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La Grande Béroche

Merger 2018 Canton of Neuchâtel · Region: Littoral · 9'362 inhabitants (31.12.2025)
Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name La Grande Béroche

The merger unites the Béroche and Bevaix under the name La Grande Béroche, already written into the agreement signed by the six executives in May 2016. La Béroche is the usual name of the old parish of Saint-Aubin, to which Gorgier belonged.[1][6][10]

Founding of La Grande Béroche

La Grande Béroche was formed by the union of Bevaix, Fresens, Gorgier, Montalchez, Saint-Aubin-Sauges and Vaumarcus. The six communal councils sign the merger agreement in Gorgier, then the voters of each commune approve it in November 2016, with yes votes between 54 and 85 %. The new commune then has more than 9'000 inhabitants. It has existed since 1 January 2018. All six former municipalities belonged to the district of Boudry. Saint-Aubin, Sauges, Fresens, Montalchez and part of Gorgier made up the lordship of Gorgier, which covered most of the Béroche. Vaumarcus was a separate lordship and belonged to the parish of Concise. Bevaix had grown up around its Cluniac priory, though in the Middle Ages the lords of Gorgier held a third of its advocacy there. Saint-Aubin-Sauges is the economic centre of the region.[1][2][5][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]

History of La Grande Béroche

998. A Cluniac priory is founded at Bevaix, which appears that year as « in villa Bevacensi ».[8]

1176. The bishop of Lausanne gives the church of Saint-Aubin, « Sancti Albini », to the abbot of Saint-Maurice.[9]

1227. Vaumarcus appears as « Valmarcuel ». Its lordship is possibly mentioned as early as 1194.[12]

1228. First mention of the parish of Saint-Aubin, the one known as the Béroche.[9][10]

1252. Gorgier is recorded as « de Corgie ».[10]

1265. Fresens enters the record with one « Hiremanz dit de Fressen ».[13]

1340. Sauges (« villa de Sauges ») and Montalchez (« villa de Montallichie ») are mentioned for the first time.[9][14]

1344. The house of Neuchâtel acquires the lordship of Gorgier, whose court sits at Saint-Aubin.[9][13][14]

1531. The parish of Saint-Aubin adopts the Reformation.[9]

1566. The abbot of Saint-Maurice sells the church of Saint-Aubin to the five communities of the Béroche.[9]

1812. Vaumarcus and Vernéaz join the parish of Saint-Aubin.[9][12]

1831. The judicial rights of the lordship of Gorgier are abolished. The fief itself is abolished in 1848.[11]

1888. Sauges is merged into Saint-Aubin, which becomes Saint-Aubin-Sauges.[9]

1905. The regional hospital of the Béroche opens at Saint-Aubin. Its maternity ward closes in 2000 and the hospital ceases operating in 2016.[9]

1948. The Catholic parish of La Béroche-Bevaix is created.[9]

2016. The executives of the six communes sign the merger agreement in Gorgier on 11 May.[1]

2016. Vote of 27 November: all six communes say yes, with 54 to 85 % of the votes.[1][2]

2017. First election of the legislature of the future commune, which has 41 seats. The FDP (PLR) wins 19 of them.[3]

2018. La Grande Béroche comes into being on 1 January.[4][5][6]

2023. The commune celebrates its fifth anniversary over the summer, with a public festival on the heights of Gorgier on 19 August.[4]

Population of La Grande Béroche

Sources and references: [7][17]

Population of La Grande Béroche
20259'362

Historic sites in La Grande Béroche

Gorgier Castle. In Gorgier. Recorded from 1299, it grew up around a lord's tower of the late 12th century. Turned into a residence in the mid-16th century, it was extensively remodelled in the 19th century and restored from 1897 to 1905 by Léo Châtelain. It is a cultural property of national importance.[15][18]

Vaumarcus Castle. In Vaumarcus. Seat of a lordship bought by the Neuchâtel family in 1309, it was opened to Charles the Bold in 1476 by Jean II de Neuchâtel-Vaumarcus. Today it is a cultural and business centre with an art gallery.[12]

Bevaix church. In the centre of Bevaix. Completed in 1605, it replaced the ruined sanctuary next to the Cluniac priory.[8]

World Heritage pile dwellings. Three of the five Neuchâtel sites inscribed in 2011 on the UNESCO World Heritage List among the prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps lie on this shore: Port-Conty at Saint-Aubin-Sauges, Les Argilliez at Gorgier and L'Abbaye 2 at Bevaix.[16]

Vaumarcus camp. In Vaumarcus. The Young Men's Christian Associations have run a holiday camp here since 1915.[12]

Communal administration. Its seat is in Saint-Aubin-Sauges, rue de la Gare 4. Services are shared between this site and the one in Bevaix.[5]

Sources

  1. Canal Alpha, « Les exécutifs ratifient la convention Grande Béroche » (12 mai 2016)
  2. Canal Alpha, « Vague de "oui" pour la fusion de La Grande Béroche » (28 novembre 2016)
  3. Canal Alpha, « La Grande Béroche, beaucoup de PLR, moins de Bevaix » (19 juin 2017)
  4. Canal Alpha, « La Grande Béroche, 5 ans de vie de six communes » (17 août 2023)
  5. Commune de La Grande Béroche, « La commune en bref »
  6. Etat de Neuchâtel, rapport du Conseil d'Etat au Grand Conseil 20.044, « Fusion et création de communes » (2 novembre 2020)
  7. Etat de Neuchâtel, Conseil d'Etat, « Arrêté portant homologation des résultats du recensement cantonal de la population du 31 décembre 2025 » (4 février 2026)
  8. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Bevaix (commune) » (Germain Hausmann, version du 03.04.2019)
  9. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Saint-Aubin-Sauges » (Olivier Girardbille, version du 03.04.2019)
  10. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Gorgier (commune) » (Germain Hausmann, version du 03.04.2019)
  11. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Gorgier (seigneurie) » (Germain Hausmann, version du 01.12.2005)
  12. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Vaumarcus » (Germain Hausmann, version du 03.04.2019)
  13. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Fresens » (Olivier Girardbille, version du 03.04.2019)
  14. Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz, « Montalchez » (Olivier Girardbille, version du 03.04.2019)
  15. SITN, recensement du patrimoine neuchâtelois, fiche 21-163 « Château de Gorgier »
  16. Etat de Neuchâtel, « Patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO »
  17. Etat de Neuchâtel, Conseil d'Etat, « Arrêté portant homologation des résultats du recensement cantonal de la population au 31 décembre 2017 » (12 février 2018)
  18. Office fédéral de la protection de la population, Inventaire PBC, liste du canton de Neuchâtel (état au 1.1.2026)

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Other villages near La Grande Béroche

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