Cormondrèche
Origin of the name Cormondrèche
The village appears around 1220 as « Cormundreschi ». Older forms are given for 1179 (« Cormundresge », sometimes dated 1178) and for 1215 (« Cormundresche ») (to be cross-checked). The name is usually explained by Latin curtis (estate) followed by a Germanic personal name, reconstructed as « Munderic », meaning « Munderic's estate » (to be cross-checked). The inhabitants are called Cormontants; in patois the village is called « Cmondretche » and nicknamed « La Tchère Frétche » (fresh flesh), its inhabitants being nicknamed the Brêmes (to be cross-checked).
Founding of Cormondrèche
No founding charter or founder is known: the village is thought to have grown out of an early medieval farming estate (curtis) (to be cross-checked). The territory of the former municipality of Corcelles-Cormondrèche has yielded Hallstatt-period burial mounds and a 7th-century grave. Cormondrèche, a street village on a terrace, shared with Corcelles a general commune that managed the forests, granted by the count of Neuchâtel in 1357-1359, as well as the church, worship, poor relief and policing. From the early 17th to the mid-19th century the corporation of Cormondrèche ran its own schools, fountains and night watch. The village belonged to the mairie of La Côte until 1848. The cantonal law on municipalities of 1875, supplemented in 1888, led to the political municipality of Corcelles-Cormondrèche, which joined the municipality of Neuchâtel on 1 January 2021.
History of Cormondrèche
Hallstatt period. Burial mounds are raised on the territory of the former municipality of Corcelles-Cormondrèche.
7th century. A grave from this period was found on the territory of the former municipality.
1092. Foundation of the priory of Corcelles in the neighbouring village, around a church dedicated to Notre-Dame.
1179. Presumed mention as « Cormundresge » (1178 according to another dating) (to be cross-checked).
around 1220. The village appears as « Cormundreschi »; the form « Cormundresche » is also given for 1215 (the latter to be cross-checked).
1357-1359. The count of Neuchâtel grants forests to the communities of Corcelles and Cormondrèche; they become their main wealth.
15th century. Corcelles and Cormondrèche together count some fifty hearths, about 200 inhabitants.
1530. With the Reformation the secularised property of the priory of Corcelles is divided between the countess of Neuchâtel and the lord of Colombier.
1569. Claude de Montmollin, former mayor of La Côte, has a house built on the site of the present castle.
early 17th century. Until the mid-19th century the corporation of Cormondrèche runs the schools, fountains and night watch.
1629. A plague epidemic is said to have claimed 160 victims in Cormondrèche (to be cross-checked).
1648. Neuchâtel, to which Cormondrèche belongs, becomes a sovereign principality.
1707. Personal union of the principality of Neuchâtel with the kingdom of Prussia.
1720. After passing through the Merveilleux, Chambrier, Marval and Montmollin families, the property goes to Frédéric de Chambrier.
1796. Establishment of a joint watch service between Corcelles and Cormondrèche.
1806. The principality of Neuchâtel is ceded by the king of Prussia to Napoleon I, who grants it as a fief to his marshal Alexandre Berthier.
1815. Neuchâtel joins the Swiss Confederation as the 21st canton, while simultaneously remaining a Prussian principality until 1857.
1838. End of the joint parish with Coffrane, Les Geneveys-sur-Coffrane and Montmollin.
1848. End of the mairie of La Côte; Cormondrèche belongs to the district of Boudry until 2017.
1859-1860. Construction of the Jura industriel line and of Corcelles-Peseux station; the railway separates the two villages.
1861. Construction of the old school building of Corcelles.
1875-1888. The cantonal law on municipalities in force from 1875, supplemented in 1888, leads to the political municipality of Corcelles-Cormondrèche; its founding year is given sometimes as 1875, sometimes as 1888 (to be cross-checked).
1881. After many works and extensions the castle takes on its present appearance.
1902. Opening of tram line no. 4 linking Neuchâtel to Corcelles.
20th century. Once agricultural and winegrowing, the locality industrialises and becomes a suburban municipality.
