La Neuveville
Overlooking the city and Lake Biel
La Neuveville ( officially Neuveville until 1948 called ) is a municipality in the administrative district in the canton of Bern Bernese Jura in Switzerland. It is located in the French speaking part of the canton of Bern (Bernese Jura), the German name is New City.
Geography
La Neuveville situated on 434 m above sea level. M., 14 km southwest of Biel / Bienne ( straight line ), about halfway between Biel and Neuchâtel. The town stretches along the northwestern shore of Lake Biel, on the adjacent slopes of Jurasüdfusses below the plateau Montagne de Diesse ( German Tessenberg ).
The area of 6.8 km ² large municipality area includes a portion of the steep southern slope of La Côte below the Plateau de Diesse and a 4.5 km long shoreline on Lake Biel between Le Landeron and Ligerz. The western boundary is formed by the Ruisseau de Vaux, a stream that flows from the plateau de Diesse into Lake Biel. To the north the municipality extends to the wooded anticline, which separates the former moorland of the Montagne de Diesse from Lake Biel. At the height of Sur la Roche is 926 m above sea level. M. the highest point of La Neuveville achieved. From the municipality surface 1997 15 % came from settlements, 63 % of forest and shrubs, 21% to agriculture and slightly less than 1% was unproductive land.
At La Neuveville the hamlet Schafis include (French Chavannes ), 440 m above sea level. M. on the southwest shore of Lake Biel subsequent to Ligerz, as well as several individual farms. Neighboring communities of La Neuveville are Ligerz and Prêles in the canton of Bern and Lignières and Le Landeron in the canton of Neuchâtel.
History
La Neuveville was founded in 1312 by the Basel Prince Bishop Gérard de Vuippens as a new town on the border with the Principality of Neuchâtel to accommodate refugees from the village of La Bonneville in the Val de Ruz, which has just been destroyed by Rudolf IV. Therefore La Neuveville wore in the early days the name La Bonneville. First rights was the place in 1318, a covenant of peace was signed in 1342. The town closed in 1388 a castle law contract with the city of Bern, 1395 with Biel because it wanted to preserve and enhance its independence from the Prince-Bishopric. In the 16th century the Lord of Castle Mountain practiced in addition to its military function at the same time the office of mayor of La Neuveville.
From 1798 to 1815 La Neuveville 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 town came in 1815 to the canton of Bern to the District Erlach. In 1846 it became capital of the newly formed district of La Neuveville.
Population
Although La Neuveville only 3666 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2012), the medieval town is under the old city law. Of the residents, 76.8 % are French, 15.7% German-speaking and Italian-speaking 2.9% (as of 2000). The population of La Neuveville increased continuously until 1970. Due to the economic crisis during the 1970s, a sharp decrease. Since there are only relatively small fluctuations.
Policy
- SP: 8
- Forum Template: Election chart / Maintenance / Name: 12
- FDP: 11
- SVP: 4
Executive of La Neuveville is the conseil municipal. It comprises seven people including the mayor. Currently (January 2013) it has the following party composition: FDP 3 seats, SP 2 seats, 2 seats neuvevillois forum. Mayor Roland Matti (FDP).
The legislature is called conseil général (German General ) and comprises 35 members. They are elected by popular vote by proportional representation. The right graph shows the current distribution of seats of the General Council (January 2013).
The voter shares of the parties at the national elections of 2011 were: SP 29.1 %, FDP 19.2 %, SVP 17.4 %, GPS 13.0 %, BDP 5.1 %, glp 3.5 %, EPP 2.4 %, CVP 2.3 %, AL 1.6 %, Les Rauraques 1.6 %, EDU 1.4 %.
La Neuveville is since 2006 the seat of the regional parliament for the Bernese Jura, Conseil du Bernese Jura.
