Villiers, Switzerland

Villiers was a municipality in the district of Val -de- Ruz in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. The community consisted of the districts Clémesin, La Dame and Villiers. On January 1, 2013, it merged with the municipalities Boudevilliers, Cernier, Chézard -Saint- Martin, Coffrane, Dombresson, Engollon, Fenin- Vilars -Saules, Fontainemelon, Fontaines, Les Geneveys -sur- Coffrane, Les Hauts- Geneveys, Mont Mollin, Le Pâquier and Savagnier the new municipality of Val -de- Ruz.

Geography

Villiers is located at 760 m above sea level. Level, 10 km north- northeast of the capital of the canton of Neuchâtel (air line). The farming village stretches in the valley of Seyon in the extreme northeast of the basin of the Val de Ruz in the Neuchâtel Jura, between the Jura chain of Mont d'Amin in the north and in the east of Chaumont.

The area of ​​10.6 km ² large municipality area included a small section in the north- eastern part of the valley of the Val de Ruz. In the north of the territory reached to the level of Planches (up to 1,000 m above sea level. M. ) and also included the Klus of Chenau, the valley between Villiers and Le Pâquier. To the east stretched the communal land on the anticline of Chaumont and the Chuffort. In a long narrow tip Villiers handed northeast across the inlier Combe Biosse far as the slopes west of the Chasseral where with 1'550 m above sea level. M. the highest point of the municipality has been reached. In the Jura hills to widespread high grazing pastures with the typical tall spruce trees that are either individually or in groups. From the municipality surface 1997 3 % was attributable to settlements, 54 % of forest and woody plants and 43% to agriculture.

At Villiers include the hamlet Clémesin, 1'004 m above sea level. M. on the western slope of the Chasseralkette above the narrow valley of Chenau, and scattered over the Jura mountains numerous farmsteads. Neighboring communities of Villiers were Pâquier, Dombresson, Savagnier, Pencil and Lignières in the canton of Neuchâtel and Nods, Villeret and Saint- Imier in the canton of Bern.

Population

With 497 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012) Villiers was one of the smaller municipalities in the canton of Neuchâtel. Of the 2000 inhabitants 96.2 % were French-speaking in the year, 2.3 % in German and 0.5 % English. The population of Villiers had decreased considerably from 1900 (400 inhabitants) to 1950 (245 inhabitants), but since then had again been rising over time.

Economy

Villiers was up to the beginning of the 20th century, mainly coined by farming village. In 1900, there were some companies in the watchmaking and mills on Seyon. Today, the inhabitants live off local small businesses and livestock. In recent decades, Villiers has developed into the residential community. Many employed persons are therefore commuters and work mainly in Neuchâtel.

Traffic

The village lies on the main road of Neuchâtel via Dombresson over the pass Col des Pontins to Saint -Imier. By bus line that runs from Neuchâtel via Cernier to Villiers, he joined the site to the public transport network. From 1903 to 1948 Villiers was the terminus of the tram Les Hauts- Geneveys- Villiers. It was replaced by the trolleybus Val de Ruz, which in turn was replaced by buses in 1984.

History

The first written mention of the village was carried out in 1191 under the name of Villiers. Villiers belonged to the rule Valanginian, some of which was under the Counts of Neuchâtel, partly the Counts of Montbéliard and in 1592 finally came to Neuchâtel. Since 1648 Neuchâtel principality and 1707 was linked by personal union with the Kingdom of Prussia. 1806, the region was ceded to Napoleon I. and came in 1815 during the Congress of Vienna to the Swiss Confederation, whereby the kings of Prussia until 1857 Neuchâtel trade also prince of Neuchâtel remained. Villiers does not have its own church, it belongs to the parish Dombresson.