Orvin

This article deals with the municipality of Orvin in Switzerland; for other meanings of the same name, see Orvin (disambiguation) .

Orvin
State :	Switzerland
Canton :	Bern (BE)
Administrative district :	Bernese Jura
BFS no. :	0438
Postal code :	2534
Coordinates :	582 959  /  223343 coordinates: 47 ° 9 '39 "  N , 7 ° 12' 50"  O ; CH1903:  582 959  /  223343
Height :	669  m above sea level M.
Height range :	518–1340 m above sea level M.
Area :	21.59  km²
Residents:	1225 (December 31, 2018)
Population density :	57 inhabitants per km²
Website:	www.orvin.ch
Orvin
Location of the municipality

Orvin is a municipality in the Bernese Jura administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland . The former German name Ilfingen is hardly used today.

geography

Orvin is 669  m above sea level. M. , 3 km northwest of Biel (air line). The clustered village extends in the valley of the Orvine , a right side stream of the Schüss ( French: Suze ), in a valley basin in the southern Jura .

The area of ​​the 21.4 km² municipal area includes the east-sloping valley basin of Orvin in the central part. The southern boundary is the mostly wooded anticline of the Magglingen ridge (up to 1092  m above sea level ). In the north the area extends to the ridge of the easternmost part of the Chasseral chain, the southern slope of which is very steep, especially above the village, and criss-crossed by ledges and is therefore a popular climbing area. 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 ridge of the Jobert ( 1314  m above sea level ), over which the northern border of Orvin runs. On the wide ridge of the Chasseral chain, which is 1340  m above sea level. M. has the highest point of the community, there are extensive Jura high pastures with the typical mighty spruce trees , which are either individually or in groups. In the west the municipality extends to the Mont Sujet (up to 1,337  m above sea level ), in the far east it extends to the Schüss between the two typical Jurassic clusters Taubenlochschlucht and Klus von Rondchâtel . In 1997, 4% of the municipal area was in settlements, 59% in forests and woodland, 36% in agriculture and a little less than 1% was unproductive land.

Orvin includes the hamlet of Jorat ( 749  m above sea level ) in the valley basin west of the village, the holiday home and weekend house area Les Prés-d'Orvin ( 1020  m above sea level ) in a panoramic position on the southern slope of the Chasseral chain high above the village as well as several individual farms. Orvin's neighboring communities are Corgémont , Sonceboz-Sombeval , Péry-La Heutte , Sauge , Biel / Bienne , Evilard , Plateau de Diesse and Nods .

population

With 1225 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2018) Orvin is one of the larger communities in the Bernese Jura . Of the residents, 82.5% are French-speaking, 14.2% German-speaking and 1.1% speak Albanian (as of 2000). The population of Orvin was 659 in 1850, and 766 in 1900. Since 1960 (796 inhabitants) a significant increase in population has been recorded.

politics

The voting shares of the parties at the 2015 National Council election were: SVP 40.5%, SP 24.0%, GPS 9.8%, BDP 7.5%, FDP 5.5%, EDU 4.0%, EVP 2.8 %, glp 2.1%, CVP 1.6%, PdA 1.2%.

economy

Orvin used to be mainly characterized by agriculture , with arable and fruit growing in the valley basin, and meadowland and pastures in the higher and more shady areas. Today only 12% of the workforce is employed in agriculture. The village has meanwhile transformed into a residential community with some businesses in electromechanics , mechanical engineering , textile processing and local small businesses. Many people in employment are commuters and work in the city of Biel.

traffic

The municipality is located on the cantonal road from Frinvillier to the Montagne de Diesse plateau . The village is connected to the public transport network by a bus line operated by the Bieler Verkehrsbetriebe (formerly the Postbus), which runs from Biel via Frinvillier via Orvin to Les Pres d'Orvin.

tourism

Les Prés-d'Orvin is a popular excursion destination and hiking area with numerous holiday and weekend homes. During the middle of winter, two ski lifts and three baby lifts are in operation on the northeast slope of Mont Sujet. A total of 7 km of slopes and a toboggan run are available.

history

In the village center

During the Roman period , the Vy d'Etra, a partially paved road, passed the place where it is today. Orvin was first mentioned in writing in 866 in a document confirming the Moutier-Grandval monastery in Ulwinc . Numerous other names appear later: Ulvingen (968), Ulvench (1179), Ulveins (1228). From this, the German name Ilfingen developed via the umlaut from / u / der and the French name Orvin via opening from / u / to / o / and developing / l / to / r / . The place name goes back to the Germanic personal name Wulf, Romanized Ulf .

Until 1797 the village belonged to the Erguel lordship , which was subordinate to the Duchy of Basel , although the city of Biel also exerted greater influence at times. In the years 1724, 1754 and 1801 numerous houses fell victim to village fires. From 1797 to 1815 Orvin belonged to France and was initially part of the Mont-Terrible department , which was linked to the Haut-Rhin department in 1800 . Through the decision of the Congress of Vienna , the place came to the Canton of Bern in 1815 . During the age of railroad construction , Orvin became more and more isolated. The area changed in 1880 when the hamlet of Pré de Macolin was ceded to Evilard.

Attractions

See also : List of cultural assets in Orvin

Today's Reformed Parish Church was built in 1722 on a ridge south of the town center on the site of a late Gothic previous building. It has church windows from the 17th and 18th centuries and wall paintings from the construction period. The town center with cobbled streets and closely spaced houses from the 17th to 19th centuries has a southern character.

Personalities

• Théophile-Rémy Frêne (1727–1804), Reformed pastor and scholar, born in Orvin

Web links

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

• Christine Gagnebin-Deacon: Orvin. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
• Official website of the municipality of Orvin (French)
• Official website of the Les Prés-d'Orvin ski area (French)

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 Orvin community. State Chancellery of the Canton of Bern, October 18, 2015, accessed on April 17, 2016 . 
3. ↑ Lexicon of Swiss municipality names . Edited by the Center de Dialectologie at the University of Neuchâtel under the direction of Andres Kristol. Frauenfeld / Lausanne 2005, p. 687.