Môtiers is a village near
Neuchâtel
Neuchâtel (, ; ; ) is a list of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the capital (political), capital of the cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Neuchâtel (canton), Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel ...
, Switzerland. It was also a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
in the district of
Val-de-Travers in the
canton of
Neuchâtel
Neuchâtel (, ; ; ) is a list of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the capital (political), capital of the cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Neuchâtel (canton), Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel ...
in Switzerland. On 1 January 2009, the former municipalities of
Boveresse,
Buttes,
Couvet
Couvet was a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Val-de-Travers (district), Val-de-Travers in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Canton of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel in Switzerland. On 1 January 2009, the former municipal ...
,
Fleurier,
Les Bayards, Môtiers,
Noiraigue,
Saint-Sulpice and
Travers merged to form the administrative district of
Val-de-Travers.
[Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz]
published by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 14 January 2010 The village is considered the capital of Val-de-Travers.
Description
The village has a population of around 800 people, but a 2012 article in
SWI swissinfo described it as "one of the busiest places in Switzerland".
[
]
Landmarks and attractions
Absinthe and wine production
The village is often associated with absinthe
Absinthe (, ) is an anise-flavored Liquor, spirit derived from several plants, including the flowers and leaves of ''Artemisia absinthium'' ("grand wormwood"), together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs. His ...
[ ("the green fairy"), since a nearly 100-year ban on the liquor][ was lifted when the ]French Senate
The Senate (, ) is the upper house of the French Parliament, with the lower house being the National Assembly (France), National Assembly, the two houses constituting the legislature of France. It is made up of 348 senators (''sénateurs'' and ...
voted to repeal the prohibition in April 2011. Môtiers then became the focal point of production and promotion of the liquor. The national Maison de l'Absinthe (Absinthe Museum) is located in the former courthouse, where absinthe distillers were formerly proscecuted.
Sparkling wine
Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it, making it fizzy. While it is common to refer to this as champagne, European Union countries legally reserve that word for products exclusively produced in the Champagne ( ...
is produced in the cellars of the former Benedictine
The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
monastery of St. Pierre in Môtiers.[
]
Museums
The Regional Museum of Val-de-Travers, called Maison des Mascarons, is located in Môtiers. It is housed in a large mansion that was rebuilt in the mid-1700s, and its name is derived from the sculpted masks ( mascarons) on the keystones on its window arches.
The Château d'Ivernois is an historic building complex dating back to the early 18th century, now owned by the Burkhardt-Felder Foundation. The foundation was established by Gerard and Theresa Burkhardt-Felder in 2002, who had lived in Australia for 25 years, where they developed an interest in both Aboriginal Australian art and motor cars.[ Gerard Burkhardt-Felder was a merchant banker, and at one time chairman of Mount Edon Gold Mines in ]Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
. Between 2003 and 2006, they converted a former agricultural building (built in 1721) and riding hall
A riding hall, indoor arena, indoor school (UK English), or indoor ring (US English) is a building (part of an equestrian facility) that is specially designed for indoor horse riding. Smaller, private buildings contain only space for riding, w ...
(built in 1856) into two museums: one dedicated to Aboriginal Australian art, called La Grange, and the other to motor cars, called Le Manège.
La Grange, the Aboriginal art museum, is a large exhibition space that has hosted a series of exhibitions showcasing the work of world-famous Aboriginal artists. It also houses a permanent collection, which includes both traditional and contemporary Aboriginal Australian art, from bark paintings and ceremonial objects to modern painting on canvas. La Grange opened in 2008, opened with an exhibition of 53 works, including boomerangs, Tiwi sculptures, and a large work by a group of artists from Wangkatungka.[
Le Manège houses a permanent exhibition of cars, ranging in date of manufacture from 1897 to 1980.][ Of the 23 cars in the museum in 2009, 14 had been purchased in Australia.][
]
Other attractions
There are caves and a waterfall nearby to explore.
People
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Republic of Geneva, Genevan philosopher (''philosophes, philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment through ...
sought and found protection in Môtiers from 1762[ under George Keith, who was the local representative of the free-thinking Frederick the Great of Prussia. While living in Môtiers, Rousseau was visited by ]James Boswell
James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 ( N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of the English writer Samuel Johnson, '' Life of Samuel ...
(December 1764) and drafted a Constitution for Corsica ( Projet de Constitution pour la Corse, 1765). After his house was stoned on the night of 6 September 1765, Rousseau left to seek refuge, first on St. Peter's Island,[ and then in Great Britain with ]David Hume
David Hume (; born David Home; – 25 August 1776) was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist who was best known for his highly influential system of empiricism, philosophical scepticism and metaphysical naturalism. Beg ...
.
Louis Agassiz
Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz ( ; ) FRS (For) FRSE (May 28, 1807 – December 14, 1873) was a Swiss-born American biologist and geologist who is recognized as a scholar of Earth's natural history.
Spending his early life in Switzerland, he recei ...
was born in Môtiers in 1807.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Motiers
Former municipalities of the canton of Neuchâtel
Villages in Switzerland