Porrentruy
Encyclopedia
Porrentruy is a Swiss
municipality
and seat of the district
of the same name located in the canton
of Jura.
River, in Ajoie
(the bulge in the northwest corner of Switzerland that extends into France
) at the foot of the Jura Mountains
on the north. In addition to the wide valley of the Allaine itself, it includes the watershed of the Creux-Genat River, that flows down from the peaks of La Banné (511 m) and La Perche (526 m). In the north, the municipality includes the hills and forests of the Petit Fahy (543 m) und Grand Fahy (570 m). The highest point in the municipality is the ridge that divides it from the municipality of Bure
at 580 m.
In 1997, the land of the municipality was about evenly divided between woodland (41%) and farms (38%), with 20% of land use residential and 1% unutilized.
With a population of 6593 (as of the end of 2005) Porrentruy is the second-largest town in the canton of Jura. Of that population, 89.5% are French-speaking, 2.8% are German-speaking, and 2.2% Italian-speaking. The highest population was recorded in 1970, with 7827 inhabitants. Since then, the population has continuously decreased.
rail lines Delle-Delémont-Basel and Delle-Delémont-Bienne. There is also a local rail line of the Chemins de fer du Jura (CJ) Porrentruy-Bonfol. Originally, in 1868, Porrentruy was connected to France and Paris by train via Boncourt and Delle. The line is being electrified between Delle and Belfort at the present time and is replaced by an hourly bus service.
The municipality lies on the first stretch of the motorway (A16 or E27) to open (in 1998) in the canton of Jura between Delémont
and Belfort
, France. The motorway is still not completed in 2009 because of the difficult topography of the Jura. This explains why the international railway played such an important role in the economic rise of Porrentruy because the railway follows the course of the Allaine river to the economic rail hub at Belfort.
. It is also the location of the Université Populaire Jurassienne.
In 1988, Porrentruy was awarded the Wakker Prize
for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage.
The first known settlement in what became Porrentruy goes back to Roman
times. In 1983, ruins of a temple were discovered in the cemetery on the north of town, and Roman coins were found there.
The first historical mention of the name occurs in 1136 as Purrentru. The name presumably comes from the Latin
pons Ragentrudis (Ragentrud bridge). Ragentrud was the wife of the Frankish
King Dagobert I
. The German form of the name, Pruntrut may have a separate etymology from Bruntrutum, which means an abundant spring.
Porrentruy first belonged to the county of Montbéliard
, before it became subject to the Bishop of Basel in 1271. When the town was invaded by the Burgundians
, King Rudolf I of Habsburg entered the town and forced its return to the Bishop of Basel. He also declared it a free Imperial city on April 10, 1283. Financial difficulties forced the Bishop to sell the Ajoie (including Porrentruy) back to the lords of Montbéliard in 1386. But in 1461, the town once again became subject to the episcopal see
. Because of the Reformation
in Basel, the Bishopric moved its official headquarters to Porrentruy in 1527. Under Bishop Jakob Christoph Blarer von Wartensee, who reigned from 1575 to 1608, the town reached the apogee of its importance. In his time, many architectural projects, including expansion of the castle and the building of a Jesuit college, were undertaken. This period of prosperity ended in 1618 with the outbreak of the 30 Years' War. Porrentruy was repeatedly occupied, besieged, and plundered.
In 1792, French Revolution
ary troops conquered Ajoie. Porrentruy became the capital of a dependent republic, which was then incorporated into France in 1793 as the Département du Mont Terrible. In 1800, this department was incorporated into the Département du Haut-Rhin
. After the fall of Napoleon, the municipality was given to the Canton of Bern (in 1815) to compensate for the loss of the Canton of Vaud, which had become a separate canton in 1803.
Until World War I
, Porrentruy was the cultural center of the region and had a larger population than Delémont. However, with the increase in automobile traffic, its situation on the edge of the country became a liability and caused economic stagnation. In the second half of the 20th century, tensions between the French-speaking minority in the Canton of Bern and the German-speaking majority led to the creation of the new Canton of Jura on January 1, 1979. To the chagrin of the inhabitants of Ajoie, Delémont was chosen as the cantonal capital.
The scenic historic city center has many buildings in gothic
, baroque
, and neo-classical
styles, notably the buildings of the Jesuit college, which are now used by the cantonal school. The only remaining medieval city gate is the Porte de France, which was built in 1563.
