Asuel
Origin of the name Asuel
The village appears in 1136 as « Asuel ». The castle and the lordly family bore the German name « Hasenburg ». The etymology of the name is not established.[1]
Founding of Asuel
Neither the founder nor the date of creation of the village, first mentioned in 1136, is known. Its history is bound up with that of the lords of Asuel, who built a castle in the 11th century on the rocky spur west of the village. Their lordship was one of the four sworn fiefs of the Prince-Bishopric of Basel, a fief that had slipped from the bishop's control and which he pledged to recover. The lords of Asuel also held the advocacy of the chapter of Saint-Ursanne and the patronage of the priory of Miserez. From 1241 Bourcard, lord of Asuel, surrendered all his fiefs to the Bishop of Basel. The family died out at the end of the 15th century. Under the Ancien Régime the municipality belonged to the mairie of Alle. Asuel is today part of the municipality of La Baroche (merger of 1 January 2009).[1]
History of Asuel
11th century. The lords of Asuel build their castle on the rocky spur west of the village.[1]
1136. First mention: « Asuel ».[1]
1241. Bourcard, lord of Asuel, surrenders all his fiefs into the hands of the Bishop of Basel.[1]
end of the 15th century. The Asuel family dies out.[1]
16th century. The castle is abandoned.[1]
1792-1815. Asuel belongs to the French departments of Mont-Terrible, then Haut-Rhin.[1]
1815-1978. Asuel belongs to the bailiwick, then to the Bernese district of Porrentruy.[1]
1836. Asuel becomes a mixed municipality.[1]
1839. Asuel separates from the parish of Charmoille. Construction of the church of Saint-Étienne.[1]
1877. Opening of the railway; until then the Les Rangiers pass was one of the busiest crossings of the Jura.[1]
2009. On 1 January Asuel merges with Charmoille, Fregiécourt, Miécourt and Pleujouse to form the municipality of La Baroche.[1]
Population of Asuel
Sources and references: [1]
| 1818 | 361 |
| 1850 | 444 |
| 1900 | 373 |
| 1950 | 278 |
| 2000 | 216 |
| 2008 | 184 |
Historic sites in Asuel
Church of Saint-Étienne. Built in 1839, when Asuel separated from the parish of Charmoille.[1]
Les Rangiers pass. The top of the pass (856 m) lay within the former municipality, with the Les Rangiers and La Caquerelle hotels. Before the railway opened in 1877 it was one of the busiest crossings of the Jura.[1]
La Malcôte. Residential area of the former municipality, where a stone quarry was worked.[1]
Remains in Asuel
Ruins of Asuel castle. The castle, built in the 11th century by the lords of Asuel (in German von Hasenburg) on the rocky spur west of the village, was abandoned in the 16th century; only ruins remain. The lordship of Asuel was one of the four sworn fiefs of the Prince-Bishopric of Basel.[1]
Legends of Asuel
The glass mountain. The daughter of the lord of Asuel had had a snake as her companion since childhood and turned down every suitor. Her father had her shut in a tower on top of a glass mountain, promising her to whoever could reach her. The young lords of the neighbouring castles all slipped. The son of a poor cooper succeeded with the help of the snake, its old skin and a pair of magic clogs. But the young woman took her own life on the evening of the wedding.[4]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Asuel » (Bernard Prongué), version du 10.06.2020
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Miserez » (André Chèvre), version du 21.10.2016
- geo.admin.ch (swisstopo), recherche de lieux « Asuel »
- Aurélie Reusser-Elzingre, Éditer et transmettre un patrimoine linguistique et culturel suisse. Contes et légendes en dialecte oïlique collectés par Jules Surdez, thèse, Université de Neuchâtel, 2018, p. 114-122
Other villages near Asuel
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