Courtelary

Courtelary
State :	Switzerland
Canton :	Bern (BE)
Administrative district :	Bernese Jura
BFS no. :	0434
Postal code :	2608
UN / LOCODE :	CH CTY
Coordinates :	572275  /  225326 coordinates: 47 ° 10 '42 "  N , 7 ° 4' 22"  O ; CH1903:  572275  /  225326
Height :	695  m above sea level M.
Height range :	682–1545 m above sea level M.
Area :	22.21  km²
Residents:	1438 (December 31, 2018)
Population density :	53 inhabitants per km²
Website:	www.courtelary.ch
Chocolaterie Camille Bloch
Location of the municipality

Courtelary is a political municipality and capital of the administrative district of Bernese Jura in the canton of Bern in Switzerland and thus the seat of the governor .

geography

Courtelary is 695  m above sea level. M. , 14 km west-northwest of Biel / Bienne (linear distance). The clustered village extends in the central part of the Jura Long Valley Vallon de Saint-Imier on both sides of the river Schüss ( French: Suze ).

The area of ​​the 22.2 km² municipal area covers a section of the wide valley basin of the Vallon de Saint-Imier. The central part is the 500 to 700 m wide valley of the Schüss. In the north the area extends to the anticline of the Montagne du Droit (up to 1263  m above sea level ) and into the valley of Les Chaux near Les Breuleux. To the south, Courtelary extends to the height of the Chasseral chain, at 1540  m above sea level. M. the highest point of the municipality is reached. At the top of the Chasseral chain, the hard cover rock was broken up and eroded away, creating a northern and a southern ridge over the course of millions of years. In between there is an anticline valley that has already been cleared to the next hard rock layer. This vault forms a third ridge between the two outer ridges, the back of the Petit Chasseral . On the wide ridges of the Montagne du Droit and the Chasseral chain, there are extensive Jura high pastures with the typical, mighty spruce trees , either individually or in groups. In 1997, 5% of the municipal area was in settlements, 43% in forests and woodlands, 51% in agriculture and a little less than 1% was unproductive land.

Courtelary has numerous individual farms that are widely scattered in the valley and on the Jura heights. Courtelary's neighboring communities are Cormoret , Nods , Cortébert and Mont-Tramelan in the canton of Bern and Les Breuleux and La Chaux-des-Breuleux in the canton of Jura .

population

Population development
year	Residents
1850	868
1900	1,228
1910	1,337
1930	1,192
1950	1,239
1960	1,330
1970	1,462
1980	1'211
1990	1,120
2000	1,127

With 1,438 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2018) Courtelary is one of the larger municipalities in the Bernese Jura . 82.8% of the residents are French-speaking, 11.1% German-speaking and 1.9% Italian-speaking (as of 2000). Courtelary's population rose sharply, especially in the second half of the 19th century. After peaking around 1970, significant emigration was observed during the economic crisis of the 1970s. Since 1980 there has only been minor population fluctuation.

politics

The voting shares of the parties at the 2015 National Council election were: SVP 45.1%, SP 25.4%, GPS 10.0%, FDP 7.1%, BDP 4.3%, EVP 2.8%, CVP 2.0 %, glp 1.3%.

economy

Courtelary was an agricultural village until the end of the 19th century ; there was also a sawmill and a forge . The industrialization began around 1875 with the establishment of a pulp factory. Around 1900, and thus relatively late in comparison to the other communities in the valley, watchmaking also gained a foothold in Courtelary. Together with the machine industry it helped the place to an economic boom. With the crisis in watchmaking after 1970, there was a diversification in the field of the industrial sector. Today, the chocolate factory Chocolats Camille Bloch SA, whose headquarters have been in Courtelary since 1935, as well as the mechanical, electronic and textile industries offer numerous jobs in town. Agriculture with cattle breeding and dairy farming , and in the lower areas also arable and fruit growing , still play an important role. 13% of the workforce is still employed in agriculture.

traffic

Courtelary from the train station

The community has good transport links. It is located on the busy main road from Biel / Bienne to La Chaux-de-Fonds . On April 30, 1874, the railway line from Biel to Convers was opened with a train station in Courtelary. The airfield (ICAO code: LSZJ) is located on the Schüss plain to the east of the village and is home to the Biel / Bienne glider group and the Groupe vol à voile Courtelary.

history

Aerial photo (1950)

The first written mention of the village took place in 962 under the name Curtis Alerici , later the names Curte Alesi (1175) and Cortaleri (1178) appeared. The place name probably goes back to the court of a Burgundian named Alaric . Courtelary belonged to the Moutier-Grandval monastery , but the Saint-Imier chapter also owned goods in the municipality.

The village shared the fate of the Erguel rule , which was subordinate to the Duchy of Basel , but was increasingly influenced by the city of Biel / Bienne over time. In 1530 Biel introduced the Reformation against the will of the valley residents . They concluded a castle right with the city of Solothurn and insisted on a right of self-determination. As a result of this treaty, Courtelary was established in 1604 and the village became the seat of the Erguel Bailiwick in 1606. Courtelary was badly affected during the Thirty Years' War .

After the French troops moved into the Principality of Basel in 1792, Courtelary was for a short time the seat of an Assemblée législative du Pays d'Erguel , which sought to create an independent republic. However, these attempts failed. From 1797 to 1815 Courtelary belonged to France and was the capital of a canton of the Mont-Terrible department , from 1800 of the Haut-Rhin department , in which Mont-Terrible was absorbed. As a result of the decision of the Congress of Vienna , the place came to the canton of Bern in 1815 , became the main place of the Erguel Oberamt and in 1831 of the practically congruent Courtelary district.

Attractions

See also : List of Cultural Assets in Courtelary

Schoolhouse in the homeland style

Today's reformed village church can look back on a long history. It was built in the 10th or 11th century and dedicated to St. Himerius. The Romanesque building was expanded in 1372, 1642 and 1773 and subsequently restored several times. It contains wall paintings that are believed to date from the 15th century. The prefecture, today's town hall , is the castle, built in 1606, which served as the residence of the bailiffs of Erguel. Renovations took place in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The home-style schoolhouse dates from 1908. The Catholic chapel was built in 1971.

Personalities

• Paul Miche , Swiss composer
• Eugenio Santoro (1920–2006), Italian-Swiss sculptor

Web links

Commons : Courtelary  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website of the Municipality of Courtelary (French)
• Anne Beuchat-Bessire: Courtelary (parish). In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Permanent resident population from STAT-TAB of the BfS , municipalities see also regional portraits 2020 on bfs.admin.ch, accessed on May 29, 2020
2. ↑ Results of the Courtelary Municipality. State Chancellery of the Canton of Bern, October 18, 2015, accessed on April 17, 2016 .