Enges
Origin of the name Enges
The name appears in 1178 as « en Enge », then in 1212 as « Einge »; a variant « Eingu » is also reported for 1182 (to be cross-checked). No source explains the meaning of the name; a link with the Alemannic word « Enge » (narrow passage, defile) remains a mere hypothesis (to be cross-checked).
Founding of Enges
No founding charter or founder is known: Enges is a farming village that grew gradually on the slopes of the Chasseral, above Lake Biel. The area was frequented long before the first mention: Hallstatt period and Burgundian graves have been found near Lordel, along with remains of a Roman road. The territory included the hamlet of Lordel and three métairies (mountain pastures): those of Cressier, Enges and Grange Vallier. The tithe of Enges was collected by the church of Cressier in 1213, then by the abbey of Fontaine-André from 1234. From the 14th century until the end of the Ancien Régime Enges belonged to the castellany of Le Landeron. Attached to the parish of Cressier, the village remained Catholic at the Reformation. It long lived from livestock and crops, before taking on a residential character from the 1980s.
History of Enges
Hallstatt period. Graves are laid out near Lordel.
Roman period. A Roman road runs through the Lordel area, where remains of it have been found.
Early Middle Ages. Burgundian graves are laid out near Lordel.
1178. First written mention of the place, as « en Enge ».
1212. The place appears as « Einge ».
1213. The tithe of Enges is collected by the church of Cressier; from 1234 it goes to the abbey of Fontaine-André.
14th century. Enges joins the castellany of Le Landeron, to which it belongs throughout the Ancien Régime.
16th century. At the Reformation Enges, attached to the parish of Cressier, remains Catholic.
1678. Construction of the chapel of Enges.
1707. The county of Neuchâtel, including Enges, passes to the King of Prussia.
1848. Enges is attached to the district of Neuchâtel.
1856. A fire ravages the chapel; it is also said to have destroyed seven houses in the village (to be cross-checked).
19th century. The Protestant community becomes the majority; it is attached to the parishes of Cornaux and Lignières. A small straw hat industry develops.
1940-1945. Polish soldiers interned in Switzerland stay in Enges; one of them paints a fresco in the chapel (to be cross-checked).
1973. The chapel becomes ecumenical.
1980s. The village loses its age-old agricultural predominance in favour of its residential role.
2008. The bread oven of the hamlet of Lordel is studied by the cantonal heritage service.
2018. Enges moves from the district of Neuchâtel to the Littoral region.
2021-2022. Restoration of the Lordel bread oven: masonry and roof frame in 2021, roof and outer walls in 2022.
26 November 2023. The voters of Enges approve the merger with Hauterive, La Tène and Saint-Blaise by 97.1 %.
1 January 2025. Enges becomes a locality of the new municipality of Laténa, whose central administration is based in Saint-Blaise.
Population of Enges
| 1750 | 102 |
| 1850 | 230 |
| 1880 | 176 |
| 1900 | 204 |
| 1950 | 143 |
| 2000 | 289 |
| 2010 | 269 |
| 2020 | 263 |
| 2024 | 284 |
Historic sites in Enges
The chapel of Enges. Built in 1678 in the village centre and ravaged by fire in 1856, it has been ecumenical since 1973. It is said to house a fresco painted during the Second World War by an interned Polish soldier (to be cross-checked).
The village core and its belt of orchards. Enges has kept its compact form, with farmhouses grouped around the centre and a belt of orchards. A photographic survey by the Chasseral Regional Park, carried out between 2008 and 2023, notes that this core has changed very little.
The hamlet of Lordel and the métairies. The hamlet of Lordel, between Lake Biel and the Chasseral, belonged to the municipality of Enges, as did three mountain-pasture métairies: those of Cressier, Enges and Grange Vallier. Lordel keeps an old, restored communal bread oven.
Remains in Enges
The graves and Roman road of Lordel. Hallstatt period and Burgundian graves have been found near Lordel, along with remains of a Roman road.
The Lordel bread oven. Communal oven of rough quarry stone with a half-hipped roof, whose construction date is unknown. Studied in 2008, it was restored in 2021-2022 with the help of civilian service workers and the Baustelle Denkmal Foundation; a small square rediscovered in front of the building was enhanced. It is now used for selling regional products and for small events of the Chasseral Regional Park.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Enges »
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Laténa »
- Wikipédia (français) : Enges
- Wikipédia (allemand) : Enges
- Wikipédia (anglais) : Enges
- Wikipédia (français) : Laténa
- RTS : « À Neuchâtel, Milvignes refuse la fusion avec ses voisines, union approuvée pour Laténa »
- ArcInfo : « Laténa, mode d'emploi de la nouvelle Commune en cinq points »
- ArcInfo : « Une subvention cantonale pour l'ancien four à pain du Lordel, à Enges »
- Fondation Baustelle Denkmal : chantier du four à pain de Lordel, Enges
- Parc régional Chasseral : « Vue sur le village d'Enges »
- Service intercommunal d'archivage (SIAr), page consacrée à Enges
- Canton de Neuchâtel, OCPI : recherches historiques, architecturales et archéologiques 2021 (mention du four à pain de Lordel, étude 2008)
- Gemeinde-Commune-Comune.ch : fiche d'Enges
- État de Neuchâtel, arrêté du 5 février 2025 homologuant le recensement cantonal de la population au 31 décembre 2024
- Commune de Laténa, « Fusion »
Other villages near Enges
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