1976. The trolleybus replaces the tram on the line serving Corcelles.
2004. The cantonal road H10 running through the locality is diverted into a semi-covered trench.
2021. On 1 January Corcelles-Cormondrèche merges with Neuchâtel, Peseux and Valangin; Cormondrèche becomes a locality of the new municipality of Neuchâtel.
Population of Cormondrèche
| 15th century | 50 hearths (households), about 200 inhabitants (Corcelles and Cormondrèche combined) |
| 1750 | 562 (former municipality of Corcelles-Cormondrèche) |
| 1850 | 823 |
| 1900 | 1'460 |
| 1950 | 2'243 |
| 1960 | 2'932 (to be cross-checked) |
| 1970 | 3'320 (to be cross-checked) |
| 1980 | 3'141 (to be cross-checked) |
| 1990 | 3'336 |
| 2000 | 3'914 |
| 2010 | 4'624 |
| 2020 | 4'752 (cantonal census at 31.12.2020) |
Historic sites in Cormondrèche
Cormondrèche Castle. Located at Rue du Château 2, it replaces the house built in 1569 by Claude de Montmollin, former mayor of La Côte. The property passed to the Merveilleux, Chambrier, Marval and Montmollin families, then in 1720 to Frédéric de Chambrier; after many works and extensions the building took on its present appearance in 1881. It now hosts concerts.
Grand-Rue de Cormondrèche. Historic main artery of the village, lined with winegrowers' and bourgeois houses from the 16th to 18th centuries, witnesses to the village's wine-growing vocation until the mid-20th century. Several remarkable buildings stand there, including the Caves du Prieuré, the Maison de Lully and the Manoir.
Caves du Prieuré (Grand-Rue 25). The name of this house is said to recall a vanished wine-pressing site that belonged to the priory of Saint-Pierre in Môtiers (to be cross-checked).
Maison de Lully (Grand-Rue 28). An early 16th-century house with remarkable architectural features inside. Its name is said to recall Joseph de Praroman, lord of Lully, owner in the 18th century (to be cross-checked).
Le Manoir. A winegrower's house on the Grand-Rue made up of four buildings, standing on a plot occupied before the 16th century and mentioned from 1529.
Themed trails of Corcelles-Cormondrèche. Three themed walks of about one hour each (maximum 3 km each) allow visitors to discover the historic centre of the village, the vineyards with views over the lake and the Alps, and the forest, dotted with around forty explanatory panels.
Remains in Cormondrèche
Hallstatt-period burial mounds. Hallstatt-period burial mounds were found on the territory of the former municipality of Corcelles-Cormondrèche; their exact location is not given.
7th-century grave. A 7th-century grave was found on the territory of the former municipality of Corcelles-Cormondrèche.
Memory of the Môtiers priory wine cellar. The wine-pressing site that belonged to the priory of Saint-Pierre in Môtiers has disappeared; its memory is said to survive in the name of the house called « Caves du Prieuré », Grand-Rue 25 (to be cross-checked).
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Corcelles-Cormondrèche » (version du 28.10.2021)
- Wikipédia (français) : Cormondrèche
- Wikipédia (français) : Corcelles-Cormondrèche
- Wikipédia (allemand) : Corcelles-Cormondrèche
- Wikipédia (anglais) : Corcelles-Cormondrèche
- Ville de Neuchâtel, site officiel : page Corcelles-Cormondrèche (tourisme et patrimoine)
- Ville de Neuchâtel, site officiel (informations générales sur la fusion de 2021)
- Ville de Neuchâtel, « Histoire des villages de Corcelles et Cormondrèche » (Ann Robert, PDF)
- État de Neuchâtel, arrêté du 10 février 2021 portant homologation des résultats du recensement cantonal de la population du 31 décembre 2020
Other villages near Cormondrèche
Missing information, or do you have a source? Suggest a correction or addition. Every submission is checked before it's published.
Suggest a change