Péry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Péry
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Rondchâtel village in Péry municipality
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 Péry
Location in Switzerland
Péry
Location in Canton of Bern
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Bern | |
| District | Jura bernois | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 15.57 km2 (6.01 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 635 m (2,083 ft) | |
| Population
(Dec 2013)
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| • Total | 1,359 | |
| • Density | 87.28/km2 (226.06/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
2603
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| Surrounded by | La Heutte, Orvin, Vauffelin, Plagne, Romont, Sorvilier, Bévilard, Malleray, Reconvilier | |
Péry was once a town in Switzerland. It is now part of the larger town of Péry-La Heutte. This area is in the canton of Bern. It is located in the French-speaking part of Switzerland called the Bernese Jura.
Contents
Péry's Past: A Look at History
Péry was first mentioned way back in the year 884. It was called villam Bedericam then. Later, in 1148, it was known as Peril. The town used to have a German name, Büderich, but it is not used anymore.
Early Rulers and Changes
In 884, a powerful ruler named Charles the Fat gave Péry to a place called Moutier-Grandval Abbey. This Abbey owned the village for many years. Then, in 999, the Prince-Bishop of Basel took over the village. He made it part of his land, called the seigniory of Erguel. The Prince-Bishop then gave Péry to the Lords of Péry. These lords lived in a castle called Châtillon, which is now a ruin.
From the 1300s, soldiers from Péry joined the Erguel army. This army was led by the city of Biel. In 1530, Biel encouraged Péry to change its religion. The village then became Protestant.
Rondchâtel Village History
The village of Rondchâtel was separate from Péry until 1766. It is thought that a castle once stood on its hill. In the mid-1300s, the Prince-Bishop of Basel gave Rondchâtel to his brother. Later, from the late 1300s, families from Franche-Comté owned Rondchâtel. They kept it until 1766. After the last family member died, the Prince-Bishop took it back. He then rented Rondchâtel to the people of Péry.
Péry in Different Countries
In 1797, France won a war. Péry then became part of a French area called Mont-Terrible. A few years later, it became part of another French area, Haut-Rhin. After Napoleon lost power, Péry was given to the Canton of Bern in 1815. This happened at a big meeting called the Congress of Vienna.
Churches in Péry
The village church, St. James, was first mentioned in 884. After the village became Protestant in 1530, it became a Reformed church. The church you see today was built in 1706. It was built around an older, Gothic building. From 1798 to 1840, the nearby town of Vauffelin was also part of Péry's church area. A new Roman Catholic chapel was built in Péry in 1906.
Industrial Growth and Factories
In 1654, a special furnace was built at La Reuchenette. It was used to make iron. Later, in 1693, a family called Chemilleret took over the furnace. By 1782, the site had an ironworks, a house, and an inn. After the French invasion, the old way of owning the land was stopped. A company took over the ironworks until it closed in 1867.
The railway came to Péry in 1874. This helped the town grow and brought new industries.
- A lime and cement factory opened in Rondchâtel in 1874.
- A wood pulp plant opened in 1882.
- A branch of the Rondchâtel cement factory opened in La Reuchenette. This factory is now called Ciments Vigier SA.
- A watch company from Biel, Dreyfus Frères SA, opened a branch in Péry in 1903. It was called Péry Watch. This company did not last through the money problems of the 1930s.
- In 1934, the watch factory building became a new factory. It made typewriter ribbons and carbon paper. This company, Carfa SA, stayed open until 2003.
By 2005, more than half of all jobs in Péry were in manufacturing. On January 1, 2015, Péry joined with La Heutte to form the new town of Péry-La Heutte.
Péry's Location and Landscape
Péry had an area of about 15.7 square kilometers (6.06 square miles).
- About 22.9% of this land was used for farming.
- About 66.8% was covered by forests.
- About 9.2% had buildings or roads.
- A small part (0.4%) was rivers or lakes.
- Another small part (0.6%) was land that could not be used.
Most of the forest (63.2%) was dense woods. Some areas (3.6%) had orchards or small groups of trees. For farming, 3.1% was used for crops. About 6.5% was pastures, and 13.0% was used for high mountain pastures. All the water in Péry was flowing water, like rivers.
Péry is located at the eastern end of the Saint-Imier valley. It includes the smaller villages of Rondchâtel and La Reuchenette.
