Thielle
Origin of the name Thielle
The hamlet is first mentioned in 1153 as « Tela » (« Thela »). It bears the name of the river beside it, the Thielle (German Zihl), whose name is thought to go back to a pre-Celtic root meaning « water »; the forms « Teyla » (1265) and « Toyle » (1300) follow. A mention of the river as early as 817 (« Tela ») and a Celtic origin of the name are also put forward (to be cross-checked).
Founding of Thielle
No source links the creation of the hamlet to a person or a date. The site, at the outlet of Lake Neuchâtel, has been occupied since prehistory: a Middle Neolithic village is known at Thielle-Pré de la Mottaz, and Neolithic and Late Bronze Age lakeside settlements at Pont-de-Thielle. The river crossing is attested in Roman times and in the Middle Ages by the piers of at least four bridges. Thielle later owed its importance to its role: it was an important seigneurial toll, of which the town of Neuchâtel obtained a share from the 16th century, and the seat of the civil and criminal court of the castellany of Thielle, which also included Wavre, Saint-Blaise, Hauterive, Marin and Épagnier. In 1888 Thielle united with Wavre to form the municipality of Thielle-Wavre.
History of Thielle
Middle Neolithic. A village is established at Thielle-Pré de la Mottaz.
Neolithic and Late Bronze Age. Lakeside settlements occupy the Pont-de-Thielle area, at the outlet of Lake Neuchâtel.
Roman period. The crossing of the Thielle at Pont-de-Thielle is attested; the piers of at least four bridges will be recorded there in the 19th century.
1153. First mention of the place, as « Tela » (« Thela »).
13th-14th centuries. A fish trap operates at Thielle-Bas de la Poissine.
14th century. Thielle becomes the seat of the castellany of Thielle, with its civil and criminal court (date to be cross-checked).
1491. Until this date the lord collects the tolls of the Thielle bridge (to be cross-checked).
16th century. The town of Neuchâtel obtains a share of the important seigneurial toll of Thielle.
1814. The lordship of Le Landeron acquires the castellany of Thielle (to be cross-checked).
1848. The castellany of Thielle is dissolved.
1868-1891. First Jura water correction. The hamlet then has only an inn (which also serves as the municipal hall), a farm, a manor house and a few dwellings.
1888. Thielle and Wavre merge to form the municipality of Thielle-Wavre; the inn stops serving as the municipal hall.
1894. Following the water correction, the cantonal border is changed: the agreement between Bern and Neuchâtel, signed on 18 October 1895 and in force from 1 January 1896, transfers Pont-de-Thielle and Thielle castle to Bernese territory (municipality of Gals).
1947. Until this date the path crossing the hamlet towards Montmirail is part of the old Neuchâtel-Bern road, via Marin, Petit-Montmirail and Épagnier.
1970. The area becomes increasingly residential while remaining largely farmed; in the 1970s the motorway replaces the « concrete road » linking Saint-Blaise to Thielle.
1 January 2009. Thielle-Wavre and Marin-Épagnier merge to form the municipality of La Tène.
26 November 2023. The voters of La Tène, Enges, Hauterive and Saint-Blaise approve the merger of their municipalities by more than 72 %.
1 January 2025. Thielle becomes a locality of the municipality of Laténa, which has 11'742 inhabitants on 31 December 2025.
Population of Thielle
| 1750 | 22 |
| 1850 | 149 |
| 1880 | 230 |
| 1900 (municipality of Thielle-Wavre) | 308 |
| 1950 (municipality of Thielle-Wavre) | 277 |
| 2000 (municipality of Thielle-Wavre) | 580 |
| 2008 (municipality of Thielle-Wavre) | 682 |
Historic sites in Thielle
Thielle castle. Seat of the civil and criminal court of the castellany of Thielle. Since the border agreement of 1895 it has stood on Bernese territory, in the municipality of Gals; privately owned, it houses a restaurant (to be cross-checked).
Pont-de-Thielle. River crossing since Roman times and site of an important seigneurial toll, ceded to the canton of Bern by the 1895 agreement.
The old inn of Thielle. Until the merger with Wavre in 1888 the inn also served as the municipal hall; it was one of the few buildings of the hamlet before the Jura water correction.
The old Neuchâtel-Bern road. Until 1947 the path crossing the hamlet towards Montmirail was part of the route from Neuchâtel to Bern via Marin and Épagnier.
Remains in Thielle
The village of Thielle-Pré de la Mottaz. Remains of a Middle Neolithic village, found in the outlet area of Lake Neuchâtel.
The lakeside settlements of Pont-de-Thielle. Neolithic and Late Bronze Age settlements, evidence of the early occupation of the banks of the Thielle.
The bridge piers of Pont-de-Thielle. The piers of at least four bridges, recorded in the 19th century, attest a crossing used in Roman times and in the Middle Ages.
The fish trap of Thielle-Bas de la Poissine. Remains of a 13th-14th century fish trap.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Thielle-Wavre »
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Thielle-Wavre »
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, article « Thielle (rivière) »
- Henry Suter, « Noms de lieux de Suisse romande, Savoie et environs » (via Wikipédia FR, article « Thièle », pour le détail étymologique de l'hydronyme)
- Commune de La Tène / Laténa, guide audio officiel « Le hameau de Thielle »
- Wikipédia FR, Thielle-Wavre
- Wikipédia EN, Thielle-Wavre
- Wikipédia FR, La Tène (Neuchâtel)
- The Swiss Spectator, Château de Thielle
- Société d'histoire et d'archéologie du canton de Neuchâtel, « Le Château de Thielle passe au canton de Berne »
- Recueil systématique de la législation neuchâteloise, Convention Berne-Neuchâtel du 18 octobre 1895 (rectification des frontières le long de la Thielle supérieure)
- Commune de Laténa, « Statistique de la population 2025 »
- Commune de Laténa, La fusion
- État de Neuchâtel, arrêté du 4 février 2026 homologuant le recensement cantonal de la population au 31 décembre 2025
- État de Neuchâtel, arrêté du 4 février 2026 homologuant le recensement cantonal de la population au 31 décembre 2025
Other villages near Thielle
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