Courtelary

Chocolaterie Camille Bloch

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

Geography

Courtelary lies 695 m above sea level. M., 14 km west-northwest of Biel / Bienne ( straight line ). The scattered village extends in the central part of the Jura latitudinal Vallon de Saint -Imier on both sides of the river of Suze ( Suze French ).

The area of ​​22.2 km ² large municipality area includes a portion of the wide valley basin of the Vallon de Saint- Imier. The central part takes the 500 to 700 m wide Talniederung Schüss. In the north, the area extends to the anticline of the Montagne du Droit (up to 1,263 m above sea level. M. ) and up into the valley of Les Chaux at Les Breuleux. To the south Courtelary extends to the height of Chasseral chain on with 1'540 m above sea level. M. the highest point of the municipality is reached. At the apex of the Chasseral chain the hard cap rock was broken and eroded away, which in the course of millions of years, a northern and a southern ridge formed. In between is an inlier, which is already cleared up to the next hard rock layer. This arch is formed between the two outer ridges a third ridge, the back of the Petit Chasseral. On the wide ridges of the Montagne du Droit and the Chasseral chain is extended Jura high grazing pastures with the typical tall spruce trees that are either individually or in groups. From the municipality surface 1997 accounted for 5% on settlements, 43 % of forest and shrubs, 51% to agriculture and slightly less than 1% was unproductive land.

To Courtelary include numerous individual farms, which are widely scattered in the valley and the Jura mountains. Neighboring communities of Courtelary are Villeret, Nods, Cortébert and Mont -Tramelan in the canton of Bern, and Les Breuleux and La Chaux -des- Breuleux in the canton of Jura.

Population

With 1259 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012) Courtelary one of the larger towns in the Bernese Jura. Of the 82.8 % inhabitants are French-speaking, 11.1 % and 1.9 % German-speaking Italian-speaking (as of 2000). The population of Courtelary increased mainly in the second half of the 19th century greatly. After peaking around 1970, a significant migration was observed during the economic crisis of the 1970s. Since 1980, there are only small population fluctuations.

Policy

The voter shares of the parties at the national elections of 2011 were: SVP 33.8 %, SP 28.2 %, GPS 12.7 %, FDP 9.3 %, BDP 4.6 %, CVP 2.2 %, EPP 1.7 %, Les Rauraques 1.6 %, AL 1.1 %, SLB 1.1 %, Alps Parliament 1.1 %, 1.0 % glp, EDU 0.8 %.

Economy

Courtelary was until the late 19th century, a dominantly agricultural village, next to it there was a sawmill and a blacksmith. Industrialization began in 1875 with the establishment of a pulp factory. Around 1900, and thus relatively late compared to the other communities of the valley, summed up the watchmaking foot in Courtelary. They helped the site along with the machine industry an economic boom. With the crisis in the watchmaking industry after 1970 led to a diversification in the field of the industrial sector. Today the Chocolate Factory Chocolats Camille Bloch SA, whose head office is in Courtelary since 1935, and the mechanical, electronic and textile industries numerous jobs in the city offer. Agriculture, too, with livestock and dairy farming, in the deep layers also farmland and orchards, still plays a significant role. Yet 13 % of the workforce are employed in agriculture.

Traffic

The community is conveniently moderately well developed. It lies on the busy busy main road from Biel / Bienne to La Chaux -de-Fonds. On April 30, 1874, the railway line from Biel was opened after Convers with a railway station in Courtelary. In the plane of Schüss east of the village is the airport ( ICAO code: LSZJ ) on which the glider group Biel / Bienne and Groupe vol à voile Courtelary is located.

History

The first written mention of the village was 962 under the name Curtis Alerici, later, the names appeared Curtea Alesi ( 1175 ) and Cortaleri ( 1178 ). The place name probably goes back to the courtyard of a burgundy named Alaric. Courtelary belonged to the monastery of Moutier - Grandval, but the chapter of Saint- Imier owned goods in the municipal area.

The village shared the fate of the reign Erguel, although the Prince-Bishopric of Basel was under, but was increasingly influenced over time by the City of Biel / Bienne. 1530 was introduced by Biel against the will of the inhabitants of the valley of the Reformation. These included a castle right from the town of Solothurn and insisted on a right to self determination. As a result of this agreement, a court was set up in 1604 Courtelary, and the village was in 1606 the seat of the Bailiwick Erguel. During the Thirty Years War Courtelary was severely affected.

After the French troops were engaged in 1792 in the Prince-Bishopric of Basel, was in Courtelary for a short time the seat of a legislative du Pays d' Assemblée Erguel, which aimed at the creation of an independent Republic. These attempts failed, however. From 1797 to 1815 Courtelary belonged to France and was the capital of a canton of the département du Mont- Terrible, 1800 from the Department of Haut -Rhin, went up in the Mont Terrible. By the decision of the Congress of Vienna, the place came in 1815 to the Canton of Bern, was capital of the Upper Office Erguel and 1831 of virtually congruent District Courtelary.

Attractions

Today's Reformed village church can look back on a long history. It was built on the basis of 10th or 11th century and dedicated to St. Himerius. The Romanesque building was in 1372, 1642 and 1773 and subsequently expanded several times restored. It contains wall paintings, which are probably from the 15th century. The prefecture, the present Town Hall, is the castle, built in 1606, which served as the residence of the governors of Erguel. Adaptations came in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. From 1908 the school house was built in traditional styles. The Catholic chapel was built in 1971.

Personalities

Cormoret Nods, Switzerland La Chaux-des-Breuleux Free Democratic Party of Switzerland Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland Alternative Left Social Liberal Movement Electronics La Chaux-de-Fonds Saint-Imier Protestant Reformation Burgrecht Romanesque art Belprahon Champoz Corcelles, Bern Court, Switzerland Grandval, Switzerland La Neuveville Loveresse Malleray Monible Pontenet Romont, Bern Saicourt Sauge Schelten Sonvilier Sorvilier Villeret, Switzerland Lamboing Plagne, Switzerland Municipalities of the canton of Bern
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