Biaufond
Origin of the name Biaufond
Where does the name come from? That is still unknown. The glassworks built there in 1747 is also referred to as « des Esserts d'Iles ».
Founding of Biaufond
Biaufond is a hamlet of the municipality of Les Bois, in the Franches-Montagnes district, on the Doubs at the French border. Part of the locality lies on Neuchâtel territory. Until the French Revolution it marked the boundary between the dioceses of Basel, Lausanne and Besançon. No founder of the hamlet is known. The first dated activity there is a glassworks: in 1747 two glassmakers, François and Joseph Raspieler, left the French glassworks of Blancheroche, founded at the end of the 17th century, to build a new one at Biaufond, which operated until 1793. In the 19th century the place became a crossing point over the Doubs, with a bridge built in 1881 and a customs post.
History of Biaufond
1002. Boundary stones are said to have been set to mark the limits of the bishoprics of Basel and Besançon, including the Borne des Trois Évêchés and the Roc mille deux.[2]
1660. First record of the so-called Three Bishoprics stone (Borne des Trois Évêchés).[2]
1747. The glassmakers François and Joseph Raspieler leave the Blancheroche glassworks and build a glassworks at Biaufond.
1793. End of operations at the Biaufond glassworks.
1877. Franco-Swiss Protocol of Besançon for building a bridge over the Doubs on the Biaufond-Charquemont road.[2]
1880. The Bernese Grand Council ratifies the protocol and votes a credit of 16'000 francs for the bridge. The Federal Council approves the project.[2]
1881. Construction of the bridge over the Doubs.[2]
1882. From 25 to 28 December, devastating flood of the Doubs between Biaufond and Goumois.[2]
1893. A fire destroys the Moulin de la Mort, not far from the hamlet.
1894. The Federal Council assigns Biaufond to the Lausanne customs district instead of Basel.[2]
1903. On 6 September, fire at the Hôtel des XIII cantons.[2]
1909. The Refrain power station, downstream on the Doubs, goes into service. Its dam creates a reservoir of about 8 km known as the Biaufond reservoir.
1944. Building notice for a customs post at Biaufond.[2]
1954. The canton of Bern grants Suiselectra a concession for hydroelectric development of the Doubs between Biaufond and Ocourt.[2]
1998. Closure of the post office.[2]
2004. The bridge is replaced and reopened to traffic on 25 November.[2]
2008. On 28 November, inauguration of the restored bridge after safety works begun in 2007.[2]
2015. On 20 June, inauguration of the Chemins de la contrebande franco-suisse (Franco-Swiss smuggling trails).[2]
Population of Biaufond
| 1888 | 71 |
| 1910 | 39 |
Historic sites in Biaufond
Biaufond bridge. Bridge over the Doubs provided for by the Franco-Swiss Protocol of Besançon (1877) and built in 1881. Replaced in 2004, it was restored and inaugurated again on 28 November 2008.[2]
Lac de Biaufond. Reservoir on the Doubs, about 8 km long, created by the dam of the Refrain power station, which went into service downstream in 1909.
Borne des Trois Évêchés. Boundary stone recalling that Biaufond lay on the border of the dioceses of Basel, Lausanne and Besançon. It is recorded in 1660.[2]
Customs post. Border crossing, assigned in 1894 to the Lausanne customs district. A new customs post is the subject of a building notice in 1944.[2]
Remains in Biaufond
Ruins of the Moulin de la Mort. Ruins of a mill not far from Biaufond, destroyed by fire in 1893.
Biaufond glassworks. Glassworks founded in 1747 by François and Joseph Raspieler and operated until 1793. A glassmaker's house disappeared in 1996.[2]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Biaufond » (Claude Rebetez)
- Chronologie jurassienne (Denis Moine), « Biaufond »
- Inventaire du patrimoine Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, « Barrage du Refrain »
- Statistique Jura, tableau JU-T.01.01.03, population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025
- Office fédéral de topographie swisstopo, map.geo.admin.ch
Other villages near Biaufond
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