Môtiers

Môtiers

Môtiers (NE) was until December 31, 2008, a municipality in the district of Val -de- Travers in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland.

It is not to be confused with the homophonic Fribourgese village Môtier (municipality skin Vully) at Mont Vully and was therefore provided by the Federal Statistical Office in the official spelling with Canton shortcuts.

Since January 1, 2009 Môtiers belongs together with Boveresse, Buttes, Couvet, Fleurier, Les Bayard, Noiraigue, Saint- Sulpice and Travers merged to Val -de- Travers.

Geography

Môtiers is located on 737 m above sea level. M., 26 km west-southwest of the capital of the canton of Neuchâtel (air line). The scattered village extends in the western Val de Travers in the flat valley floor south of the Areuse and on the village stream Bied in the Neuchâtel Jura.

The area of ​​6.4 km ² large former municipal area includes a portion of the Val de Travers. The northern boundary was formed partly corrected and straightened Areuse, partly also the former course of the river, now called Vieille Areuse. To the south of the municipality of ground above the flat valley floor stretched up to the adjacent anticline Chasseron, which is divided here by the erosion valleys of Bied and its tributaries. In the southeast of the territory reached to the plateau Nouvelle Censière on which extensive Jura high grazing pastures with the typical tall spruce trees that are either individually or in groups. The highest point of 1,270 m above sea Môtiers was with. M. reached on the amount of Chasseron chain. From the municipality surface 1997 8 % were settlements, 50 % of forest and woody plants, 40% from agriculture and slightly more than 1% was unproductive land.

To Môtiers included some isolated farms in the valley and on the heights of Chasseron chain. Neighboring communities of Môtiers were Fleurier, Boveresse and Couvet in the canton of Neuchâtel and Provence and Romairon in the canton of Vaud.

Population

With 825 inhabitants ( end of 2007) Môtiers was one of the smaller municipalities in the canton of Neuchâtel. Of the 93.8 % inhabitants are French-speaking, German-speaking 2.6 % and 1.1 % Italian-speaking (as of 2000). The population of Môtiers rose to 1900 (1043 inhabitants) continuously, then they went back and leveled off at around 800 inhabitants.

Economy

Môtiers was until the mid-19th century, a mainly agricultural community. After that, the employment structure with the establishment of factories in the watch industry and the textile industry as well as a tannery changed. An important source of income for the residents of Môtiers was the cultivation of the Absinthe plant ( Artemisia absinthium ) for the production of absinthe, which was banned in 1908 due to a referendum. Today the residents of agricultural, with livestock and dairy farming outweigh life, and from the production of wine and sparkling wine (Champagne suisse ). Further jobs offer computer science companies and the local small businesses. However, many of the working population commuters and work in the larger towns of the Val de Travers or in Neuchâtel.

Traffic

The former municipality is traffic moderately well developed. It is located on the former main street of Couvet to Fleurier. Today's regional headquarters through local road from Neuchatel on the border crossing Les Verrières to Pontarlier in France runs along the northern side of the valley. On September 24, 1883, the railway line from Travers to Saint- Sulpice was opened with a station in Môtiers.

History

Môtiers is the oldest church of the Val de Travers. Her name is attributed to the Latin monasterium. Other names over time were Mostiers, Moustiers and Moutier. In the 10th century Benedictine monks founded on the present municipality of Môtiers a convent and began the cultivation of the Val de Travers, then part of the territory of the Kingdom of Burgundy. Probably was at this point in the 8th century a church. The Benedictine priory of Saint- Pierre in Môtiers was initially a branch of the monastery of Cluny, from 1107 it belonged until its dissolution after the Reformation to the French abbey of La Chaise- Dieu.

To the monastery which gave rise to the village of Môtiers. The priory had both the ecclesiastical and the secular rule over the Val de Travers held until the valley in 1237 came to the Counts of Neuchâtel as a fief from the Franche-Comté. This strengthened their hold on the valley, especially from the 14th century, what they underpinned the construction of the castle in 1344 above Môtiers. The castle was the seat of the Kastlanei Vautravers (also Val- de -Travers called ) and Môtiers the regional center of the valley with a market hall, the Hôtel des Six Communes in which a quarterly weekly market was held. Thus the power of the priory fell sharply and ended with the secularization in 1536; the monks emigrated to France.

The sovereignty over the area remained in Neuchatel, which was built in 1648 Principality and was associated from 1707 through 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.

Numerous houses of Môtiers fell in 1723 a village destroyed by fire. From 1762-65 was the place of residence of Jean -Jacques Rousseau. At the time of industrialization in the Val de Travers Môtiers remained in the development towards the neighboring villages Fleurier and Couvet back, but retained its status as the seat of Kastlanei and after 1848 was the capital of the district of Val -de- Travers.

Attractions

Môtiers has preserved its picturesque townscape. The convent buildings have undergone numerous changes over the centuries. The oldest parts are Romanesque and date from the 11th and 12th century. After the secularization were the building of the residence tax Vogts and since 1829 they are home to a sparkling wine factory. The present buildings date mainly from the 16th to 18th centuries. The Reformed Church of Môtiers is a Gothic building which was built in 1460-1490; the polygonal choir and front tower date from the period 1669-1679.

At the village square is the Hôtel des Six Communes, the former market hall. The present building with round arches and Gothic windows on the upper floor was built in 1612. Other important buildings in the historic village are the Maison Boy de la Tour, a 1720-23 built mansion in the Regency style, the Maison Bobillier ( 1767), the Maison Rousseau with a Jean -Jacques Rousseau museum devoted, and the Maison des Mascarons. The latter houses the Regional Museum with historical and ethnological exhibits as well as a section about the history of absinthe production in the Val de Travers.

On a rocky outcrop between the Val de Travers and the Valley this Bied is the Castle of Môtiers (Vieux Château ), whose oldest parts, including the Tour de Diesse, date from the 14th century. In the later centuries, the castle was rebuilt several times and last restored in 1957-72. It now belongs to the State of Neuchâtel and is temporarily used for cultural events.

Just behind the castle is perhaps one of the most beautiful gorges of the Jura. The Poëta Raisse is a feeder river Areuse and has dug in millions of years by the Jura stone. The wooden staircase was first created in 1946 and connects the village Môtiers with some individual farms. The trail is now maintained by the State and require repairs every year again. The gorge is especially in the upper part extremely steep and therefore can only be committed through secured wooden walkways and stairs carved into the rock.

Pictures

Abbey Church of Saint -Pierre

Vieux Château

Row of houses in Môtiers, 2008