Rougemont, Switzerland

Rougemont (French pronunciation: [ʁuʒmɔ̃] ⓘ) is a municipality in the Pays-d'Enhaut of the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.

[3] The name of the village also appears in various forms in medieval chronicles: Rubeimontis, Rogemont, Rubeo monte, Rogo mons, and Rojomont.

The site was probably first settled by a religious order coming from Cluny in France, which had received the land in 1080 from the Count of Gruyère.

In 1569, the priory was replaced by the château of Rougemont, which became the residence of the bailiffs of Bern, who succeeded the Count of Gruyère.

Diana, Princess of Wales lived for some time at the city, in the late 1970s while a student at the Institut Alpin Videmanette.

Rougemont has an area, as of 2009[update], of 48.5 square kilometers (18.7 sq mi).

To reach Aigle and the valley of the Rhone, the road crosses Col des Mosses.

To reach Thun and the valley of the Aare, the road crosses Saanenmöser Pass.

It consists of the villages of Rougemont and Flendruz and numerous hamlets including Le Vanel and Ciernes-Picat.

[9] The age distribution, as of 2009[update], in Rougemont is; 76 children or 8.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 78 teenagers or 8.6% are between 10 and 19.

Both the village of Rougemont and the hamlet of Flendruz are part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.

[13] The village is built essentially on a single east-west axis, with houses on both sides of the street facing south to catch the sun.

The church, the château, and the remaining city wall are designated historic buildings.

[14] Until the end of the 19th century, the area was essentially agricultural, with the dairy industry predominant.

The arrival of hotels was greatly furthered by the first railway, the Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line, which reached Rougemont in 1905.

The situation of the municipality on the Golden Pass railway line between Château-d'Oex and Gstaad, both well-known ski resorts, helped to bring Rougemont out of its isolation and make it a tourist destination in its own right.

In the tertiary sector; 40 or 33.9% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 12 or 10.2% were in the movement and storage of goods, 21 or 17.8% were in a hotel or restaurant, 1 was in the information industry, 1 was the insurance or financial industry, 13 or 11.0% were technical professionals or scientists, 3 or 2.5% were in education and 2 or 1.7% were in health care.

From the 2000 census[update], 148 or 16.4% were Roman Catholic, while 527 or 58.5% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.

In the Vaud cantonal school system, two years of non-obligatory pre-school are provided by the political districts.

The canton's primary school program requires students to attend for four years.

Le Rubli mountain at sunset
Le Rubli mountain at sunset
Aerial view of Rougemont
Golden Pass train near Rougemont
Church of Saint-Nicolas