Fontaines: Village Centre, Temple and Trails

When looking for a hotel in Fontaines, the village itself offers a concrete starting point: the village centre is laid out in a star shape and includes the Temple, the former schoolhouse, the presbytery and a restaurant. Fountains and memorials add to the local sights; architectural history and regional trails offer further themes for your stay.

Village Centre, Temple and Memorials

The history of the parish is documented as far back as 1228. Documents from the beginning of the 16th century show that the Temple was dedicated to Saint Maurice. At the beginning of that century, the building was completely rebuilt, except for the bell tower. The tower was built in 1686 by masons Daniel Dumont and Jacques Montandon.

Details inside also tell the story of the building: the choir, dating from the early 16th century, has a ribbed vault in the shape of a six-pointed star. Fragments of painted decoration from the 17th century have also been preserved in the Temple. This brings different periods together in a single building, from the rebuilding to the later additions to its decoration.

Other sights include the Bassins de Fontaines on the street of the same name. A memorial fountain by André Ramseyer, inaugurated in 1951, stands in front of the school. An obelisk-shaped stele commemorating Henri Meyer stands in the cemetery. In the industrial area, there is a fountain by Paulo Röthlisberger dating from 1966, depicting a shepherd and a dog. These different places and motifs offer several distinct points of interest in the village, without limiting the memorials to a single theme.

One restaurant in the village centre is the Manoir de la Poste at Grand-Rue 19. The métairies in Val-de-Ruz are also part of the regional offering: regional specialities are available along the many trails. This gives you both a specific restaurant name in Fontaines and a taste of the region’s food culture to help you find your way.

Trails and Landscapes in Val-de-Ruz

One cycling tour starting in Fontaines is the “Balade à vélo dans les hauteurs de Neuchâtel”; it begins in the village centre. In the region, the educational Chemins chouettes invite visitors to discover the natural and cultural heritage of Val-de-Ruz and follow the principles of ecotourism. Chemin chouette No. 6 starts at La Vue des Alpes and ends in Les Geneveys-sur-Coffrane. Along the way, it passes through natural areas with varied landscapes and a protected ecosystem.

Val-de-Ruz lies between the lake and the mountains, about halfway between Neuchâtel and La Chaux-de-Fonds. The landscape includes fields, forests and pastures; activities such as hiking, mountain biking, skiing and snowshoeing are available year-round. A high-altitude trail across Val-de-Ruz offers views of neighbouring France, the Swiss Plateau and the Alps. The tree-lined avenues connecting the villages in the region were named “Landscape of the Year 2022”.

For winter, a hiking trail is described that connects the La Vue des Alpes pass with Tête de Ran, following the cross-country ski tracks. Another nature trail with ties to local history is the “Traces & indices” educational trail: pupils from the Fontaines school developed it with the support of their teachers. It was inaugurated on 9 May 2015 in the Landeyeux forest, next to the hospital of the same name. The cycling tour starting in the village centre and the regional hiking trails offer different ways to combine your stay with outdoor activity and nature.

Discover more destinations: Les Hauts-Geneveys, Boudevilliers, La Vue Des Alpes, Montmollin, Les Geneveys-sur-Coffrane, Cernier, Savagnier, Villiers Ne.

For the broader travel overview: Val-De-Ruz.