Bassecourt

Lower Court ( German antiquated name Altdorf ) was a municipality in the district Delémont the canton of Jura in Switzerland. On January 1, 2013, it merged with the municipalities Courfaivre, Glovelier, Soulce and Undervelier the new community Haute- Sorne.

Geography

Lower Court is located at 477 m above sea level. M., 8 km west-southwest from the cantonal capital Delémont ( straight line ). The municipality extends on both sides of Sorne, in the western part of the basin Dels Berger, a broad valley in the Jura folds.

The area of ​​15.6 km ² large municipality area includes part of the intensively farmed level of Dels Berger basin. In the south it extends to the adjacent, densely forested Jura chain of Frénois which reaches a height of 1,029 m above sea level. M. reached. In the southwest part and the lower part of the Sorne Gorge to Lower Court, a typical Jura transverse valley, flanked by the cliffs of the Côte au Pucin in the west and the Côte de la Chaux in the east. To the north, the area extends over forested hilly terrain in the area of the Valley of Eau Rouge to the foot of the Les- Rangiers chain. From the municipality surface 1997 10 % came from settlements, 50 % of forest and woody plants, 39% in agriculture and less than 1 % was unproductive land.

At Lower Court include lying at the output of Sorne Gorge hamlet Berlin Court, the farm estate La Jacoterie ( 758 m above sea level. M. ) on a ridge on the eastern flank of the Sorne Gorge as well as several individual farms. Neighboring communities of Lower Court are Glovelier, Boécourt, Develier, Courfaivre and Undervelier.

Population

With 3492 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012) is Bassecourt the third largest municipality in the canton of Jura. Of the 88.5 % inhabitants are French-speaking, 3.2 % and 2.9 % Italian- German-speaking (as of 2000). The population of Lower Court dismissed mainly 1950-1970 high growth rates. After a period of stagnation during the 1970s, a slightly increasing trend was recorded since 1980 again.

Economy

Lower Court developed after the Second World War into a regional center for the watch industry, mainly watch case were produced. While Ervin Piquerez SA no longer existed by the two large Uhrgehäuseherstellern, the Georges Ruedin has the crisis well and remains an important employer. The 1975 -onset crisis in this specialized industry sector hit the spot size and reduced by the closure of Piquerez to a temporary decrease in population. Today, the watch industry has largely recovered and the production of electronic equipment, tubes, medical instruments duplicate the jobs.

Traffic

The community is conveniently moderately well developed. It lies on the main road 6 between Delémont and La Chaux -de-Fonds and has its own connection to the 1998, this section of the A16 motorway from Delémont to Porrentruy to be connected by 2015 both to the Swiss national road network as well as to the French motorway network. On October 15, 1876, the railway Delémont - Glovelier opened with a station in Lower Court.

History

Findings point to a point made in the Bronze Age settlement of the area around Lower Court. In Berlincourt Roman coins have been discovered dating from the 4th century, and a necropolis with rich burial offerings, dating from the 6th to the 7th century. First mention is made of the village as Baressicort in a deed of the year 1160, when the Counts of Ferrette gave the location of the church of Moutier- Grandval. The name is probably derived from a Germanic farmstead named Basso.

Lower Court belonged since 1271 to the Bishopric of Basel. It was badly destroyed during the Thirty Years' War. Between 1793 and 1815 it belonged to France and was initially part of the Département du Mont- Terrible, associated from 1800 with the Department of Haut -Rhin. By the decision of the Congress of Vienna, the place came in 1815 to the canton of Bern and on 1 January 1979 at the newly founded Canton Jura. A kindled by a heavy thunderstorm fire on July 21, 1871 caused extensive damage to the building fabric.

Attractions

• The parish church of Saint- Pierre was originally built in 1568, but was renewed in 1828. Interesting that is typical for the area farming country parsonage, built the late 16th century and has been altered in the 17th century.
• The Chapel of Saint- Hubert was built on a Burgundian cemetery. The present building, in the menhir was integrated by Lower Court, dates from 1697 and was renovated in 1954 and 1978.
• The houses of the village center are mainly from the 19th century.
• Since 1945 there is a Reformed Church.

Mansion from the 19th century

Personalities

• Georges Henri Ruedin (1895-1953), founder of the Uhrengeäusefabrik Georges Ruedin in Lower Court
• Steve Guerdat (* 1982 in Lower Court ), Olympic London 2012 Jumping