Champ-du-Moulin
Origin of the name Champ-du-Moulin
Name origin: not explained by the sources consulted. Champ-du-Moulin is first mentioned in 1512; the old written form is not given by the source consulted.
Founding of Champ-du-Moulin
Champ-du-Moulin is not a municipality: this hamlet in the Areuse gorges belongs to two municipalities. Champ-du-Moulin-Dessous is part of the municipality of Boudry, while Champ-du-Moulin-Dessus belonged to the former municipality of Brot-Dessous, which comprised Brot-Dessous, Fretereules and part of Champ-du-Moulin, and has been part of the municipality of Rochefort since the merger of 1 January 2016. The sources consulted name neither a founder nor a date of foundation; the place is first mentioned in 1512. The burghers of Boudry acquired important rights there through various purchases. The hamlet grew up around a former powder mill converted into a manor house, which hosted Jean-Jacques Rousseau in 1764, and then, at the end of the 19th century, around hotels frequented by walkers in the gorges.
History of Champ-du-Moulin
1512. First mention of Champ-du-Moulin.
1722. Construction of a powder mill with a dwelling, the future « Maison Rousseau ».
1753. Destroyed by an explosion, the building is rebuilt for Jean-Jacques Cand.
1764. The house hosts Jean-Jacques Rousseau; on 9 September 1764 he writes from Champ-du-Moulin to Marie Anne Alissan de La Tour and to his publisher Marc Michel Rey.
1811. A farmhouse belonging to Jonas Henry Ducommun is destroyed by fire; his widow has it rebuilt in 1832.
1878. Philippe Suchard builds the Hôtel-pension du Sentier des Gorges.
1885. Louis-François Perrier, an architect in Neuchâtel and future Federal Councillor, acquires the Maison Rousseau; in 1898 he builds new outbuildings there.
1888. Adèle Frasse fits out rooms in the Neuchâtel farmhouse.
1897-1898. The farmhouse rebuilt in 1832 is completely converted and becomes the Hôtel de la Truite.
1903. Construction of an annex (the present « Arsenal ») used as a dining and concert hall.
1905-1906. Construction of the Grande Salle of the Hôtel de la Truite, the fourth and last hotel building on the site.
1917. The Maison Rousseau, donated to the State, is restored.
1930. Closure of the Hôtel de la Truite.
1963. The Confederation acquires the Grande Salle, later converted into an arsenal.
1986. Demolition of the Hôtel-pension du Sentier des Gorges.
1998-1999. The Maison Rousseau is converted to house the Maison de la nature neuchâteloise.
2012-2015. Creation of the Fondation Champ-du-Moulin, restoration work and inauguration in June 2015.
2016. On 1 January the former municipality of Brot-Dessous, to which part of Champ-du-Moulin belonged, is absorbed by the municipality of Rochefort.
Historic sites in Champ-du-Moulin
Maison Rousseau. Former powder mill and dwelling of 1722, rebuilt in 1753, which hosted Jean-Jacques Rousseau in 1764. Donated to the State and restored in 1917, it has housed the Maison de la nature neuchâteloise since 1998-1999 and also serves as group accommodation. Its address is Dessous Champ-du-Moulin 10, which would place it in the part of the hamlet belonging to Boudry (to be cross-checked).
Hôtel de la Truite. Former farmhouse rebuilt in 1832 and converted into a hotel in 1897-1898; closed in 1930, the complex was restored by the Fondation Champ-du-Moulin and inaugurated in June 2015. The trout also stood for Champ-du-Moulin in the coat of arms of the former municipality of Brot-Dessous.
The Areuse gorges. The hamlet lies at the heart of the Areuse gorges, at the foot of the Creux du Van, on the walkers' route between Noiraigue and Boudry.
Sources
- Fondation Champ-du-Moulin, « Historique »
- Maison de la nature neuchâteloise, « Historique de la Maison Rousseau » (d'après le recensement architectural du canton de Neuchâtel)
- Tourisme neuchâtelois (j3l.ch), « Maison Rousseau »
- Tourisme neuchâtelois (j3l.ch), « Hôtel de la Truite »
- Electronic Enlightenment, lieu « Champ du Moulin » (lettres de Rousseau du 9 septembre 1764)
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Boudry » (Germain Hausmann)
- Commune de Boudry, « Géographie »
- Commune de Rochefort, « Histoire »
- Commune de Rochefort, « La commune en bref »
- État de Neuchâtel, arrêté du 4 février 2026 homologuant le recensement cantonal de la population au 31 décembre 2025
- geo.admin.ch, service de recherche de lieux (swisstopo)
Other villages near Champ-du-Moulin
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