La Brévine

La Brévine, 1981-2010
Climate diagram
	Temperature in ° C , precipitation in mm
	Source:

La Brévine

State :	Switzerland Switzerland
Canton :	Canton of Neuchâtel Neuchâtel (NE)
District :	No district division
BFS no. :	6432i1 f3 f4
Postal code :	2406
Coordinates :	536 726 / 203768 coordinates: 46 ° 58 '55 " N , 6 ° 36' 25" O ; CH1903: 536,726 / 20376846.98195 6.606959 1043
Height :	1043 m above sea level M.
Height range :	1023–1308 m above sea level M.
Area :	41.81 km²
Residents:	630 (December 31, 2018)
Population density :	15 inhabitants per km²
Website:	www.labrevine.ch
View of La Brévine
Location of the municipality
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La Brévine is a municipality in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland .

geography

La Brévine in winter

La Brévine is 1043 m above sea level. M. , 24 kilometers west of the canton capital Neuchâtel (linear distance ). The farming village extends in the flat area of the high valley Vallée de la Brévine in the Neuchâtel Jura , on both sides of the village stream Le Bied , near the border with France .

The area of the 41.8 km² municipal area includes the central and western part of the synclines of the Vallée de la Brévine with the Lac des Taillères, which has no drainage above ground . In the south, the municipality extends to the heights of Les Fontenettes ( 1242 m above sea level. M. ) and Crêt du Cervelet , on the 1308 m above sea level. M. the highest point of La Brévine is reached. The northern border runs on the wooded ridge of the Armont , which is up to 1266 m above sea level. M. increases. In the far west, the area extends in a narrow tip over the height of the Bois des Vaux ( 1220 m above sea level ) into the catchment area of the Doubs and up to the Rochers du Cerf ( 1195 m above sea level ). On the heights south of the Vallée de la Brévine there are extensive Jura high pastures with the typical mighty spruce trees , which either stand individually or in groups. In 1997, 2% of the municipal area was in settlements, 43% in forests and woodlands, 53% in agriculture and a little more than 2% was unproductive land.

La Brévine includes the hamlets of Le Brouillet ( 1060 m above sea level ) and Bémont ( 1050 m above sea level ) in the south-western Vallée de la Brévine, Les Taillères ( 1055 m above sea level ) north of Lac des Taillères, La Chatagne ( 1056 m above sea level ) east of La Brévine on the edge of the Marais de la Chatagne and numerous individual farms scattered across the high valley and the Jura heights. Neighboring municipalities of La Brévine are Val-de-Travers , Les Ponts-de-Martel , La Chaux-du-Milieu and Le Cerneux-Péquignot in the canton of Neuchâtel as well as Grand'Combe-Châteleu , Les Gras , Ville-du-Pont and Hauterive- la-Fresse in neighboring France .

Historic aerial photo by Werner Friedli from 1950

climate

Measuring station

La Brévine is characterized by a harsh and relatively humid climate. In winter, in the completely closed Vallée de la Brévine, a lake of cold air forms during nights of radiation (clear sky and little to no wind ensure maximum cooling of the ground via radiation). Temperatures of −30 ° C are not infrequently reached, which is why the place is named Siberia of Switzerland . On January 12, 1987, at the La Brévine measuring station, the lowest temperature ever recorded at an official MeteoSwiss station was recorded at −41.8 ° C.

