Monruz

Canton of Neuchâtel · Region: Littoral · 45'455 inhabitants (31.12.2025, municipality of Neuchâtel)

Part of the municipality of Neuchâtel

No population figure is published for this locality: the figure shown is that of the municipality of Neuchâtel.

Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Must-see historical sites Remains Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Monruz

The etymology of the name Monruz and the date of its first written mention have not been established: the origin of the name remains unexplained.

Founding of Monruz

Monruz was not founded as a village: it is a lakeshore locality which, together with La Favarge, formed a hamlet of the former municipality of La Coudre, a small wine-growing village on the route of the Vy d'Etra. The site had however been occupied long before: around 13'000 BC, Magdalenian hunters set up an open-air camp here, discovered during the construction of the A5 motorway. Monruz became part of the town of Neuchâtel with La Coudre, whose merger, approved in February 1929, took effect on 1 January 1930. The area was then built up, notably with the arrival of the Favag factory (to be cross-checked).

History of Monruz

around 13'700/13'600 BC. Date of jet pendants depicting stylised women, found in the Magdalenian camp.

around 13'000 BC. Magdalenian hunters set up an open-air camp on the lakeshore with hearths, flint tools and bones.

around 11'000 BC. Azilian hunters in turn frequent the site.

February 1929. The citizens of La Coudre, of which Monruz is a hamlet, approve the merger with Neuchâtel by 71 votes to 46.

1 January 1930. The merger takes effect: Monruz becomes a district of the town of Neuchâtel.

1931. The company that grew out of Mathias Hipp's telegraph workshop, the future Favag, moves to Monruz (to be cross-checked).

second half of the 20th century. Favag employs over 1'000 people at its peak and the area fills with residential buildings (to be cross-checked).

1989-1992. Excavation of the Magdalenian site, discovered during construction of the A5 motorway along the lake.

2007. Publication of the study of the Magdalenian site of Monruz in the Archéologie neuchâteloise series (volume 38).

since 2023. The « Les Gouttes d'Or » housing project is launched on the lakeshore, on land granted by the town under a building lease.

Historic sites in Monruz

Monruz beach. Public beach on Lake Neuchâtel, a bathing spot popular with the town's residents.

The former Favag site. Buildings of the former Favag electrical and telephone equipment factory, which had over 1'000 employees (to be cross-checked); part of them now houses new activities, including a coworking space.

The Gouttes d'Or district. Housing development on the lakeshore on a plot granted by the town under a building lease, with six buildings set in a park open to the public.

The Laténium, nearby. The cantonal archaeology museum, located in Hauterive, holds the collections from the Magdalenian site of Monruz.

Remains in Monruz

The Magdalenian camp of Monruz. Excavated from 1989 to 1992, this open-air camp is one of the most important Magdalenian sites in Switzerland. It stands out for the exceptional preservation of its occupation level and for about forty flat or basin-shaped hearths. Wild horse was the main game (to be cross-checked). The site itself has disappeared beneath the motorway.

The jet pendants (« Venus of Monruz »). Three small jet pendants depicting highly schematic female figures, dated around 13'700/13'600 BC. Their resemblance to the figurines from Petersfels in Germany has been noted (to be cross-checked).

Ornaments from afar. Nineteen perforated fossil shells from the Steinheim basin in Germany, some 300 km away, are reported among the finds (to be cross-checked).

Sources

Other villages near Monruz

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