Moutier
Encyclopedia
Moutier 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).
The area was lightly settled even before the founding of Moutier-Grandval Abbey around 640. Until 1797 it was the seat of the Provost
of Mountier-Grandval, a vogt
of the Prince-Bishop
of Basel. During the period 1797-1813 it belonged to the French Departments of Mont-Terrible
and Haut-Rhin
. During the Restoration
in 1815 it became part of the Canton of Bern.
The area around Moutier is called the Prévôté. It is a valley crossed by a river called the Birs
. It covers the area from Court
Gorge to Moutier Gorge and includes some scattered farm houses on the Montagne de Moutier (Moutier Mountain).
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SPS
which received 46% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP
(18.9%), the FDP
(15%) and the CVP
(8.9%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.7% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 59.1% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18.1%. In Moutier about 63.4% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Moutier has an unemployment rate of 3.05%. , there were 51 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 18 businesses involved in this sector. 2010 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 116 businesses in this sector. 1699 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 270 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
centres, e.g. internationally well known and established Tornos Bechler SA & Schaublin Machines SA.
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Bern in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. It is located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura
Bernese Jura
Bernese Jura is the name for the French-speaking area of the Swiss canton of Bern, and from 2010 one of five administrative divisions of the canton....
(Jura Bernois).
History
Moutier is first mentioned in 1154 as datum Monasterii. In 1181 it was mentioned as apud Monasterium. The German name for the town is Münster (BE), but it is not frequently used.The area was lightly settled even before the founding of Moutier-Grandval Abbey around 640. Until 1797 it was the seat of the Provost
Provost (religion)
A provost is a senior official in a number of Christian churches.-Historical Development:The word praepositus was originally applied to any ecclesiastical ruler or dignitary...
of Mountier-Grandval, a vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
of the Prince-Bishop
Prince-Bishop
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
of Basel. During the period 1797-1813 it belonged to the French Departments of Mont-Terrible
Mont-Terrible
Mont-Terrible was one of the 130 départements of Napoleonic France, with its capital at Porrentruy.The Mont Terrible for which the département was named is now known as mont Terri, a peak of 804 m near Courgenay, now in the canton of Jura, Switzerland.The département was created in 1793 with the...
and Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin is a département of the Alsace region of France, named after the Rhine river. Its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less populated of the two departements of Alsace, although is still densely populated compared to the rest of France.-Subdivisions:The department...
. During the Restoration
Restauration (Switzerland)
The periods of Restoration and Regeneration in Swiss history last from 1814 to 1847. "Restoration" refers to the period of 1814 to 1830, the restoration of the Ancien Régime , reverting the changes imposed by Napoleon Bonaparte with the centralist Helvetic Republic from 1798 and the partial...
in 1815 it became part of the Canton of Bern.
Geography
Moutier has an area of 19.6 km² (7.6 sq mi). Of this area, 31% is used for agricultural purposes, while 55.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 12.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (1.1%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).The area around Moutier is called the Prévôté. It is a valley crossed by a river called the Birs
Birs
The Birs is a 73-km long river in Switzerland that flows through the Jura region and ends as a tributary to the Rhine between Basel and Birsfelden.- Picture gallery :...
. It covers the area from Court
Court, Switzerland
Court 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 .-Geography:...
Gorge to Moutier Gorge and includes some scattered farm houses on the Montagne de Moutier (Moutier Mountain).
Demographics
Moutier has a population (as of ) of . , 21.7% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -5.8%. Most of the population speaks French (86.5%), with German being second most common (3.9%) and Italian being third (3.6%).In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
which received 46% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
(18.9%), the FDP
Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....
(15%) and the CVP
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
(8.9%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.7% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 59.1% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18.1%. In Moutier about 63.4% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
Fachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
).
Moutier has an unemployment rate of 3.05%. , there were 51 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 18 businesses involved in this sector. 2010 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 116 businesses in this sector. 1699 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 270 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 16th Century | 342 |
| 1850 | 917 |
| 1880 | 2,111 |
| 1900 | 3,088 |
| 1910 | 4,164 |
| 1950 | 5,916 |
| 1970 | 8,794 |
| 2000 | 7,701 |
Industry
The area has a lot of factories that produce high-precision machine tools, particularly CNC & CAD/CAM machiningMachining
Conventional machining is a form of subtractive manufacturing, in which a collection of material-working processes utilizing power-driven machine tools, such as saws, lathes, milling machines, and drill presses, are used with a sharp cutting tool to physical remove material to achieve a desired...
centres, e.g. internationally well known and established Tornos Bechler SA & Schaublin Machines SA.