Milvignes

Milvignes is a municipality in the district of Boudry in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. It was formed on January 1, 2013 by merging the former municipalities Auvernier, Bôle and Colombier.

History

Auvernier

Auvernier is first mentioned in 1011 as Averniacum. The municipality was formerly known by its German name Avernach, however, that name is no longer used.

Bôle

Bôle is first mentioned in 1346 as Boule.

Colombier

Colombier is first mentioned in 1228 as Columbier.

Four lakeside settlements from the neolithic and the Bronze Age have been discovered in Colombier. One of the largest Roman era villas in Switzerland was excavated from under the castle in 1840–42 by Frédéric Dubois de Montperreux. It was built in multiple stages between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD into a palatial mansion with a peristyle, at least two baths with mosaics and frescoes and terraced gardens. A Merovingian graveyard was found near Colombier.

In the 11th or 12th century a fortified tower was built over the ruins of the Roman villa. It expanded in the 13th Century and by the 16th century had reached its present appearance.