Fontainemelon

Fontainemelon 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, Engollon, Fenin- Vilars -Saules, Fontaines, Les Geneveys -sur- Coffrane, Les Hauts- Geneveys Montmollin, Le Pâquier, Savagnier and Villiers to the new municipality of Val -de- Ruz.

Geography

Fontainemelon is located on 864 m above sea level. M., 8 km north- northwest of the capital of the canton of Neuchâtel (air line). The village stretches a scenic location on the northwestern edge of the Val de Ruz in the Neuchâtel Jura, on the southern slopes of Mont d'Amin and the Vue des Alpes.

The area of ​​2.5 km ² large municipality area includes a small section in the northwest of the basin Val de Ruz. The area extends northward through the steep wooded hillside above the village up to the height of the anticline of Mont d'Amin below the pass traversal of the Vue des Alpes. Here there is an extensive Jura mountain meadows with the typical tall spruce trees that are either individually or in groups. The highest point of the municipality is 1,230 m above sea level with. M. northeast of the Tête de Ran achieved. From the municipality surface 1997 19 % came from settlements, 39 % of forest and woody plants and 42% to agriculture.

To Fontainemelon a part of the settlement Les Loges heard ( 1'185 m above sea level. M. ) on the road over the Vue des Alpes. Neighboring communities of Fontainemelon are Fontaines, Les Hauts- Geneveys and Cernier.

Population

With 1633 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012) Fontainemelon belongs to the medium-sized municipalities in the canton of Neuchâtel. Of the residents 88.9 % are French, 2.9 % speak Serbo-Croatian 2.5 % and German (as of 2000). The population of Fontainemelon has increased steadily since 1900 (then 794 inhabitants).

Economy

At the end of the 18th century the development of the farming village to an industrial community began. First was a textile factory, but soon umsattelte on the watches. 1793, the watch factory Benguerel & Humbert was opened, at that time still employed many workers working at home. The factory led to a flowering period of the village in the 19th century. It was taken over in 1825 by the family of Robert, received as a public company in 1876 the name Uhrenfabrik Fontainemelon AG, which was acquired in 1984 by ETA AG. Today, there are next to the clock making and operations in the field of telecommunications and electronics.

Traffic

The community is conveniently moderately well developed. It lies on the main road from Neuchâtel to La Chaux- de-Fonds and on the main road of Les Hauts- Geneveys after Dombresson. The nearest railway station on the line Neuchâtel - La Chaux -de-Fonds is located in Les Hauts- Geneveys. The southern portals of the Vue -des- Alpes Tunnel both the railway line and the highway are above Fontainemelon. The community is connected through the regional bus from Neuchâtel via Cernier to Villiers and by a local bus line in the Val de Ruz to the network of public transport. From 1903 to 1948, the tramway Les Hauts- Geneveys -Villiers led through the village. 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 1350 under the name Fontainnemelom. 1358 published the names and Fontannamillon Fontannamillum. The name means Fontaines mille (thousand sources) on the basis of numerous small sources in the area of Fontainemelon.

Fontainemelon 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 from 1707 was joined 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, the kings of Prussia until 1857 Neuchâtel trade also prince of Neuchâtel remained.

Attractions

The church and rectory of Fontainemelon were built in 1902. The village is dominated by cubic tenement houses from the 19th century and numerous mansions.