La Coudre
Origin of the name La Coudre
The place is mentioned in 1143 in the form « La Coudra ». The name is said to come from « coudrier », the old word for the hazel, which is said to have grown abundantly on the slopes (to be cross-checked).
Founding of La Coudre
La Coudre was not created by any known founding act: it is a small street village that grew up along the old Vy d'Etra, a road running along the north shore of Lake Neuchâtel. Its economy was essentially based on wine growing, supplemented by quarrying Hauterive stone; in the La Favarge area, very old forges lie at the origin of industrial activity (a wallpaper factory, the Favarger foundries). The municipality of La Coudre included the hamlets of Monruz and La Favarge and the abbey of Fontaine-André, founded in 1143. Considered as early as 1902, the merger with Neuchâtel was approved by popular vote in February 1929 and took effect on 1 January 1930.
History of La Coudre
Roman period. The area is crossed by the Vy d'Etra, a route along the north shore of Lake Neuchâtel whose Roman origin is generally accepted (to be cross-checked).
1143. First mention of the place, in the form « La Coudra »; the same year the Premonstratensian abbey of Fontaine-André is founded, later part of the municipality.
1607. Construction of the two oldest buildings of the village, on the Rue de la Dîme; one houses the La Grappe restaurant (to be cross-checked).
1784. La Coudre has 120 inhabitants.
1887. Construction of a first school building (to be cross-checked).
1902. The municipality first considers a merger with Neuchâtel.
1910. On 20 October, inauguration of the La Coudre-Chaumont funicular and of the tram linking La Coudre to central Neuchâtel via Les Sablons.
1929. In February, after many twists and turns, the merger with Neuchâtel is approved by popular vote, 71 votes to 46.
1930. On 1 January the merger takes effect: La Coudre, with Monruz, La Favarge and Fontaine-André, becomes a district of the town of Neuchâtel.
1948. A former military hut bought in Bern is set up as a chapel in the Muller family's orchard.
1954. Thanks to a collection, the parish buys a plot at Crêt-du-Chêne to build a church.
1956-1957. Construction of the church by the architects Jacques and Jean-Louis Béguin, consecrated on 3 November 1957.
1972. The 1887 school is demolished and replaced by the Collège du Crêt-du-Chêne and the Collège Sainte-Hélène (to be cross-checked).
2003. The church of La Coudre joins the large Reformed parish of Neuchâtel.
Population of La Coudre
| 1784 | 120 |
| 1850 | 174 |
| 1900 | 352 |
| 1920 | 440 |
Historic sites in La Coudre
The church of La Coudre. Built in 1956-1957 by the architects Jacques and Jean-Louis Béguin and consecrated on 3 November 1957, this reinforced concrete church directs natural light onto the pulpit; its three-part ceiling evokes the Trinity. André Siron's stained-glass windows are blue and green on the lake side, for Good Friday, and yellow and orange on the Jura side, for the joy of Easter. Its three bells were cast in Aarau. Since 2003 it has belonged to the Reformed parish of Neuchâtel.
The lower station of the Chaumont funicular. Inaugurated on 20 October 1910, the funicular links La Coudre to Chaumont in nine minutes, over about 2 kilometres and some 570 metres of height difference. It is now operated by TransN.
The Rue de la Dîme. Two houses dated 1607, described as the oldest in the district, stand here; one houses the La Grappe restaurant (to be cross-checked).
The abbey of Fontaine-André. Founded in 1143, this former Premonstratensian abbey belonged to the municipality of La Coudre. Ravaged in 1375 by the mercenaries of Enguerrand VII de Coucy, it became a residence in 1825, an institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in 1954, housed a therapeutic centre for young people from 1972 to 1980 and was sold to a private owner in 2013 (to be cross-checked).
Remains in La Coudre
Traces of the old vineyard. In the early 1970s, low walls, gates and stone troughs in the Vy d'Etra district still recalled the time when La Coudre was covered with vines (to be cross-checked).
The name of the Vy d'Etra. The name of the Vy d'Etra district preserves the memory of the old road along which the street village grew up; this remnant is above all a place name.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, article « Neuchâtel (commune) »
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Coudre, La »
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, article « Fontaine-André »
- Wikipédia (français), « La Coudre (Neuchâtel) »
- Wikipédia (allemand), « La Coudre NE »
- Wikipédia (français), « Abbaye de Fontaine-André »
- Ville de Neuchâtel, Repères historiques
- Paroisse réformée de Neuchâtel (EREN), Le Temple de La Coudre
- Beaulac.ch, La Coudre, ville paisible à 2 pas de Neuchâtel
- notreHistoire.ch, La rue principale du petit village de La Coudre (NE)
- Musée d'art et d'histoire de Neuchâtel (collections en ligne), Inauguration du funiculaire La Coudre-Chaumont, 1910
- Histoire ferroviaire suisse, 100 ans funiculaire La Coudre-Chaumont
- Geneawiki, Suisse - Neuchâtel
- Batimag, Urbanisme : le quartier de La Coudre veut retrouver un centre plus vert
- État de Neuchâtel, arrêté du 4 février 2026 homologuant le recensement cantonal de la population au 31 décembre 2025
Other villages near La Coudre
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