STÉPHANE HERZOG Renens, a small town to the west of Lausanne with a major railway junction, is well-known in Switzerland. But does anybody know Chavannes-près-Renens? This municipality, which is the youngest in Switzerland, is just down the road from Renens station. The first building of note is the railway chapel, which is soon to house a bookshop and a literary gathering café, according to mayor Loubna Laabar. To the right is the Citadelle, a residential building dating from the 1960s. One of the entries to the building is in the municipality of Ecublens, which is home to the Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne (EPFL). Some of its apartments are on the other side of the municipal border. The Rue Centrale, with its small houses and allotments set up by the SBB, bears witness to the town’s railway past. Sustained growth Chavannes is a welcoming place. Its population in 2000 was 6,000. It officially became a town in 2025, when it reached 10,000 inhabitants. Immigration here is largely European, with a mixture of blue and white-collar workers. The municipality houses over 110 nationalities; 56 percent of residents are foreign nationals and 40 percent are aged between 20 and 39. The number of schoolchildren in the area more than doubled between 1990 and 2024. The growth is due to two factors, the first of which is student accommodation. The Vortex, a circular building a stone’s throw from the EPFL (in Ecublens), houses over Switzerland’s youngest municipality is a satellite of Lausanne With an average age of 34.4, Chavannes-près-Renens (Vaud) is the youngest municipality in Switzerland. This hub to the west of Lausanne is attracting migrants from all corners and is seeking to preserve its quality of life. 1,000 students, out of an estimated total of 2,000. The other factor is immigration. “Between 2015 and 2035, the number of West Lausanne region inhabitants will have risen by 50 percent, with 40,000 people settling here, which is enormous for Switzerland,” remarks Benoît Biéler, director of SDOL (Stratégie et développement de l’Ouest lausannois [West Lausanne Strategy and Development]). Furthermore, these new arrivals are settling at the right time to start a family. The foreign population is therefore boosting the birth rate. “They still think having kids is worth it,” the mayor says with a smile. A town without a centre You can walk around Chavannes all day and never find an actual town Higher, farther, faster, more beautiful? In search of somewhat unconventional Swiss records Today: the Swiss municipality with the lowest average age The Vortex student residence, home to 1,000 people, is one of the reasons for such a low average age in Chavannes. Photo: Keystone Swiss Review / February 2026 / No.1 9 Report
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