La Ferrière, Switzerland
La Ferrière is a municipality in the administrative district in the canton of Bern Bernese Jura in Switzerland.
Geography
La Ferrière is located at 1,005 m above sea level. M., 7 km east-northeast of La Chaux -de-Fonds (air line). The village is located on a sloping hillside to the north in the extreme southwest of the Jura plateau of the Franches -Montagnes ( German Freiberg Mountains ), east of the valley Combe de Valanvron.
The area of 14.2 km ² large municipality area includes part of the gently undulating plateau of the Jura plateau on which boggy, usually above ground endorheic valleys with peaks of limestone alternate. In the south, the area extends over the Jura mountains of the Montagne du Droit, on with 1150 meters. M. the highest point of La Ferrière is located. In this chain there are extensive Jura high grazing pastures with the typical tall spruce trees that are either individually or in groups. The western part of the municipality comprises the deeply cut in the Plateau Jura valley Combe de Valanvron, which is drained by the creek Ronde. In a narrow tip to La Ferrière extends to the northwest almost to the banks of the Doubs near the border crossing Biaufond. From the municipality surface 1997 4 % came from settlements, 34 % of forest and shrubs, 61% to agriculture and slightly less than 1% was unproductive land.
At La Ferrière includes the hamlet of La Basse Ferrière ( 982 m above sea level. M. ) north of the village as well as numerous individual farms which are scattered through the Jura hills. Neighboring communities of La Ferrière are Renan and Sonvilier in the canton of Bern, in the Canton of Jura Les Bois and La Chaux -de-Fonds in the canton of Neuchatel.
The close proximity of the westernmost point of La Ferrière France leaves on large Swiss national maps often are beginning to suspect that Canton Bern border to France and was therefore a limit Canton. On detailed community maps, however, one realizes that lie between the French territory and La Ferrière few hundred meters and that therefore limits the cantons of Neuchâtel and Jura at this point together.
Population
With 557 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012) La Ferrière is one of the medium-sized towns in the Bernese Jura. Of the 81.8% inhabitants are French-speaking, 16.6 % and 1.0 % German-speaking Italian-speaking (as of 2000). The population of La Ferrière amounted in 1850 to 796 inhabitants, 1870 to 1040 inhabitants. Then she has to 1930 by 50 % decreased to 525 inhabitants. Since then, small fluctuations were only recorded.
Policy
The voter shares of the parties at the national elections of 2011 were: SVP 41.9 %, SP 13.1 %, GPS 11.5 %, FDP 8.4 %, EPP 5.1 %, EDU 5.0 %, BDP 4.5 %, Les Rauraques 3.5 %, AL 2.2 %, Animal Party 1.7 %, Pirates 1.0 %, 0.9 % glp, CVP 0.2 %.
Economy
La Ferrière was up in the middle of the 19th century, a dominantly agricultural village. After that, the watch industry has been introduced, which helped the city to an economic upturn. With the crisis in the watchmaking industry after 1930 the number of employees was a perceptible drop in the industry. Today, some smaller businesses and local commercial offer jobs. Agriculture, too, with livestock and dairy farming again plays a significant role in about 40 % of the workforce are employed in agriculture.
Traffic
The municipality is situated on the main road 18 Delémont to La Chaux -de-Fonds. At La Cibourg south of the village this in the direct route from La Chaux -de-Fonds in the Vallon de Saint- Imier ( main road 30 ) opens. On December 7, 1892, the railway line of the Chemins de fer du Jura from La Chaux -de-Fonds was opened with a station in La Ferrière to Saignelégier.
History
The settlement was founded in 1590 by residents of the Val de Ruz and wore a long time the name Les Hautes Montagnes d' Erguel. The village belonged to the Prince-Bishopric of Basel under the reign Erguel. During the Thirty Years' War it was occupied by Swedish troops in 1639 and pillaged. 1767 was the place of the Prince-Bishop of Basel Erguel the castle together with the land as a fiefdom. La Ferrière sold it in 1828 to the site of Sonvilier.
From 1797 to 1815 the town belonged to France and took only now the name of La Ferrière. She 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 La Ferrière came in 1815 to the canton of Bern to the district Courtelary.
Attractions
The Reformed village church dates from 1864. 1861 Before La Ferrière belonged to the parish Renan. The Hôtel du Cheval Blanc was built in 1688. Nearby La Ferrière is full of typical farmhouses of the high Jura from the 17th and 18th centuries. In the village, the house of the scientist Abraham Gagnebin (1707-1800) has received, which is included in the list of cultural property of national significance in the canton of Bern.