Economy
La Neuveville has evolved from an agricultural town to an industrial community during the 19th century. Today, there are many jobs in the field of precision engineering, the manufacture of precision equipment, construction as well as in smaller companies of various industries. Also, the service sector has 50 % of the workforce of great importance. Important for La Neuveville is the wine; the slope on the northwestern shore of Lake Biel, which has an optimal exposure to sunlight is passed with vines.
Train
Well known is the Higher Commercial School in La Neuveville. At this school has acquired, among others, Adolf Ogi a diploma. By July 2011, Jean -Pierre Graber was the director.
Traffic
The community is easily accessible via. It is located on the motorway A5, which connects with Biel Neuchâtel and relieved the town from through traffic.
On 3 December 1860, the railway line from Biel was inaugurated by Le Landeron, which forms a part of today's Jurasüdfusslinie.
A coach course goes from La Neuveville to the communities on the Montagne de Diesse. Furthermore, La Neuveville is connected to the maritime transport system on Lake Biel.
Attractions
City center / Old Town
The well-preserved, almost square historic city from the 14th century, has three parallel streets ( applied transversely to the lake and to the slope ) and a modern cross- streets. Through the latter was conducted prior to the construction of the bypass road A5 through traffic.
The buildings of the old town of La Neuveville dates from the 16th to 19th centuries. The town hall, which is next to the Tour Carrée, was renewed 1541-1569 and now houses the Historical Museum, which among other excavations of stilt houses on the shore of Lake Biel, the 1476 captured at the Battle of Murten Burgundy cannons are on display. The prefecture is located since 1954 at the Maison de Gléresse, built in the 1555, was extended in the 18th and 19th centuries and is equipped with a portal in the Renaissance style and a stair tower. The Maison de Berne, built in 1631, belonged to the abbots of Bellelay and served as a vintage house; 1804 became the seat of the estate of the city of Bern. According to his dragon -headed gargoyles baroque Maison des Dragons is named. It comes as the grenette ( granary ) from the mid-18th century.
City walls and towers
The city wall has seven towers, most built during the city's founding 1312. To the southeast, the Tour de Gléresse is (also tour Wyss), towards the lake, the Tour de Rive, in the southwest of the tour Baillif, the tour Hildebrant, the tour Jaggi in the north- west and the north the Tour Rouge ( Zytgloggeturm ), which was changed from 1592 to 1596. The massive construction of the Tour Carrée (also tour the Cloches ) northeast of the old town was only 1520.
Churches
The oldest church is the Blanche Eglise east of the old town. It has already been mentioned for the first time 866. The present building dates from 1345, in the 15th century it was enlarged. It shows a wooden ceiling and important Gothic wall paintings from the period. The Reformed Church Temple du Lac also bears the name of Temple Neuf or Temple du Bas. It was built in 1720 in reference to the Temple du Bas in Neuchâtel.
Suburb
Just north of the old town is the suburb ( Faubourg ) with rows of houses from the 16th to 19th centuries. They were mostly artisans and winemakers and had therefore on the gables or Dachlukarnen devices for the freight elevator.
On an outcrop above the town is built in the late 13th century at the behest of Prince Bishop of Basel Castle Mountain. The farm Le Forel, a former Weinbauerngut from the 16th century, houses the Rebbaumuseum.
Pictures
Overlooking the rooftops of the old town
Looking through the gate on a street in the old town
Personalities
Sons and daughters of the town
- Jules Gilliéron (1854-1926), linguist and dialect researcher
- Emile Rode (1854-1898), lawyer and diplomat
- Alfred de Quervain (1896-1968), Reformed theologian, born here and later at the Rectory
- Imer Florian (1898-1981), lawyer and historian
- Moeckli Georges (1899-1974), politician
Other personalities
- Jean Preudhomme (1732-1795), painter, buried here
- Charles Albert Gobat (1843-1914), politician and Nobel Prize winner, here visited the Progymnasium
- Carl Spitteler (1845-1924), writer, taught at times here
- Erica Pedretti ( born 1930 ), writer, object artist and painter; has lived here since 1985