Fontaines NE

NE is the abbreviation for the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland and is used to avoid confusion with other entries of the name Fontaines .

Fontaines

State :

Switzerland

Canton :

Neuchâtel (NE)

District :

No district division

Municipality :

Val-de-Ruz

Postal code :

2046

former BFS no. :

6479

Coordinates :

559175 / 210 674 coordinates: 47 ° 2 '45 " N , 6 ° 54' 5" O ; CH1903: 559175 / 210,674

Height :

768 m above sea level M.

Area :

10.14 km²

Residents:

1111 (December 31, 2012)

Population density :

110 inhabitants per km²

Website:

www.fontaines-ne.ch

map

Parish before the merger on January 1, 2013

Fontaines was a municipality in the Val-de-Ruz district in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland . On January 1, 2013, it merged with the municipalities of Boudevilliers , Cernier , Chézard-Saint-Martin , Coffrane , Dombresson , Engollon , Fenin-Vilars-Saules , Fontainemelon , Les Geneveys-sur-Coffrane , Les Hauts-Geneveys , Montmollin , Le Pâquier , Savagnier and Villiers to form the new municipality of Val-de-Ruz .

geography

Fontaines is 768 m above sea level. M. , six kilometers north-northwest of the canton capital Neuchâtel (linear distance ). The village extends in the central part of the Val de Ruz basin in the Neuchâtel Jura , on a slope sloping slightly to the southeast.

The area of the 10.1 km² municipal area comprises a section in the central part of the syncline of the Val de Ruz. The municipality floor extends from the valleys of the Seyon and the Morguenet, which are slightly sunk into the plain, to the northwest to below Fontainemelon. A small exclave is located in the forest above Fontainemelon. A second exclave covers the area on both sides of the Vue des Alpes pass on the anticline of Mont d'Amin and extends to the north into the Combes in the headwaters of the Schüss ( French: Suze ) and to the Petite Corbatière ( 1,329 m above sea level ) and to the Roche-aux-Cros rock on the edge of an evacuation cauldron north of the Tete de Ran . The highest point of Fontaines is 1404 m above sea level. M. on the ridge of the Mont d'Amin. On the heights of Mont d'Amin and Vue des Alpes there are extensive Jura high pastures with the typical mighty spruce trees , which either stand individually or in groups. In 1997, 7% of the municipal area was in settlements, 29% in forests and woodlands, 63% in agriculture and a little less than 1% was unproductive land.

The hamlet of Les Loges ( 1240 m above sea level ) on the southern slope of the Vue des Alpes and a few individual farms on the Jura heights belong to Fontaines . Neighboring municipalities of Fontaines are Boudevilliers , Les Hauts-Geneveys , Fontainemelon , Cernier , Engollon , Fenin-Vilars-Saules , Valangin and La Chaux-de-Fonds in the canton of Neuchâtel and Renan in the canton of Bern .

population

With 1111 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2012) Fontaines is one of the medium-sized communities in the canton of Neuchâtel. 91.0% of the residents are French-speaking, 3.6% German-speaking and 2.4% Italian-speaking (as of 2000). Fontaines had 634 inhabitants in 1900; the population fell to 403 by 1950, but has shown a clear increasing trend since then.

economy

For a long time Fontaines was mainly an agricultural village. Industrialization began as early as the end of the 18th century with the production of wall clocks and machines. Today there are a few small watchmaking , printing and brickworking companies in Fontaines . Thanks to the fertile soils in the valley of the Val de Ruz, agriculture continues to be important: while agriculture is predominant in the valley basin , cattle and dairy farming are practiced on the Jura heights . In the last few decades Fontaines has developed into a residential community. Many workers are commuters and work mainly in Neuchâtel or in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

The region around the Vue des Alpes and the Tête de Ran is a popular destination for excursions and a recreational area with restaurants and overnight accommodations. Several ski lifts are in operation in winter in the area of the Vue des Alpes and on the western slope of Derrière Tête de Ran.

Healthcare

Fontaines has a public hospital for the Val-de-Ruz. It belongs to the hospital network Hôpitaux neuchâtelois (French for: Neuchâtel hospitals).

traffic

The municipality is located on the cantonal road from Montmollin to Chézard-Saint-Martin and has road connections with almost all neighboring municipalities. The municipality is connected to the public transport network by the bus line from Neuchâtel via Cernier to Villiers and by a local line in Val de Ruz. From 1949 to 1969, the community was also served by the overland line 4 of the Val de Ruz trolleybus .

history

Traces of a Roman villa point to a settlement in Roman times . The village was first mentioned in a document in 1228 under the name Fontanes , which is derived from the Latin fontana (source) . Fontaines belonged to the lordship of Valangin , which was partly subordinate to the Counts of Neuchâtel, partly to the Counts of Montbéliard and finally came to Neuchâtel in 1592. From 1648 Neuchâtel was a principality and from 1707 it was linked to the Kingdom of Prussia through personal union. In 1806 the area was ceded to Napoleon I and came to the Swiss Confederation in the course of the Congress of Vienna in 1815 , whereby the kings of Prussia until the Neuchâtel trade in 1857 also remained princes of Neuchâtel. From 1848 to 1877 Fontaines was the capital of the Val-de-Ruz district.

Attractions

The late Gothic church of Saint-Maurice was built in the 16th century in the shape of a Latin cross based on the Valangin collegiate church; the church tower dates from the 17th century. Some characteristic farmhouses from the 18th and 19th centuries have been preserved in the town center.

Web links

Commons : Fontaines, Switzerland - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Official website of the municipality of Fontaines (French)
Maurice Evard: Fontaines (NE). In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .