Valangin

Valanginian

Valanginian is a municipality in the district of Val -de- Ruz in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. The former German name Valendis is no longer used today.

Geography

Valanginian is at 651 m above sea level. M., 3 km northwest of the capital of the canton of Neuchâtel (air line). The village is in the valley of Seyon at the mouth of Bach's concern in the south side of the Val de Ruz region in the Neuchâtel Jura. It is located at the upper entrance to the Gorges du Seyon, the transverse valley of the Seyon through the first Jura chain.

The area of ​​3.8 km ² large municipality area includes a portion of the south of the valley of the Val de Ruz. The Seyon and its tributaries, including the concern, are sunk in this area of the basin in up to 80 m deep valleys. Below Valanginian enters the Seyon in a ravine which separates the chain of Chaumont in the east of the wooded height of Combe Perroud in the West. The highest point of the municipality is located 800 m above sea level. M. on the western slopes of Chaumont. From the municipality surface 1997 8 % were settlements, 51 % of forest and woody plants, 40 % in agriculture and somewhat less than 1% on unproductive land.

Valanginian to include the hamlet of La Borcarderie, 674 m above sea level. M. in the valley of Seyon, and Bussy ( 746 m above sea level. M. ) in the basin of the Val de Ruz west of the village as well as some individual farms. Neighboring communities of Valanginian are Val -de- Ruz, Neuchâtel and Peseux.

Population

With 444 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012) Valanginian one of the smaller municipalities in the canton of Neuchâtel. Of the 87.0 % inhabitants are French-speaking, 5.5 % and 3.5 % portugiesischsprachig in German (as of 2000).

Economy

Valanginian has long been a mainly coined by the farming village. Today, the inhabitants live off the craft, from local small businesses ( sawmill and locksmith ) and tourism. Many employed persons are also commuters and work mainly in Neuchâtel.

A special position at the place certainly takes the, founded in 1979 from a one-man sales for film equipment and projectors emerged Belval SA one. With 15 employees Test Equipment demand for solar cells and solar modules are manufactured here world. But automatic PV cell sorter or devices to simulate sunlight are produced here. In July 2007, Belval was picked up by the production line Manufacturer Swiss Solar Industries AG and renamed Pasan 2008.

Traffic

The community is conveniently moderately well developed. It is also traced by the highway-like -laned road that connects the cities of Neuchâtel and La Chaux -de-Fonds. Here branches off the main road of Neuchâtel off after Dombresson from the speedway. By bus line that runs from Neuchâtel via Cernier to Villiers, Valanginian is connected to the network of public transport. From 1949 to 1969, the community was also served by the trolley Neuchâtel and the Val de Ruz trolley. The two networks marginalized in Valanginian each other, it reversed a continuous line community of Neuenburg to Cernier, line 4,

History

The history of the town Valanginian is closely linked with that of the castle of the same name. The rule Valanginian is first mentioned in 1150 in a deed of Fontaine-André Abbey in Hauterive. 1215 came the reign of the family Aarberg - Valanginian, a branch of the Counts of Neuchâtel from the house Fenis. The rule Valanginian encompassed the entire Val de Ruz and handed to La Chaux -de-Fonds and Les Brenets. But it soon came to disputes between Valanginian, which wanted to maintain its independence against Neuchâtel and therefore leaned to the Bishop of Basel, and the Count of Neuchâtel. In the battle of Coffrane Rudolf won at Neuchatel in 1296 a victory against Valanginian. Because the Bishop of Basel then tried to bring the rule Valanginian se, Rudolf destroyed from Neuchâtel and the village of La Bonneville.

In the period following the rule Valanginian belonged partly to the Counts of Neuchâtel, partly the Counts of Montbéliard, until they finally came to Neuchâtel in 1592. 1536 joined the residents of Valanginian of the Reformation. Since 1648 Neuchâtel principality and 1707 was linked by personal union with the Kingdom of Prussia. The King of Prussia rose Valanginian in the same year to the county. 1806, the entire 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. Until the 19th century Valanginian was the site of a Court of Appeals of the three stalls and a political body ( bourgeoisie de Valanginian ), which was dissolved in 1852.

Attractions

The town (Le Bourg ) has retained its late medieval picturesque townscape. It occupies an area of ​​approximately 70 x 50 m and has a main street, which is flanked by rows of houses from the 16th to the 18th century and completed in the north of a city gate that was built in the 15th century.

The southern end of the town is the isolated castle hill with the castle Valanginian. This was built in several stages from the 13th to the 16th century and provided with an annular wall with six semicircular towers. The present building of the palace dates from the 15th century. Today it houses the regional museum with numerous exhibits on the history of the canton of Neuchatel.

North of the town is the Protestant church, the former collegiate church of Saint -Pierre, built in 1500-05. As part of the comprehensive restoration in the years 1839 to 1841 the Late Gothic building has been shortened and now shows the shape of a Greek cross. Inside the church is the tomb of the church 's founder and his wife, Claude d' Aarberg and Guillemette de Vergy. Built in 1588 Maison Touchon next to the church houses an art gallery.

A castle -like mansion is located in the hamlet of La Borcarderie.

Personalities

• Robert Comtesse (1847-1922), Federal
• Edmond Bille (1878-1959), artist