality in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, located in the district of Lavaux-Oron.The municipalities of Cully, Epesses, Grandvaux, Riex and Villette merged on 1 July 2011 into the new municipality of Bourg-en-Lavaux.-Geography:Riex has an area, , of...
, Forel and Puidoux
Puidoux
Puidoux is a municipality in Switzerland in the canton of Vaud, located in the district of Lavaux-Oron.-History:Puidoux is first mentioned in 1134 as Puidos. It was part of Saint-Saphorin until 1810 when it became an independent municipality....
.
Coat of arms
The blazonBlazon
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 the appropriate image...
of the municipal coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is Per bend Argent and Gules, overall three Pine-trees Vert.
Demographics
Epesses has a population of 332. , 17.3% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1999–2009 ) the population has changed at a rate of 3.1%. It has changed at a rate of -5.9% due to migration and at a rate of 9% due to births and deaths.Most of the population speaks French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
(273 or 88.6%), with German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
being second most common (10 or 3.2%) and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
being third (10 or 3.2%). There are 5 people who speak Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
.
Of the population in the municipality 117 or about 38.0% were born in Epesses and lived there in 2000. There were 99 or 32.1% who were born in the same canton, while 31 or 10.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 55 or 17.9% were born outside of Switzerland.
In there were 5 live births to Swiss citizens and 1 death of a Swiss citizen. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 4 while the foreign population remained the same. At the same time, there were 7 non-Swiss men and 11 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was an increase of 3 and the non-Swiss population increased by 18 people. This represents a population growth rate of 6.7%.
The age distribution, , in Epesses is; 35 children or 10.6% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 39 teenagers or 11.8% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 36 people or 10.9% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 57 people or 17.2% are between 30 and 39, 55 people or 16.6% are between 40 and 49, and 39 people or 11.8% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 25 people or 7.6% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 30 people or 9.1% are between 70 and 79, there are 11 people or 3.3% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 4 people or 1.2% who are 90 and older.
, there were 137 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 137 married individuals, 18 widows or widowers and 16 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.53 which is less people per room than the cantonal average of 0.61 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 39.2% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
or a rent-to-own agreement).
, there were 131 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.3 persons per household. There were 47 households that consist of only one person and 6 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 134 households that answered this question, 35.1% were households made up of just one person and there were 2 adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 32 married couples without children, 41 married couples with children There were 8 single parents with a child or children. There was 1 household that was made up of unrelated people and 3 households that were made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing.
there were 43 single family homes (or 39.4% of the total) out of a total of 109 inhabited buildings. There were 18 multi-family buildings (16.5%), along with 41 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (37.6%) and 7 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (6.4%). Of the single family homes 21 were built before 1919, while 1 was built between 1990 and 2000. The most multi-family homes (11) were built before 1919 and the next most (2) were built between 1919 and 1945.
there were 164 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 3 rooms of which there were 36. There were 12 single room apartments and 58 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 125 apartments (76.2% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 28 apartments (17.1%) were seasonally occupied and 11 apartments (6.7%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 0 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.8%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Economy
Most of the houses in the village center are occupied by tenants who cultivate the 52 hectares of vineyards in this municipality. The cultivation of grapes and wine production now forms the main livelihood. It produces dry white wines, mainly from the Chasselas grape variety, but also reds (Pinot Noir, Syrah, etc.) and specialties. Notable vineyeards exist at "Calamine" which is south of the village center by Lake Geneva and "Le Dézaley" in the east, already partly located in the communities of PuidouxPuidoux
Puidoux is a municipality in Switzerland in the canton of Vaud, located in the district of Lavaux-Oron.-History:Puidoux is first mentioned in 1134 as Puidos. It was part of Saint-Saphorin until 1810 when it became an independent municipality....
and Rivaz
Rivaz
Rivaz is a municipality in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, located in the district of Lavaux-Oron.-Geography:Rivaz has an area, , of . Of this area, or 67.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 0.0% is forested...
