Swiss prison token from Lausanne

[Henk]

Description is as follows:
Zinc, 21,6 mm edge plain
O: MAISON / (ornament) / LAUSANNE / --- . ---) / PENITENTIARE
R : 1 / 4

I did not find any information about this token, found one other with the value of 1 (Franc?). See: https://www.house-of-collections.ch/meine-sammlung/waadt/lausanne/

Likely other values do exist.

[Figleaf]

In view of the dating of the token, the prison is likely to be the former prison of Béthusy on avenue de Béthusy in Lausanne. The French version of Wikipedia says:

Entre 1826 et 1935 se trouvait le pénitencier de Béthusy, au lieu dit "Bugnon" à l'emplacement de l'actuel collège secondaire de Béthusy. Le pénitencier fut construit de 1822 à 1826 sur la base des plans de l'architecte cantonal Adrien Pichard. Les prisonniers de ce pénitencier furent transférés entre 1929 et début 1930 aux Établissements de la plaine de l'Orbe, et le pénitencier de Béthusy fut détruit en 1935

Between 1826 and 1935 there was the Béthusy penitentiary, at a quarter called "Bugnon" on the site of the current Béthusy secondary school. The penitentiary was built from 1822 to 1826 based on plans by cantonal architect Adrien Pichard. The prisoners of this penitentiary were transferred between 1929 and early 1930 to the Orbe Plain Establishments, and the Béthusy penitentiary was destroyed in 1935.

There is an etch of the complex here.

While the coin denominations in Vaud are spelled Franc and centime, they are known as Frank and rappen in German-speaking Switzerland.

Peter