Lac des Taillères
Origin of the name Lac des Taillères
The lake shares its name with the hamlet of Les Taillères on its shore and with the former Chaux-des-Taillères, the name of the valley recorded in 1304 as « Chaul de Estaleres » and in 1624 as « Chaux-d'Etalières ». The origin of the word « Taillères » is not explained in the sources consulted.
Founding of Lac des Taillères
The Lac des Taillères is a natural lake in the municipality of La Brévine, about three kilometres west of the village. It rests on an impermeable layer of Quaternary clayey moraine soils and Tertiary molasse covering Cretaceous sediments. It is fed by a few underground springs, surface runoff, rainwater and a modest stream; its outlet, controlled by a small weir, is directly linked hydraulically to the source of the Areuse. About 1.9 km long and 250 to 300 m wide, it has a maximum depth of 7 to 11 m depending on the source (to be cross-checked); its level is kept below 1'039.5 m by a sluice gate.
History of Lac des Taillères
1304. The valley containing the lake is mentioned as « Chaul de Estaleres ».
16th century. Mills are built at the Moulin du Lac, where the lake's waters drain into the sinkhole that serves as its outlet; they power threshers, fulling mills and saws.
1964. On 10 July, the Neuchâtel Council of State bans motor navigation on the lake, considered harmful to its shores and to fishing on a body of water no larger than 1'900 m by 250 m.
2017. The revised sheet for object 1005 « Vallée de La Brévine » in the Federal Inventory of Landscapes sets the goals of preserving the outline of the slopes around the lake and the wetlands along its shores.
Historic sites in Lac des Taillères
Le Moulin du Lac. Place where the lake's waters disappear into a sinkhole; mills built in the 16th century powered threshers, fulling mills and saws there.
The shores. The lake's shores carry typical vegetation, with belts of reed beds and sedge meadows.
The frozen lake. In winter the frozen lake becomes a skating rink; in summer it attracts swimmers and windsurfers (to be cross-checked).
Legends of Lac des 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
- Recueil systématique de la législation neuchâteloise, « Arrêté portant interdiction de la navigation à moteur sur le lac des Taillères » du 10 juillet 1964 (RSN 766.32)
- Mathilde Jaccard, « Balade » (La Brévine - Môtiers)
- Wikipédia, « Lac des Taillères » (à recouper)
- Wikipedia (anglais), « Lac des Taillères » (à recouper)
- geo.admin.ch, service de recherche de lieux (swisstopo)
Other villages near Lac des Taillères
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