Clémesin

Origin of the name Clémesin

Name origin: not explained in the sources consulted.

Founding of Clémesin

Clémesin is a mountain hamlet of the municipality of Val-de-Ruz, in the east of the valley, above Villiers, at the foot of Chaumont and not far from the source of the Seyon. Before the merger of 1 January 2013, it belonged to the territory of the former municipality of Villiers. No founder is known; the farmhouse dates from 1680 and has belonged to the same family for several generations.

History of Clémesin

1680. Construction of the farmhouse of Clémesin, today a métairie.

until 1920. An ancestor of the family running the place keeps a restaurant there called « Bellevue ».

1990. Complete renovation of the farmhouse, with vaulted ceilings and a traditional bread oven.

1998. Opening of the « Métairie de Clémesin » restaurant.

2013. Villiers, to which the hamlet belongs, merges with thirteen other municipalities to form the municipality of Val-de-Ruz.

2019. In October, the next generation of the family takes over the running of the métairie.

Historic sites in Clémesin

The Métairie de Clémesin. Farmhouse of 1680 turned into a mountain restaurant; it keeps a ceiling of yew wood that the métairie says is more than 1'000 years old (to be cross-checked).

The viewpoint. The municipality of Val-de-Ruz lists, among the sights of the former municipality of Villiers, the view over the valley from Clémesin.

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Villiers » (Maurice Evard)
• Métairie de Clémesin, page d'accueil
• Commune de Val-de-Ruz, « À voir ou visiter »
• geo.admin.ch, service de recherche de lieux (swisstopo)
• État de Neuchâtel, arrêté du 4 février 2026 homologuant le recensement cantonal de la population au 31 décembre 2025

Other villages near Clémesin

• Le Pâquier (NE)
• Villiers (NE)
• Dombresson (NE)
• Enges (NE)
• Les Vieux-Prés (NE)