Les Taillères
Origin of the name Les Taillères
The name survives in that of the former Chaux-des-Taillères, the name of the La Brévine valley recorded in 1304 as « Chaul de Estaleres » and in 1624 as « Chaux-d'Etalières »; the word « chaux » denotes a broad treeless valley of the High Jura. The origin of the word « Taillères » is not explained in the sources consulted. A legend calls the inhabitants of the place those of « Estaillères ».
Founding of Les Taillères
Les Taillères is a hamlet of the municipality of La Brévine, on the shore of the Lac des Taillères, west of the village. No founder is known. The hamlet lies in the valley formerly called Chaux-des-Taillères: from the 13th century, inhabitants of the Val-de-Travers owned meadows there, and in the 14th century the Chaux-des-Taillères was settled mainly by people from Franche-Comté; this information concerns the whole valley, not the hamlet alone. From 1624 to 1848, Les Taillères belonged to the mairie of the Chaux-des-Taillères, together with La Chaux-de-Renousse, La Brévine, La Ronde-Chaux and La Chaux-du-Cachot.
History of Les Taillères
13th century. Inhabitants of the Val-de-Travers own meadows in the valley (whole valley).
1304. The valley is mentioned as « Chaul de Estaleres ».
14th century. The Chaux-des-Taillères is settled mainly by people from Franche-Comté.
1622. Creation of the parish of La Brévine; during the 17th century the name La Brévine replaces Chaux-des-Taillères as the name of the valley.
1624. Creation of the mairie of the Chaux-des-Taillères (« Chaux-d'Etalières »), which includes the hamlet of Les Taillères.
1848. The mairie is dissolved; the hamlet now belongs to the municipality of La Brévine.
Historic sites in Les Taillères
Lac des Taillères. Lake on whose shore the hamlet stands; its waters, which drain into a sinkhole at the Moulin du Lac, drove mills there from the 16th century, powering threshers, fulling mills and saws.
Legends of Les Taillères
The forest that became a lake. According to a legend, one evening in the 15th century the inhabitants of « Estaillères » were woken by a dreadful noise: the forest had turned into a stretch of water, said to be the origin of the Lac des Taillères.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Chaux-des-Taillères, La » (Marie-Jeanne Ducommun Cernuschi), version allemande
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Brévine, La » (Olivier Girardbille)
- Office fédéral de l'environnement, Inventaire fédéral des paysages (IFP), objet 1005 « Vallée de La Brévine », fiche révisée 2017
- Mathilde Jaccard, « Balade » (La Brévine - Môtiers)
- 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 Les Taillères
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