Climate table

Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for La Brévine, 1981–2010

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Max. Temperature ( ° C )	0.9	2.1	5.5	9.5	14.4	17.9	20.5	20.0	16.1	12.4	6.0	2.2	O	10.7
Min. Temperature (° C)	−10.4	−10.0	−6.1	−2.5	1.5	4.3	6.6	6.0	3.6	0.5	−4.6	−7.8	O	−1.5
Temperature (° C)	−4.3	−3.5	0.1	3.9	8.6	11.7	14.2	13.4	10.0	6.4	0.8	−2.8	O	4.9

Precipitation ( mm )	144	128	132	116	141	134	131	125	127	130	134	154	Σ	1,596

Rainy days ( d )	13.3	12.2	13.7	12.6	15.0	13.0	11.9	11.8	10.6	12.7	12.5	14.4	Σ	153.7

Humidity ( % )	86	84	82	79	79	78	76	78	82	83	86	87	O	81.7

Source:

population

Population development
year	Residents
1750	1220
1850	1339
1880	1703
1900	1494
1950	1008
1960	876
1970	783
1980	654
1990	626
2000	647
2005	703

With 630 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2018), La Brévine is one of the smaller communities in the canton of Neuchâtel. 95.2% of the residents are French-speaking, 3.4% German-speaking and 0.6% Portuguese-speaking (as of 2000). The La Brévine valley was comparatively densely populated in the 18th and 19th centuries. After the peak around 1880, a population decline of more than 60% was recorded due to strong emigration, which has only been slowed down and stopped in recent years.

politics

The voting shares of the parties in the 2015 National Council election were: SVP 48.7%, FDP 21.8%, SP 11.3%, PdA 10.0%, GPS 4.1%, CVP 2.8%, glp 0.4 %, BDP 0.2%.

economy

La Brévine was an agricultural village until the 19th century . In the 18th century, spinning and lace making were introduced at home. In the course of the 19th century, this branch of business was replaced by watchmaking , which brought the valley an economic boom. Since the 18th century peat was cut in the bog areas of the Vallée de la Brévine . Today peat mining has stopped. The only industrial company is a watch factory. Agriculture is still very important, around 50% of the workforce is employed in the primary sector. Cattle breeding and dairy farming (cheese production) predominate , there is also timber trade.

traffic

The community is far away from the major thoroughfares on the cantonal road from Le Locle to Fleurier . La Brévine is connected to the public transport network by three post bus lines (to Le Locle, Fleurier and Les Bayards).

tourism

The region of La Brévine is a destination for nature lovers and those seeking relaxation. In summer, the Jura heights invite you to take long walks and hikes. The flat Vallée de la Brévine is ideal for cross-country skiing in winter.

The mineral springs of La Chatagne and Bonne-Fontaine, discovered in the middle of the 17th century, were used for cures until the end of the 19th century.

history

The Vallée de la Brévine was reclaimed by settlers from the Val de Travers from the 13th century . During the 14th century, emigrants from Burgundy immigrated . The etymology of the name La Brévine is controversial. Some sources indicate him as the word modification abreuvoir ( potions ), while others attribute it to the Celtic Bebrona back the Biberbach means. The first hamlet mentioned in a document is Bémont (1266 Bemont), Les Taillères is also mentioned as early as 1304 ( Chaul de Estaleres ).

After settlers from Le Locle and La Sagne had immigrated in the course of the 16th century , the valley came under the influence of the Valangin rule . Until 1624 La Brévine belonged to Kastlanei Val de Travers, after which it became a separate municipality with a Mairie and civil court, which was only dissolved in 1848. The name La Brévine was initially only valid for the central town, it was only in the 18th century that it was extended to the entire current municipal area. In 1831 numerous houses fell victim to a fire.

The sovereignty of La Brévine was held by the county of Neuchâtel, which became a principality in 1648 and was linked to the Kingdom of Prussia from 1707 through a personal union. In 1806 the area was ceded to Napoleon I and came to the Swiss Confederation in the course of the Congress of Vienna in 1815 , whereby the kings of Prussia until the Neuchâtel trade in 1857 also remained princes of Neuchâtel.

Attractions

The church behind the record-measuring weather station

The Reformed Church of La Brévine was built in 1604 and restored before its 400th birthday in 2003. The village, previously dependent on Le Locle, has had its own parish since 1622. In the village and in the hamlets there are numerous characteristic farmhouses of the Upper Jurassic from the 17th to 19th centuries. There is a chapel in Bémont.