The Catholic church of Saint-Pierre is a gothic basilica
that was built from 1330-50. It houses valuable relics and has a late-gothic altar. The Catholic church of Saint-Germain, was built in the 13th century and restored and expanded in 1698. The chapel of the Jesuit college (1599–1603) has an octagonal tower built in 1701, which is now used as a concert hall. The church of the Ursulines was dedicated in 1626.
On a prominence stands the Château de Porrentruy, which was the residence of the Bishop of Basel from 1527-1792. The oldest part is the round Bergfried, which was built in 1271.
Important baroque buildings are the Hôtel de Ville (1761–63), the Hôtel-Dieu (1761–65), the Hôtel de Gléresse (built in 1750 for the Baron of Ligerz), and the Hôtel des Halles (1766–69). On the squares of the old city are monumental fountains, including the Fontaine des Samarites (1564) and the Fontaine Suisse (1518).
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....
municipality
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...
and seat of the district
Porrentruy (district)
Porrentruy District is one of the three districts of the canton of Jura, Switzerland. Its capital is the town of Porrentruy. The French-speaking district has a population of .-Municipalities:Porrentruy is divided into a total of 23 municipalities:...
of the same name located 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 Jura.
Geography
The municipality lies on both sides of the AllaineAllaine
The Allaine is a 65 km long river in northwestern Switzerland and eastern France. Its source is in the village Charmoille, in the Swiss Jura mountains...
River, in Ajoie
Ajoie
L’Ajoie is an area located in the Northwest part of Switzerland, in the canton of Jura, .It is a part of the Jura plain, composed of six geographic areas:...
(the bulge in the northwest corner of Switzerland that extends into France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) at the foot of the Jura Mountains
Jura mountains
The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...
on the north. In addition to the wide valley of the Allaine itself, it includes the watershed of the Creux-Genat River, that flows down from the peaks of La Banné (511 m) and La Perche (526 m). In the north, the municipality includes the hills and forests of the Petit Fahy (543 m) und Grand Fahy (570 m). The highest point in the municipality is the ridge that divides it from the municipality of Bure
Bure, Switzerland
Bure is a municipality in the district of Porrentruy in the canton of Jura in Switzerland....
at 580 m.
In 1997, the land of the municipality was about evenly divided between woodland (41%) and farms (38%), with 20% of land use residential and 1% unutilized.
Population and language
| Population History | |
|---|---|
| Year | Population |
| 1809 | 2355 |
| 1818 | 1896 |
| 1850 | 2880 |
| 1870 | 4452 |
| 1900 | 6959 |
| 1910 | 6591 |
| 1930 | 5805 |
| 1950 | 6523 |
| 1960 | 7095 |
| 1970 | 7827 |
| 1980 | 7039 |
| 1990 | 6857 |
| 2000 | 6753 |
| 2005 | 6593 |
With a population of 6593 (as of the end of 2005) Porrentruy is the second-largest town in the canton of Jura. Of that population, 89.5% are French-speaking, 2.8% are German-speaking, and 2.2% Italian-speaking. The highest population was recorded in 1970, with 7827 inhabitants. Since then, the population has continuously decreased.
Transportation
Porrentruy lies on the Swiss FederalSBB-CFF-FFS
Swiss Federal Railways and SFR are not in official use) is the national railway company of Switzerland headquartered in Bern. Formerly a government institution, it is since 1999 a special stock corporation with all shares held by the Swiss Confederation or the Swiss cantons...
rail lines Delle-Delémont-Basel and Delle-Delémont-Bienne. There is also a local rail line of the Chemins de fer du Jura (CJ) Porrentruy-Bonfol. Originally, in 1868, Porrentruy was connected to France and Paris by train via Boncourt and Delle. The line is being electrified between Delle and Belfort at the present time and is replaced by an hourly bus service.
The municipality lies on the first stretch of the motorway (A16 or E27) to open (in 1998) in the canton of Jura between Delémont
Delémont
Delémont is the capital of the Swiss canton of Jura. The city has approximately 11,000 inhabitants as of 2007.-Geography:Delémont lies southwest of Basel, about halfway between Basel and Bienne...
and Belfort
Belfort
Belfort is a commune in the Territoire de Belfort department in Franche-Comté in northeastern France and is the prefecture of the department. It is located on the Savoureuse, on the strategically important natural route between the Rhine and the Rhône – the Belfort Gap or Burgundian Gate .-...