Péry's Coat of Arms
The blazon of Péry's municipal coat of arms is Gules a Guidon Argent staffed Or. This means it shows a silver flag on a gold pole, on a red background.
Who Lives in Péry: Population Details
In 2013, Péry had 1,359 people living there. In 2010, about 11.6% of the people were foreign nationals. Over ten years (from 2000 to 2010), the population grew by 2%. More people moved in (6.3%) than were born there (births and deaths led to a -2.3% change).
Languages Spoken
Most people in Péry speak French. In 2000, about 79.6% (1,063 people) spoke French as their main language. German was the second most common, spoken by 15.4% (205 people). Italian was third, spoken by 2.2% (30 people). A few people (4) spoke Romansh.
Population Breakdown
In 2008, about 50.3% of the people were male and 49.7% were female. Most people were Swiss citizens. About 32.2% of the people living in Péry in 2000 were also born there. Another 33.5% were born in the same canton. About 17.5% were born elsewhere in Switzerland, and 13.8% were born outside Switzerland.
In 2010, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) made up 21.5% of the population. Adults (20–64 years old) were 59.2%. Seniors (over 64 years old) were 19.3%.
Family Life
In 2000, 494 people in Péry were single and had never been married. There were 669 married people. Also, 95 people were widows or widowers, and 77 people were divorced.
There were 199 households with only one person. There were 36 households with five or more people. In 2000, most apartments (87.9%) were lived in all the time. Some (6.4%) were used only at certain times of the year, and 5.7% were empty. In 2010, new homes were being built at a rate of 3.7 new homes for every 1000 residents. In 2011, about 2.35% of homes were empty.
Historical Population Chart
Cool Places to See
The whole Taubenloch canyon is a special place. It is listed as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites. This means it is an important natural and cultural area.
How Péry Makes Money: Economy
In 2011, Péry had a low unemployment rate of 1.71%. This means most people who wanted jobs had them. In 2008, 317 people worked in Péry.
- 18 people worked in farming (primary sector). There were 7 farming businesses.
- 180 people worked in factories or construction (secondary sector). There were 13 businesses in this area.
- 119 people worked in services, like shops or hotels (tertiary sector). There were 30 businesses in this area.
Many people who live in Péry travel to other towns for work. In 2000, 226 workers came into Péry, but 511 workers left Péry for jobs elsewhere. This means more people left Péry for work than came in. About 19.2% of workers used public transportation. Most (61.7%) used a private car to get to work.
Religion in Péry
Based on a 2000 survey:
- About 23.8% (318 people) were Roman Catholic.
- About 56.3% (751 people) belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.
- A small number (0.15%) were Orthodox Christian.
- One person belonged to the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland.
- About 6.44% (86 people) belonged to other Christian churches.
- One person was Jewish.
- About 0.82% (11 people) were Islamic.
- About 10.94% (146 people) did not belong to any church. They were agnostic or atheist.
- About 4.57% (61 people) did not answer the question about religion.
Learning in Péry: Education
In Péry, about 40.2% (537 people) have finished high school or similar education. About 8.1% (108 people) have gone on to higher education, like university.
School System
The Canton of Bern has a school system that starts with one year of optional Kindergarten. After that, children go to six years of Primary school. Then, they have three years of required lower Secondary school. In secondary school, students are grouped by their skills. After lower Secondary, students can continue their education or start an apprenticeship (learning a job while working).
During the 2010–11 school year, 121 students went to school in Péry.
- There were 2 kindergarten classes with 24 students. Some of these students (8.3%) were not Swiss citizens. Some (12.5%) spoke a different language at home than in class.
- There were 5 primary classes with 97 students. Some of these students (8.2%) were not Swiss citizens. Some (16.5%) spoke a different language at home than in class.
In 2000, 14 students came to Péry schools from other towns. But 70 students from Péry went to schools outside the town.
Péry has a library called Bibliothèque scolaire et communale de Péry. In 2008, the library had 5,965 books and other items. It loaned out 6,443 items that year. The library was open 78 days that year, for about 4 hours each week.
Images for kids
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Rondchâtel cement factory and quarry
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Rondchâtel, castle hill terrace at the southern side
See also
In Spanish: Péry para niños
