Reconvilier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Reconvilier
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Berne | |
| District | Jura bernois | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 8.25 km2 (3.19 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 731 m (2,398 ft) | |
| Population
(Dec 2020 )
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| • Total | 2,380 | |
| • Density | 288.5/km2 (747.2/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
2732
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| Surrounded by | La Heutte, Loveresse, Malleray, Péry, Saicourt, Saules, Tavannes | |
Reconvilier is a municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura (Jura Bernois).
Contents
History
Reconvilier is first mentioned in 884 as Roconis villare. In German it is known as Rokwiler.
The oldest trace of a settlement in the area are two ceramic and three bronze bowls which probably come from a Roman villa from the 2nd or 3rd century. In 884, the village appears as an estate belonging to Moutier-Grandval Abbey. The noble Reconvilier family appears in historical records beginning in the 12th century and lasting until the 15th. The village remained under the Abbey's control until it was secularized around 1531. Then Reconvilier came under the authority of the provost of Moutier-Grandval who represented the Prince-Bishop of Basel. After the 1797 French victory and the Treaty of Campo Formio, Reconvilier became part of the French Département of Mont-Terrible. Three years later, in 1800 it became part of the Département of Haut-Rhin. After Napoleon's defeat and the Congress of Vienna, Reconvilier was assigned to the Canton of Bern in 1815.
The Chapel of Saint-Léonard in Chaindon is first mentioned in 962. However, both Reconvilier and Chaindon were part of the parish of Tavannes for most of their history. In 1530, the entire Tavannes parish, including Reconvilier converted to the new faith of the Protestant Reformation. It separated from the parish to form an independent parish in 1908. The current parish church was built as a village church in 1740. It was renovated in 1924-26 and again in 1992.
Industry began to move into the village in the second half of the 19th century. In 1851 the watch parts factory Bueche, Boillat et Cie opened. In 1876 a station on the Basel-Biel railroad opened in Reconvilier. The convenient transportation link allowed the village to expand into an important watchmaking center. The Bueche, Boillat et Cie company changed their name to Générale Watch Co in 1895 and until 1975 it sold Helvetia brand watches. In 1853, the Société horlogère was created. It sold watches under the Reconvilier Watch Company name until 1970. Both factories closed during the Quartz crisis of the 1970s, though the Reconvilier Watch Company name was reincorporated in Zug in 2006. The company now, operates under the name of Société Horlogère Reconvilier AG and besides producing a classic watch line, they have now moved into the business of supplying high-tech, GPS-based watches, which feature distance measurement for golf players. In 1855, Bueche, Boillat et Cie built a foundry to supply metal to the company. After passing through several different owners, it became part of Swissmetal in 1989. Today the manufacturing sector still provides over half of all jobs in the municipality.
Geography
Reconvilier has an area of 8.25 km2 (3.19 sq mi). As of 2012, a total of 3.69 km2 (1.42 sq mi) or 44.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 3.46 km2 (1.34 sq mi) or 41.9% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.06 km2 (0.41 sq mi) or 12.8% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.01 km2 (2.5 acres) or 0.1% is either rivers or lakes.
During the same year, industrial buildings made up 1.5% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 7.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.3%. Out of the forested land, 37.7% of the total land area is heavily forested and 4.2% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 16.6% is used for growing crops and 14.3% is pastures and 13.2% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
The municipality is located in the Tavannes valley. It consists of the village of Reconvilier and the hamlet of Chaindon.
On 31 December 2009 District de Moutier, the municipality's former district, was dissolved. On the following day, 1 January 2010, it joined the newly created Arrondissement administratif Jura bernois.
Images for kids
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Municipal administration building of Reconvilier
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Foire de Chaindon 2007 (Chaindon fair)
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Chaindon church
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Reconvilier primary school
See also
In Spanish: Reconvilier para niños
