Epagnier
Origin of the name Epagnier
Name origin: Epagnier appears in 1163 in the form « Espagnie ». The origin of the name is not explained by the sources consulted.
Founding of Epagnier
Epagnier is a former village on the north shore of Lake Neuchâtel, near the mouth of the Thielle, today a district of the municipality of Laténa. No founding act or founder is known; the place is attested in 1163, when the knight Pierre d'Epagnier gave his allodial land to Hauterive Abbey (FR). Under the Ancien Régime, Epagnier belonged to the castellany of Thielle. It became a municipality in 1873, then united with Marin in 1888 to form the municipality of Marin-Epagnier, which existed until 2008; the locality then passed to the municipality of La Tène and, in 2025, to that of Laténa. The history of the municipality of Marin-Epagnier is covered in a separate entry.
History of Epagnier
1163. First mention in the form « Espagnie »: the knight Pierre d'Epagnier gives his allodial land to Hauterive Abbey (FR).
1625. Jean Hory is the instigator of the abandoned project of Henripolis, a trading and port town planned between Wavre and La Tène.
1873. Establishment of the municipality of Epagnier.
1887. Epagnier, until then part of the parish of Cornaux, moves to that of Saint-Blaise.
1888. Epagnier and Marin form the municipality of Marin-Epagnier.
1894. The hamlet of Maison-Rouge (today Rothus), which belonged to Epagnier, is ceded to the canton of Bern.
1948. End of the predominance of agriculture in Epagnier's economy.
1956. Epagnier's small vineyard disappears.
1978. Epagnier leaves the parish of Saint-Blaise for that of Marin-Epagnier.
2009. The municipality of Marin-Epagnier having ended in 2008, Epagnier is now part of the municipality of La Tène.
1 January 2025. The merger of Enges, Hauterive, La Tène and Saint-Blaise (approved on 26 November 2023) takes effect: Epagnier is part of the municipality of Laténa.
Population of Epagnier
| 1750 | 55 inhabitants |
| 1848 | 48 inhabitants |
| 1880 | 65 inhabitants |
Historic sites in Epagnier
La Tène site. The type site of the European later Iron Age lies at La Tène, near the mouth of the Thielle, in the vicinity of Epagnier; it is covered in a separate entry.
Maison-Rouge (Rothus). Former hamlet of Epagnier, ceded to the canton of Bern in 1894.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Epagnier » (Olivier Girardbille)
- Commune de Laténa, « Fusion »
- État de Neuchâtel, arrêté du 4 février 2026 homologuant le recensement cantonal de la population au 31 décembre 2025
- geo.admin.ch, service de recherche de lieux (swisstopo)
Other villages near Epagnier
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