Vallée des Ponts
The Vallée des Ponts , officially also known as Vallée de la Sagne ( practically only known by the latter name in the canton of Neuchâtel ), is an approximately 18 km long closed high valley at 1000 m above sea level. M. in the Neuchâtel Jura , in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland . The name only has something to do with bridges in a distant sense. He points out the wooden paths and footbridges that were previously necessary to cross the raised bog.
geology
From a geological point of view, the Vallée des Ponts forms a syncline between two Jura chains, the chain of Grand Som Martel and Mont Sagne in the west and that of Mont Racine and Tête de Ran in the east. The lower part of the completely closed syncline is filled with molasses from the tertiary period . The moraine material from the Ice Age glaciers lay on top of this . Measurements showed a sedimentation layer up to 400 m thick. Since some of these layers are impermeable to water, an extensive raised bog formed over time . The Bois des Lattes is the largest arched peat bog in Switzerland. The peat bogs of the Vallée de la Sagne were exploited until not long ago, but the Neuchâtel conservationists, especially Archibald Quartier, were vehemently committed to protecting these bogs.
topography
The valley extends in accordance with the general direction of the Jura in the Neuchâtel area from northeast to southwest. It starts at around 1150 m above sea level. M. at the height between La Chaux-de-Fonds and the Vue des Alpes pass . During the first 4 km the valley floor is about 500 m wide and falls to a height of 1040 m above sea level. M. slightly off. To the southwest of La Sagne , the valley opens to a width of 1 km, only to get wider as it goes on until it reaches the maximum width of 3 km at Les Ponts-de-Martel . The valley floor is completely flat at an altitude of 1000 m above sea level. The south-western end is formed by the section of La Côte des Emposieux and Combe Varin , which is only around 30 to 70 m higher than the valley floor. South of this bar, the terrain drops steeply 300 m to the lower Val de Travers .
Hydrology
The uppermost part of the Vallée des Ponts has no surface running water. The most important stream is the Bied , partly also Grand Bied , which has its source in the Combe des Quignets , an erosion valley on the western slope of the Tête de Ran. At La Sagne it enters the main valley with a small embankment fan and then flows - now largely corrected and straightened - to the southwest. At Les Ponts-de-Martel it sinks slightly into the peat layers. Here its course is largely natural with numerous meanders. From the opposite direction it takes on the side stream, also called Bied, and changes its direction of flow abruptly to the northwest from the mouth, where it meanders through a valley up to 10 m deep. At Le Voisinage, a district of Les Ponts-de-Martel, the stream disappears into a seepage funnel. In the vicinity of this funnel there are three sinkholes up to 20 m deep . In one of these sinkholes is 978 m above sea level. M. reached the lowest point of the Vallée des Ponts.
The seeped water reappears on the surface about 4 km south and 270 m deeper at the town of Noiraigue in the Source de la Noiraigue and flows into the Areuse after only about 700 m running distance .
population
The area of the Vallée des Ponts is shared by three municipalities: the regional center Les Ponts-de-Martel in the west, Brot-Plamboz in the southeast and the street -lined village of La Sagne in the northeast. The uppermost part of the valley belongs to the municipality of the town of La Chaux-de-Fonds , and in the extreme southwest the municipality of Travers also owns a small portion. 2465 inhabitants live in the high valley (end of 2003), 94.5% of whom state French and 3.3% German as their mother tongue.
Cultural history
The first clearings in the area of the high valley were undertaken towards the end of the 12th century under the Lords of Valangin . Because they wanted to bring the area under their rule, they assured the colonists extensive tax exemption. Land grabbing and reclamation began at the beginning of the 14th century by emigrants from the canton of Vaud , later settlers from the Val de Ruz also came. Settlements emerged preferentially on the western edge of the valley (on the sunny side) and on the adjacent slopes, while the eastern side of the valley has only small farm settlements.
The residents lived mainly from pasture farming. Since the 15th century peat was cut in the moorland , which served as fuel for the stoves and ovens. At first this was only done for personal use, but from the 18th century peat became an increasingly popular commercial product. The main buyers were the surrounding towns of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Le Locle and Neuchâtel . Peat mining reached its peak during the two world wars, since then it has declined sharply and in 1991 it was stopped entirely. Large parts of the valley floor were removed by up to 3 m as a result of centuries of large-scale peat extraction. As a result of the drainage of the valley floor, a lot of meadow and pasture land was gained. Only the south-western part is still boggy today, and the only natural part with pine and birch trees and typical raised bog plants is the Bois des Lattes area , which is a protected area. Scientific studies are also carried out here by the University of Neuchâtel.
In the course of the 18th century , spinning and lace making were introduced to the Vallée des Ponts as a homeworker. At the end of the century clock production was added, the heyday of which led to an economic boom in the 19th century . The structure of employment in the valley was entirely geared towards the watch industry. With the crisis in this branch of industry from the 1930s on, there was a significant loss of population through emigration.
Today the residents secure their livelihood by farming , with cattle breeding and dairy farming as well as cheese making predominate. In the industrial sector, the construction of agricultural machines and construction have a certain importance. Many workers are also commuters and work in the surrounding cities.
traffic
The Vallée des Ponts is crossed by the main road from Neuchâtel over the La Tourne pass to Le Locle. Canton roads, which connect the settlements and hamlets with each other, run along both valley edges. Les Ponts-de-Martel is the terminus of the meter-gauge railway line of the former Ponts – Sagne – Chaux-de-Fonds-Bahn (PSC), which opened on July 26, 1889 and has been operated by the Transports Régionaux Neuchâtelois (TRN) since 1999 Connects the valley with La Chaux-de-Fonds.
tourism
The valley and the adjacent heights are excursion destinations for nature lovers and those looking for relaxation. In recent years, Pro Natura has set up a moorland experience path that illuminates both nature and cultural history. In winter the area is ideal for cross-country skiing .