, France. The motorway is still not completed in 2009 because of the difficult topography of the Jura. This explains why the international railway played such an important role in the economic rise of Porrentruy because the railway follows the course of the Allaine river to the economic rail hub at Belfort.
Economy
In the course of the 19th century, Porrentruy developed from a trading center to an important industrial town, with traditional industries such as watchmaking, shoemaking, and textiles. In the 20th century, other important industries were added, notably metalworking, machine manufacturing, electronics, and furniture building. Agriculture is no longer a major factor in the labor market of the municipality.Culture
Porrentruy is the site of many important institutions of the canton of Jura, including the cantonal courts, and also of the archives of the former Episcopal See of BaselBasel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
. It is also the location of the Université Populaire Jurassienne.
In 1988, Porrentruy was awarded the Wakker Prize
Wakker Prize
The Wakker Prize is awarded annually by the Swiss Heritage Society to a Municipality of Switzerland for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage....
for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage.
History
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times. In 1983, ruins of a temple were discovered in the cemetery on the north of town, and Roman coins were found there.
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
pons Ragentrudis (Ragentrud bridge). Ragentrud was the wife of the Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
King Dagobert I
Dagobert I
Dagobert I was the king of Austrasia , king of all the Franks , and king of Neustria and Burgundy . He was the last Merovingian dynast to wield any real royal power...
. The German form of the name, Pruntrut may have a separate etymology from Bruntrutum, which means an abundant spring.
Porrentruy first belonged to the county of Montbéliard
Montbéliard
Montbéliard is a city in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It is one of the two subprefectures of the department.-History:...
, before it became subject to the Bishop of Basel in 1271. When the town was invaded by the Burgundians
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy , was heir to an ancient and prestigious reputation and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy and in its own right was one of the geographically larger ducal territories in the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.Even in that...
, King Rudolf I of Habsburg entered the town and forced its return to the Bishop of Basel. He also declared it a free Imperial city on April 10, 1283. Financial difficulties forced the Bishop to sell the Ajoie (including Porrentruy) back to the lords of Montbéliard in 1386. But in 1461, the town once again became subject to the episcopal see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
. Because of the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
in Basel, the Bishopric moved its official headquarters to Porrentruy in 1527. Under Bishop Jakob Christoph Blarer von Wartensee, who reigned from 1575 to 1608, the town reached the apogee of its importance. In his time, many architectural projects, including expansion of the castle and the building of a Jesuit college, were undertaken. This period of prosperity ended in 1618 with the outbreak of the 30 Years' War. Porrentruy was repeatedly occupied, besieged, and plundered.
In 1792, French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
ary troops conquered Ajoie. Porrentruy became the capital of a dependent republic, which was then incorporated into France in 1793 as the Département du Mont Terrible. In 1800, this department was incorporated into the Département du 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...
. After the fall of Napoleon, the municipality was given to the Canton of Bern (in 1815) to compensate for the loss of the Canton of Vaud, which had become a separate canton in 1803.
Until World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Porrentruy was the cultural center of the region and had a larger population than Delémont. However, with the increase in automobile traffic, its situation on the edge of the country became a liability and caused economic stagnation. In the second half of the 20th century, tensions between the French-speaking minority in the Canton of Bern and the German-speaking majority led to the creation of the new Canton of Jura on January 1, 1979. To the chagrin of the inhabitants of Ajoie, Delémont was chosen as the cantonal capital.
Tourism
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
, baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
, and neo-classical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
styles, notably the buildings of the Jesuit college, which are now used by the cantonal school. The only remaining medieval city gate is the Porte de France, which was built in 1563.
The Catholic church of Saint-Pierre is a gothic basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
that was built from 1330-50. It houses valuable relics and has a late-gothic altar. The Catholic church of Saint-Germain, was built in the 13th century and restored and expanded in 1698. The chapel of the Jesuit college (1599–1603) has an octagonal tower built in 1701, which is now used as a concert hall. The church of the Ursulines was dedicated in 1626.
On a prominence stands the Château de Porrentruy, which was the residence of the Bishop of Basel from 1527-1792. The oldest part is the round Bergfried, which was built in 1271.
Important baroque buildings are the Hôtel de Ville (1761–63), the Hôtel-Dieu (1761–65), the Hôtel de Gléresse (built in 1750 for the Baron of Ligerz), and the Hôtel des Halles (1766–69). On the squares of the old city are monumental fountains, including the Fontaine des Samarites (1564) and the Fontaine Suisse (1518).
External links
- http://www.porrentruy.ch