.
, Epesses had an unemployment rate of 2.4%. , there were 84 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 20 businesses involved in this sector. 24 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 4 businesses in this sector. 64 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 8 businesses in this sector. There were 168 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 40.5% of the workforce.
the total number of full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
jobs was 124. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 54, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 23 of which 22 or (95.7%) were in manufacturing and 1 was in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 47. In the tertiary sector; 34 or 72.3% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 6 or 12.8% were in a hotel or restaurant, 1 was in the information industry, 3 or 6.4% were technical professionals or scientists, 1 was in education.
, there were 42 workers who commuted into the municipality and 94 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 2.2 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 11.3% used public transportation to get to work, and 50% used a private car.
Politics
In the 2007 federal electionSwiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...
the most popular party was the FDP
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....
which received 33.68% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the Green Party
Green Party of Switzerland
The Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:...
(14.93%), the SVP
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
(12.68%) and the LPS Party
Liberal Party of Switzerland
The Liberal Party of Switzerland was a party with economically liberal policies. It was known as a party of the upper class. On 1 January 2009 it merged with the larger Free Democratic Party to establish FDP.The Liberals....
(12.29%). In the federal election, a total of 118 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was 52.9%.
Transport
Although the municipality is located outside of the more urban areas of the district, it still has well-developed transport links with a link road from Cully to ChexbresChexbres
Chexbres is a municipality in the Swiss canton Vaud, located in the district of Lavaux. Chexbres is a wine-growing village and enjoys a good selection of local vintages...
. The nearest motorway junction is the A9 road which was opened in 1974 to connect Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
with Sion
Sion, Switzerland
Sion is the capital of the Swiss canton of Valais. it had a population of .Landmarks include the Basilique de Valère and Château de Tourbillon. Sion has an airfield for civilian and military use, which, because of its location in a valley, causes a reasonable amount of noise pollution. FC Sion...
and crosses Chexbres, about 3 km from Epesses.
On 2 April 1861, a railway station was established on the Lausanne-Villeneuve. There is also a daily bus service which serves the route from Cully to Chexbres.
Sights
Epesses contains part of the and UNESCOUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
: Lavaux
Lavaux
The Lavaux is a region in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, in the district of Lavaux. Although there is some evidence that vines were grown in the area in Roman times, the actual vine terraces can be traced back to the 11th century, when Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries controlled the area...
, Vineyard Terraces.
The entire village of Epesses is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
The Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage.-Sites of national importance:-Types:...
Epesses villages has some densely packed wine growers houses, mostly dating from the 17th to 19th century, offering a picturesque townscape. The Saint-Jacques Church in Epesses is dated from the 14th to the 16th century and has been restored several times since then. The Bovard century, dated to the 15th century is a listed building.
Religion
From the , 71 or 23.1% were Roman Catholic, while 163 or 52.9% belonged to the Swiss Reformed ChurchSwiss Reformed Church
The Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zürich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel , Bern , St...
. Of the rest of the population, there were 9 members of an Orthodox church
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
(or about 2.92% of the population), and there was 1 individual who belongs to another Christian church. There was 1 person who was Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and 1 individual who belonged to another church. 44 (or about 14.29% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
or atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, and 18 individuals (or about 5.84% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Epesses about 94 or (30.5%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 53 or (17.2%) have completed additional higher education (either University or a FachhochschuleFachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
). Of the 53 who completed tertiary schooling, 58.5% were Swiss men, 20.8% were Swiss women and 13.2% were non-Swiss women.
In the 2009/2010 school year there were a total of 39 students in the Epesses 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 665 children of which 232 children (34.9%) received subsidized pre-school care. The canton's primary school program requires students to attend for four years. There were 21 students in the municipal primary school program. The obligatory lower secondary school program lasts for six years and there were 18 students in those schools.
, there were 20 students in Epesses who came from another municipality, while 48 residents attended schools outside the municipality.