Courrendlin
Origin of the name Courrendlin
Name origin: the first known mention dates from 866, in the form « Rendelana Corte ». The etymology of the name is not explained in the sources consulted.
Founding of Courrendlin
Courrendlin appears in 866 among the possessions of the abbey of Moutier-Grandval. The old core developed as a street village on the right bank of the Birs, at the mouth of the Moutier gorge. Until 1797, Courrendlin was one of the great judicial mayoralties of the provostship of Moutier-Grandval, also called Sous-les-Roches, which united the mayoralties of Courrendlin and Corban. In the 19th century the village was transformed by the ironworks of Choindez. The present municipality was created on 1 January 2019 by the merger of Courrendlin with Rebeuvelier and Vellerat; it also includes the industrial site of Choindez.
History of Courrendlin
866. First mention (« Rendelana Corte »): Courrendlin is among the possessions of the abbey of Moutier-Grandval.
13th-14th century. Construction of the choir and part of the nave of the old church of Saint-Barthélemy, which still survive.
1530s. Despite Bernese efforts, the mayoralty of Courrendlin remains Catholic.
1598. The Prince-Bishop of Basel has a blast furnace built at Courrendlin, active until around 1870.
1697. Date of the dials of the clock tower.
1755-1758. Construction of the parish church of Saints-Germain-et-Randoald in the village; the old church of Saint-Barthélemy is abandoned in the middle of the 18th century.
1797. End of the Ancien Régime: French period (Mont-Terrible 1797-1800, then Haut-Rhin 1800-1813).
1815. Courrendlin joins the canton of Bern, in the bailiwick and then district of Moutier.
1846. Ludwig von Roll fires up the Choindez blast furnace (the Von Roll works have been established there since 1843).
1876. Opening of the station on the Delémont-Moutier line; Choindez also has a station from 1876.
1920. 74 % of the working population is employed in industry, with a strong German-speaking and Protestant minority.
1930. Construction of the Reformed church.
1933. Opening of a secondary school.
1975. A border municipality after the plebiscites of June 1974 and March 1975, Courrendlin opts for the canton of Jura on 7 September 1975.
1975-1976. Restoration of the old church of Saint-Barthélemy.
1976. Attached to the district of Delémont.
2019. On 1 January, merger with Rebeuvelier and Vellerat into the municipality of Courrendlin.
Population of Courrendlin
| 1818 | 567 |
| 1850 | 731 |
| 1900 | 1'908 |
| 1910 | 2'098 |
| 1930 | 1'921 |
| 1950 | 2'218 |
| 1970 | 2'656 |
| 2000 | 2'435 |
| 2010 | 2'564 |
| 2019 | 3'550 (merged municipality) |
| 2025 | 3'737 (merged municipality) |
Historic sites in Courrendlin
Church of Saints-Germain-et-Randoald. Parish church built in 1755-1758, whose three Baroque altars by Ursanne-Joseph Bourquardt are among the most remarkable in the canton; paintings by François-Ignace Tavanne (1757). Restored in 1982-1983 and 1988. The parish also includes Rossemaison, Châtillon and Vellerat.
Clock tower. 17th-century tower with stepped gables, whose dials are dated 1697; restored in 1965 and 1990.
Street village. The old core stretches along the right bank of the Birs, with winding streets, farmhouses and townhouses (1657-1823); the station and a 20th-century residential district are on the left bank.
Choindez. Industrial site in a widening of the Moutier gorge, developed around the Von Roll blast furnace of 1846. It became one of the main Swiss ironworks (cast-iron pipes and moulds) and had more than 700 workers in 1913. Before 1914, Von Roll built thirty-five apartment houses, a canteen, a shop, a school and a small hospital there. The workers' settlement gradually lost its inhabitants (704 in 1910, 24 in 2000).
Remains in Courrendlin
Old church of Saint-Barthélemy. Oldest building in the municipality, abandoned in the middle of the 18th century. The choir and part of the nave from the 13th-14th centuries survive, with wall fragments from the middle of the 15th century; restored in 1975-1976.
Choindez blast furnace. The blast furnace of 1846 and the industrial buildings and housing of the late 19th century form an ensemble listed in the municipal heritage inventory.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Courrendlin »
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Choindez »
- Commune de Courrendlin, Règlement communal sur les constructions, annexe I (inventaire du patrimoine)
- Statistique Jura, tableau JU-T.01.01.03, population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025
Localities of the municipality with a page
Other villages near Courrendlin
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