Grandval, Switzerland
Entrance of Grandval main road 30 from the east
Grandval is a municipality in the administrative district in the canton of Bern Bernese Jura in Switzerland. The former German name Gran Rheinfelden is used today any more.
Geography
Grandval is at 588 m above sea level. M., 4 km east of the town Moutier (air line). The village extends on both sides of the river La Out in the Cornet, the eastern part of the Jura latitudinal Moutier, which also bears the name of Grand Val.
The area of 8.2 km ² large municipality area includes a narrow strip of valley basin of the Grand Val In the north, the area extends up to the high plateau of the Jura chain of Mont Raimeux where with 1,302 m above sea level. M. the highest point of Grandval is. The plateau is occupied by extensive Jura mountain meadows with the typical tall spruce trees that are either individually or in groups. The southern slopes of Mont Raimeux is traversed in the range of Grandval very steep and striking rock outcrops and drop-outs. To the south, the municipality's territory extends to the crest of the upper mountain villages (up to 1,233 m above sea level. M. ), which forms the eastern continuation of the Graitery chain. The southeastern border runs along the ridge Dos les Rochattes which shows the left side of the valley of the Klus Gänsbrunnen. From the municipality surface 1997 4 % came from settlements, 51 % of forest and shrubs, 44 % to agriculture and slightly less than 1% was unproductive land.
To Grandval include the farm cluster Raimeux de Grandval ( 1'288 m above sea level. M. ) on a wide hilltop near the summit of Mont Raimeux as well as several individual farms. Neighboring communities of Grandval are Eschert, Belprahon, Roches and Crémines in the canton of Bern, in the Canton of Jura and Rebeuvelier Gänsbrunnen in the canton of Solothurn.
Population
With 341 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012) Grandval one of the smaller communities of the Bernese Jura. Of the 85.6 % inhabitants are French-speaking, 12.0 % and 0.8 % German-speaking Italian-speaking (as of 2000). The population of Grandval amounted in 1850 to 261 residents in 1900 to 287 inhabitants. Later, it rose to 1970 on 426 people, since a declining trend was observed again.
Economy
Grandval was marked by the beginning of the 20th century mainly by agriculture. In addition, a mill was operated, and the pottery and weaving the canvas, mainly in homework, had a certain importance. With the rise of the machine tool industry in 1880 in the valley of Moutier also some companies in the precision engineering and mechanical engineering in Grandval settled. In recent decades, the village has gradually developed into the residential community. Many workers are commuters and work in Moutier.
Traffic
The community transport comparatively quite well developed. It lies on the main road from Moutier to Balsthal. On August 1, 1908, the railway line in the Solothurn -Münster -Bahn from Moutier was opened by the white stone tunnel to Solothurn with a railway station in Grandval.
History
The first written mention of Grandval took place about the year 900 under the name Grandis vallis ( large valley ). 917 and 938, the village was devastated by the Hungarians. Even before the first millennium, a church in Grandval is mentioned, suggesting at that time a relatively dense population of Cornet.
The village was under until the end of the 18th century, the provost Moutier- Grandval. From 1797 to 1815 Grandval 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. Since 1967 is at the local level cooperation with neighboring communities with respect to water supply, wastewater treatment and primary school.
Attractions
The present building of the Reformed Church of Saint -Martin dates from 1663, in the years of 1701-06 and 1927, extensive renovations and changes have been made. For parish Grandval include Crémines, Corcelles and Eschert. At the beginning of the 19th century, the present rectory was built. Before the priest lived in the Maison de la dîme ( Zehnthaus ), which was built in the 16th century and has sculpted window. The Wisard House is a stately house, which was built around 1570. Here lived Henri VISARD, a prominent local citizen, against the Prince-Bishop of Basel represented the interests of the Provost Moutier- Grandval at the beginning of the 18th century. In today renovated house the agricultural museum is housed. The upper part of the village still has some typical farmhouses dating from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Church of Saint -Martin
Interior of the church