Choindez
Origin of the name Choindez
The origin of the name Choindez remains unexplained.
Founding of Choindez
Choindez owes its existence to iron. In 1846 Ludwig von Roll, of Gerlafingen, put a blast furnace into operation in a widening of the Moutier gorge, on the territory of Courrendlin, to process iron ore mined in the Delémont valley. The locality grew up around the works in the second half of the 19th century. The workforce came largely from German-speaking Switzerland. To keep it there, the Von Roll company built housing, a canteen, a shop, a school and a small hospital before 1914.[2]
History of Choindez
1846. Ludwig von Roll, of Gerlafingen, puts into operation a blast furnace to process iron ore from the Delémont valley.[2]
1873. The works employ 225 workers.
1876. The works are connected to the railway.
1877. Coke replaces charcoal in the blast furnace.
1902. Construction of an industrial building with large round-arched openings, still standing.[2]
1913. The foundry, specialising in cast iron pipes and moulds and now one of the main Swiss ironworking centres, has more than 700 workers.
before 1914. Von Roll builds thirty-five rental flats, a canteen, a shop, a school and a small hospital to keep its workforce.
1931. Construction of the southern industrial building, along the cantonal road.[2]
1943. Cast iron is now produced in an electric furnace.
1947. The works employ 600 workers.
2000. The works still have 334 workers, but the locality has only 24 inhabitants and has lost its character as a workers' settlement.
Population of Choindez
| 1888 | 193 |
| 1910 | 704 |
| 1960 | 460 |
| 1980 | 190 |
| 2000 | 24 |
Historic sites in Choindez
Choindez industrial site. Ensemble rated of national importance in the heritage inventory of the municipality of Courrendlin: factories, offices, a hotel, villas and rental houses in historicist styles, from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, built around the 1846 blast furnace.[2]
Remains in Choindez
Industrial buildings. Group of industrial buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including a building with large round-arched openings dated 1902 and the southern building along the cantonal road, dated 1931.[2]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Choindez » (François Kohler)
- Commune de Courrendlin, Règlement communal sur les constructions, annexe I (inventaire du patrimoine)
- Office fédéral de topographie swisstopo, map.geo.admin.ch
Other villages near Choindez
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