All of the municipalities in the pays d’Evian vallée d’Abondance are labeled Pays d’Art et d’Histoire. This label is awarded to local authorities, which engage in the animation and enhancement of their architecture and heritage.
The Origin of the Place Name Bernex
Bernex is a place name that contains several meanings according to etymologists. For some, the term comes from a Gaulish name, Brennos, which would have been Latinised and combined with the suffix ‘-acum’ to give Brennacum.
In the Gaul language, brenno means crow. Antoine Philippe Houzé’s study, on the meaning behind place names in France, considers that names beginning with Bern have Celtic origins. They would come from the word brennec, meaning a low lying rush bed, brenneux. Others believe that Bernex would have the same origins as the Swiss name Berne, combining Bern (Bär in German: bear) to the German word ex (rock).
The Origin of the Name La Dent d’Oche
La Dent d’Oche was once called La Dent d’Houche. The term Oche represents a notch and refers to the Planchamp pass that has a notch between La Dent d’Oche and the Château d’Oche.
This church is dedicated to Saint Ours from Aosta. The original church is cited as early as the 11th century and was located on an ancient Gallo-roman site in Trossy. It is first mentioned between 1078 – 1202.
The new neo-classical, or neo-Byzantine style church was built between 1848 and 1851. It consists of a dome on a Latin cross floor plan. There are 4 bells housed in the bell tower, and one of them weighs one ton (Ursus, Marie, Antoinette and Joseph).
La Maison Bernolande was built in 1999 by the Bernex Commune and is located in the village centre.
It is used for various communal events and by local associations for organising lotteries, parties and other types of events. It can also be rented by individuals for weddings, birthday celebrations, anniversaries, and other events.
It has a 540m2 surface area and a maximum capacity of 610 persons.
The still has been here in our countryside between October and June for over 100 years. The Dent d’Oche distillery was created to make it permanent.
It’s run by the descendants of 4 generations of travelling distillers. The fruit quality, fermentation, maceration and distillation scrupulously keep to the traditional methods.
There is an organised visit every week. Call into the Bernex Tourist Office for more information.
As a self-taught Dahuologist, Audrey is the chief curator of the Petit Musée du Dahu. It is with the greatest pleasure that she shares with you scientific and popular knowledge around the figure of the Dahu.
The DAHU is an animal with the body of a chamois, the horns of a goat, the ears of a Saint Bernard dog and the tail of a cow, which has legs on one side that are shorter than those of the other side.
Typically, one can encounter levorotatory dahus, with the left legs shorter than the right ones, and dextrorotatory dahus, which have the right legs shorter than the left ones.
In the country of Evian valley of Abondance, Pays d’Art et d’Histoite, discover the many treasures of yesterday and today.
