Prêles

Prêles (German Pregelz)
State :	Switzerland
Canton :	Bern (BE)
Administrative district :	Bernese Jura
Residential municipality :	Plateau de Diesse
Postal code :	2515
former BFS no. :	0725
Coordinates :	576 719  /  216601 coordinates: 47 ° 6 '0'  N , 7 ° 7 '55 "  O ; CH1903:  576,719  /  216601
Height :	822  m above sea level M.
Area :	6.98  km²
Residents:	897 (December 31, 2013)
Population density :	129 inhabitants per km²
Website:	www.preles.ch
The village of Prêles in spring, from the southeast
map

Parish before the merger on January 1, 2014

Until December 31, 2013, Prêles was a political municipality in the Bernese Jura administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland . The German name Prägelz ( Bern German Präguz ) is mostly used by German-speaking Swiss . On January 1, 2014 Prêles merged with the other two former municipalities of Diesse and Lamboing to form the new municipality of Plateau de Diesse .

geography

Prêles is 822  m above sea level. M. , ten kilometers west-southwest of Biel (as the crow flies). The village extends in a panoramic location on a slight elevation on the southern edge of the plateau of the Montagne de Diesse (German Tessenberg ) above Lake Biel . When the weather is clear, the view extends from Prêles over the Swiss Plateau to the Alps .

The area of ​​the seven square kilometers large former municipal area includes the ridge of Prêles, which is the Jura antiklinale closest to Lake Biel . The eastern boundary of the municipal area is formed by the steep drop to the Twannbach Gorge, which breaks through this anticline. In the north and west, the area extends to the plateau of the Plateau de Diesse ( 800  m above sea level ). The highest point of Prêles is 926  m above sea level. M. at the height of Sur la Roche southwest of the village. In 1997, 10% of the municipal area was in settlements, 27% in forests and woodlands, 62% in agriculture and a little less than 1% was unproductive land.

The hamlet of Châtillon ( 812  m above sea level ) and several individual farms belong to Prêles . The correctional home for male adolescents, which has existed since 1929, was closed in 2016. Until December 31, 2013 , neighboring communities of Prêles were Nods , Diesse , Lamboing , Twann-Tüscherz , Ligerz and La Neuveville in the canton of Bern and Lignières in the canton of Neuchâtel .

population

With 897 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2013) Prêles was one of the medium-sized communities in the Bernese Jura . 65.5% of the residents are French-speaking, 30.5% German-speaking and 0.9% Italian-speaking (as of 2000). The population of Prêles was 330 in 1850, and 375 in 1900. A continuous increase was recorded over the course of the 20th century, especially since 1980 (649 inhabitants).

politics

The voting shares of the parties on the occasion of the National Council elections in 2011 were: SP 27.0%, SVP 23.7%, GPS 14.3%, FDP 11.6%, BDP 5.6%, EDU 5.0%, glp 4.5 %, EVP 3.7%, CVP 1.9%.

economy

Prêles was mainly characterized by agriculture until the middle of the 20th century . Since around 1980 the village has developed into a residential community, which has led to a marked increase in population. An extensive new residential area was built southwest of the village. Today there are jobs in mechanics and local trades. However, many workers are commuters and work in Biel or in the La Neuveville region.

Transport and tourism

The village is located off the main thoroughfares on a cantonal road that leads from La Neuveville to the Plateau de Diesse and to Frinvillier . From La Neuveville there is a postbus course to Prêles, which also serves the other Bernese communities on the Plateau de Diesse. In 1912 the cable car from Ligerz to Prêles was opened. This train, the Ligerz-Tessenberg-Bahn , was the beginning of the tourist development of the Tessenberg as well as the construction of hotels and holiday homes.

history

The first written mention of Prêles under the name Prales took place in 1078. In the following time the name developed via Prelos (1195), Préelle (1294) and Bredels (1352) to Prêles. The place name is derived from the Latin word pratellum ( small meadow ). Both the Saint-Imier chapter and the Sankt Johannsen monastery owned goods in Prêles. The noble de Perls are mentioned from the 12th to the 15th century . The place belonged to the Principality of Basel , which was primarily responsible for judicial and military matters, while the city of Bern , represented by the Mayor of Nidau , handled church affairs. From 1798 to 1815 Prêles belonged to France and was initially part of the Mont-Terrible department , which was linked to the Haut-Rhin department in 1800 . As a result of the decision of the Congress of Vienna , the place came to the canton of Bern to the Erlach district and in 1846 to the new La Neuveville district . In 1861 numerous houses fell victim to a village fire.

Until December 31, 2013 Prêles was an independent municipality .

Attractions

See also : List of cultural assets in Plateau de Diesse

Prêles has a well-preserved town center with farmhouses that were built after the fire in 1861. The village does not have its own church, it belongs to the parish of Diesse .

Web links

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

• Official website of the municipality of Prêles (French)
• Frédy Dubois: Prêles. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Prêles youth home (prison) Police and military directorate - Canton of Bern. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on February 3, 2017 ; accessed on May 15, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ↑ http://www.wahlarchiv.sites.be.ch/wahlen2011/target/NAWAInternetAction.do@method=read&sprache=d&typ=21&gem=725.html accessed on March 15, 2012