Sornetan
Look at Sornetan in winter
Sornetan is a municipality in the administrative district in the canton of Bern Bernese Jura in Switzerland. The former German name Sornethal is no longer used today. wipe the communities Châtelat, Monible, Sornetan and Souboz a fusion project has been initialized. As a new community name Petit -Val is specified.
Geography
Sornetan lies on 843 m above sea level. M., 12 km west of the town Moutier (air line). The farming village extends on a headland on the northern slope of the Moron Jura chain, about 100 m above the valley floor of the Sorne in a basin, which also bears the name of Petit Val.
The area of 5.6 km ² large municipality area includes a portion of the central part of Petit Val The area is drained by the Sorne north to the Birs. Below Sornetan by the Sorne of the Montagne de Moutier anticline and dug it the Gorges de Pichoux a typical Jura transverse valley with striking rock walls and deburring. The southern part of Pichoux Gorge is one of Sornetan. In the northwest, the area extends over the plateau of Semplain up to the height of Rebévelier (up to 980 m above sea level. M. ). To the south, the municipality's territory extends to the anticline of Moron, where with 1'124 m above sea level. M. the highest point of Sornetan is achieved. Here are extensive Jura mountain meadows with the typical tall spruce trees that are either individually or in groups. From the municipality surface 1997 3 % was attributable to settlements, 50 % of forest and shrubs, 46 % to agriculture and slightly less than 1% was unproductive land.
To Sornetan include several individual farms. Neighboring communities of Sornetan are Monible, Châtelat, Saicourt, Saules and Souboz in the canton of Bern and Undervelier in the canton of Jura.
Population
With 128 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012) Sornetan is one of the small communities of the Bernese Jura. Of the 87.6 % inhabitants are French-speaking, German-speaking 9.7 % and 0.9 % Spanish speaking (as of 2000). The population of Sornetan amounted in 1900 to 181 inhabitants. During the 20th century continues a downward trend was observed.
Economy
Sornetan is still predominantly shaped by farming village, where dairy farming and cattle raising predominate. Smaller lie in the valley, the Sornetan of Souboz separates as well as at the upper entrance to the Pichoux Gorge. In Sornetan there is a conference center of the Protestant Church, the Centre de Sornetan, which also offers guest rooms. It was built in 1971 and extended in 2002.
Traffic
The community is located off the major thoroughfares on the main road that Tavannes via Bellelay through the Gorges du Pichoux ( Pichoux Canyon ) leading into Delémont in Lower Court. Sornetan is temporarily served by a post bus route; the next of the regular courses of the track Tavannes - Lajoux - Les Genevez approached stop is in Bellelay.
History
The first written mention of the village is to be found in 1161 under the modern place- names, 1179 appears the name Sornetain. Sornetan belonged to the provost Moutier- Grandval. At this time was below the village on the Sorne the village Saipran that formed the parish of Petit Val. Saipran was abandoned after a great plague.
From 1797 to 1815 Sornetan belonged to France and was initially part of the Département du Mont- Terrible, which was connected to the 1800 Haut -Rhin. By the decision of the Congress of Vienna, the place came in 1815 to the canton of Bern to the district of Moutier.
Attractions
The Protestant parish church Sornetan was built in 1708. It has a front tower with onion dome, a baroque sermon hall and a richly appointed interior, including the choir stalls and the richly carved pulpit. The parsonage dates back from 1746. Since that time includes the villages of Petit Val, Châtelat, Monible and Souboz, the parish Sornetan. In the center are some characteristic farmhouses from the 18th and 19th centuries.