Belprahon
Origin of the name Belprahon
The name appears between 1673 and 1683 as «Belpravon». The village also had a German name, Tiefenbach, which has fallen out of use.[1]
Founding of Belprahon
Belprahon lies on the northern slope of the Grand Val, or Cornet. It depended on Moutier-Grandval, first the abbey, then the chapter of canons. Unlike the other villages of the Grand Val, it never belonged to the parish of Grandval, but to that of Moutier. Agricultural until the 1960s, it became a residential municipality. The primary school, sewage treatment and the water supply from the Raimeux are shared with neighbouring municipalities.[1]
History of Belprahon
1531. The parish of Moutier, to which Belprahon belongs, adopts the Reformation.[1]
1673-1683. The village is mentioned as «Belpravon».[1]
1797-1800. Belprahon, until then dependent on Moutier-Grandval, first the abbey and then the chapter of canons, joins the French department of Mont-Terrible.[1]
1800-1813. The village belongs to the department of Haut-Rhin.[1]
1815. Belprahon passes to the canton of Bern, in the bailiwick, then the district of Moutier.[1]
1853. The residents' municipality and the burgher community merge. Belprahon becomes a mixed municipality (commune mixte).[1]
1904-1908. Construction of the Moutier-Solothurn line, which serves Belprahon, as does the road from Moutier to Balsthal.[1][2]
1960s. Agricultural until then, the municipality becomes residential, with the Les Amatennes neighbourhood.[1]
1990. Three out of four working residents commute out of the municipality. The service sector dominates.[1]
2026. The Reformed parish of Moutier, to which Belprahon belongs, now extends across the cantonal border.[1]
Population of Belprahon
Sources and references: [1][4]
| 1850 | 126 |
| 1900 | 188 |
| 1950 | 141 |
| 2000 | 336 |
| 2010 | 295 |
| 2020 | 276 |
| 2025 | 264 |
Historic sites in Belprahon
Moutier gorges. Part of the municipal territory lies in the cluse of the Birse, listed with Moutier and Roches in the Federal Inventory of Landscapes (object 1021).[3]
Les Amatennes. Residential neighbourhood of Belprahon, linked to the municipality's shift from farming to housing.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Belprahon » (François Wisard), version du 14.01.2026
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Crémines » (François Wisard), version du 14.01.2026
- Office fédéral de l'environnement (OFEV), Inventaire fédéral des paysages (IFP), objet 1021 « Gorges de Moutier », fiche 2017
- Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS), STATPOP, population résidante permanente au 31.12.2025
Other villages near Belprahon
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