Mettembert

Mettembert is a municipality in the district Delémont the canton of Jura in Switzerland. Former German names were Mettenberg and Mettemberg. The latter name was until 1984, the official community name.

Geography

Mettembert is located on 660 m above sea level. M., 4 km north-northwest from the cantonal capital Delémont ( straight line ). The farming village extends on a sloping terrain to the south terrace overlooking the valley of Mettembert, in the hilly zone of the northern Jura.

The area of ​​the very narrow but elongated municipal area covers 2.4 km ². It ranges from the deeply incised stream Ruisseau de Mettembert north of passing the meadows with terrace down to the running in the east-west direction narrow ridge of Ordon. The highest point of Mettembert ranges from Sur le Pré to 811 m above sea level. M. The eastern boundary is the Klus the Combe de Movelier. The municipal area is drained by the Mettembert Creek east to the Birs. From the municipality surface 1997 7 % was attributable to settlements, 54 % of forest and woody plants and 39% to agriculture.

To Mettembert include several individual farms. Neighboring communities of Mettembert are Delémont, Pleigne, Movelier and Soyhières.

Population

With 114 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012) Mettembert one of the small communities of the Canton of Jura. Of the 85.3 % inhabitants are French-speaking, 12.1 % German-speaking and Italian-speaking 1.7 % (as of 2000). The population of Mettembert amounted in 1850 to 113 residents in 1900 to 104 inhabitants. After a low in 1980 with 63 inhabitants, a significant population increase has been recorded again since then.

Economy

The community is still heavily agricultural, there are few jobs outside the agricultural sector in the village. Many workers ( about 60 %) are therefore commuters and work mainly in the region Delémont.

Traffic

Mettembert is located off the main road, on a local road that leads from Soyhières after Pleigne. By bus, which runs from Delémont after Pleigne, the community is connected to the public transport.

History

The place is first mentioned in 1170 as Mettenberc and belonged to the monastery Huggerwald. 1287 Mettembert came to the Prince-Bishopric of Basel. Between 1793 and 1815 Mettembert 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. Until 1984 the town was called officially Mettemberg, then the spelling of the French pronunciation was adapted.

Mettembert belongs to the parish Movelier, but has, on the western outskirts of the village has its own small chapel.