Engollon

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

Geography

Engollon is located on 727 m above sea level. Level, 5 km north of the capital of the canton of Neuchâtel (air line). The farming village stretches between the pelvis Val de Ruz in the Neuchâtel Jura, between the slightly recessed into the plane of the Seyon valleys to the east and the Morguenet in the West.

The area of ​​2.6 km ² large municipality area includes a small section in the central part of the syncline of the Val de Ruz. The eastern border is the run of the Seyon, the western boundary runs along the creek side Morguenet. Engollon participates in the intensively farmed valley of the Val de Ruz. The highest point of the municipality is located at Sous Charrière (757 m above sea level. M. ). From the municipality surface 1997 accounted for 5% on settlements, 12% of forest and shrubs, 82 % to agriculture and slightly less than 1% was unproductive land.

Neighboring communities of Engollon are Fontaines, Cernier, Chézard -Saint- Martin, and Savagnier Fenin- Vilars -Saules.

Population

With 105 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012) Engollon one of the smallest municipalities in the canton of Neuchâtel. Of the 96.0 % inhabitants are French-speaking and German-speaking 2.7 % (as of 2000). Engollon had 1850 135 inhabitants; the population dropped to 1980 to 60 residents, has since then but again a slight upward trend.

Economy

Engollon is still a mainly coined by farming village, with agriculture and some orchards predominate. Outside the primary sector, there are few jobs in the town, so some employed workers abroad, mainly in Neuchâtel, pursue their work.

Traffic

The community is located off the major thoroughfares slightly above the main road from Neuchatel on the Col des Pontins to Saint -Imier. Engollon is connected by bus to the stations of Les Hauts- Geneveys and Geneveys -sur -Coffrane.

History

The first written mention of Engollon took place in 1228 under the name Engolun. Southwest of Engollon, near the mouth of Morguenet in the Seyon, there was the 1301 destroyed town of La Bonneville. Some walls are still visible today. Engollon 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.

Attractions

Engollon was in the Middle Ages the center of a parish, which comprised all the neighboring villages in the Val de Ruz. Today's Protestant parish church Saint- Pierre has a choir from the 13th century, the nave dates from the 17th century and the tower of 1803. At a renovation in 1923 the choir significant wall paintings were discovered in the 14th and 15th centuries and exposed.

Also in the field of community Engollon takes place the only reggae festival of French-speaking Switzerland: the Festi Val -de- Roots ( www.valderoots.com ). During 2005, a pure reggae festival has shown that the Val -de- Roots 2006 different styles.