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Milvignes

Merger 2013 Canton of Neuchâtel · Region: Littoral · 9'363 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 Milvignes

Created for the 2013 merger, the name Milvignes does not take up the name of any of the three villages, and its origin remains unclear.

Founding of Milvignes

Milvignes unites Auvernier, Bôle and Colombier, whose voters approve the merger on 27 November 2011. The commune is born on 1 January 2013, at the same time as Val-de-Ruz, bringing the number of Neuchâtel communes down to 37. The three former names remain those of the localities of the new commune. Its 879 hectares stretch from the shore of Lake Neuchâtel to the foot of the mountains, from 431 metres at lake level in Auvernier to 672 metres at Bois-Devant, above Champ-Rond in Bôle. The three villages belonged to the district of Boudry. Auvernier was the largest village in the parish of Colombier, and the lords of Colombier, vassals of the counts of Neuchâtel, held rights over its people and land. Bôle belonged to the large parish of Pontareuse and the castellany of Boudry, though some of its inhabitants paid their dues to the lord of Colombier.[1][3][8][9][10]

History of Milvignes

1011. Rudolph III, king of Burgundy, gives Auvernier, « Averniacum », to his wife Irmengard.[8]

1177. Colombier has a chapel. Before 1228 the place is already the seat of a parish.[10]

1346. Bôle appears for the first time, as « Boule ».[9]

1356. Bôle, Colombier and Areuse jointly receive a forest in perpetual lease. It is managed in common until the mid-18th century.[9]

1564. The whole lordship of Colombier is sold to the count of Neuchâtel for 60'000 écus.[10]

1734. Jean-Jacques Deluze opens at Le Bied, in Colombier, one of the first calico-printing works of the Basse-Areuse. It employs 80 workers in 1739.[10]

1848. Auvernier ceases to belong to the mairie of La Côte, and Bôle to the castellany of Boudry.[8][9]

1860. Bôle becomes a parish.[9]

1878. Auvernier leaves the parish of Colombier and forms its own parish (1879 according to another source).[8][10]

1888. A cantonal school of viticulture opens in Auvernier.[8]

2011. The voters of Auvernier, Bôle and Colombier accept the merger on 27 November.[1]

2012. In December the general council of the new commune votes its first budget, for 2013.[2]

2013. Milvignes is born on 1 January. The canton now has 37 communes.[1][4]

2013. On 22 May the Council of State adapts cantonal regulations to the creation of Milvignes and Val-de-Ruz.[3]

2023. On 26 November Milvignes rejects, by 55.4 %, the Basse-Areuse merger with Boudry and Cortaillod, which had accepted it. The project fails.[5]

Population of Milvignes

Sources and references: [7][13]

Population of Milvignes
20259'363

Historic sites in Milvignes

Colombier Castle. In Colombier. Born of a lord's tower of the 11th-12th centuries and enlarged in the 13th century, it took its present form in the 16th century. Barracks, arsenal and from 1877 a federal training ground, it has housed one of the two infantry training sites since 2004. Beneath the castle, one of the largest Gallo-Roman villas in Switzerland was excavated in 1840-1842 and in 1982. Castle and villa are listed as cultural property of national importance.[10][11][14]

Colombier avenues. In Colombier. These tree-lined avenues, planted after 1657, still link the lake to the castle.[10]

Auvernier pile dwellings. Along the Auvernier shore, ten lakeside settlement zones stretch over about 1.5 km, occupied between the 4th and 1st millennia BC. Auvernier-La Saunerie and Auvernier-Les Graviers have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2011.[8][12]

Vy d'Etraz at Bôle. Bôle stands on the line of this Roman road, a section of which is still visible west of the village.[9]

Communal administration. The administrative seat is in Colombier. The chancellery is at rue Haute 20.[1][6]

Vineyards. With 145 hectares of vines, Milvignes is the largest wine-growing commune in the canton.[1]

Sources

  1. Commune de Milvignes, « Vivre à Milvignes »
  2. Commune de Milvignes, procès-verbal de la séance du Conseil général du 30 avril 2013
  3. Recueil systématique de la législation neuchâteloise, « Arrêté portant modification de la réglementation cantonale en matière communale tenant compte de la création des nouvelles Communes de Val-de-Ruz et de Milvignes » (22 mai 2013)
  4. Etat de Neuchâtel, rapport du Conseil d'Etat au Grand Conseil 20.044, « Fusion et création de communes » (2 novembre 2020)
  5. Littoral Région, n° 4833 (1er décembre 2023)
  6. Commune de Milvignes, « Chancellerie »
  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, « Auvernier » (Michel Egloff, Germain Hausmann, version du 03.04.2019)
  9. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Bôle » (Germain Hausmann, version du 02.02.2017)
  10. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Colombier (NE) » (Germain Hausmann, version du 24.08.2016)
  11. SITN, recensement du patrimoine neuchâtelois, fiche 13-966 « Château de Colombier (Vieux Château, aile sud) »
  12. Etat de Neuchâtel, « Patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO »
  13. Etat de Neuchâtel, Conseil d'Etat, « Arrêté portant homologation des résultats du recensement cantonal de la population du 31 décembre 2012 » (6 février 2013)
  14. Office fédéral de la protection de la population, Inventaire PBC, liste du canton de Neuchâtel (état au 1.1.2026)

Localities of the municipality with a page

Other villages near Milvignes

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