Courroux

Canton of Jura · District: Delémont · 3'439 inhabitants (31.12.2025)

Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Remains Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Courroux

Name origin: first mentioned in 1146 in the German form « Lütoltesdorf » and in 1148 in the French form « Corolt ». The name is said to go back to « Corte Lutolt », the estate of a man named Lutolt (to be cross-checked). The neighbouring village of Courcelon, which belongs to the municipality, is mentioned in 1139 in the French form « Curzelun » and in 1320 in the German form « Solendorff ».

Founding of Courroux

Courroux is a large village in the district of Delémont, located east of the confluence of the Scheulte and the Birse and sheltered to the north by the Bambois, a wooded mountain whose summit is called Roc de Courroux (855 m). No founder is known. The site was occupied very early: a Late Bronze Age village (1200-800 BC) stood on the Roc de Courroux, at a strategic point controlling the entrance to the Delémont valley up the Birse, and a large Gallo-Roman villa stood in the centre of the present village. In the Middle Ages and under the Ancien Régime, Courroux was one of the thirteen free villages of the Delémont valley, a lordship of the bishopric of Basel from 1271. The municipal territory also includes Courcelon, Bellerive and Soyhières castle.

History of Courroux

1200-800 BC. A Late Bronze Age village occupies the Roc de Courroux, at a strategic point controlling the entrance to the Delémont valley up the Birse.

AD 70-240. Period of burials in a large Roman cemetery: of 148 excavated graves, 116 cremation burials and eight inhumations are dated from AD 70 to 240.

1139. First mention of Courcelon, in the form « Curzelun ».

1146. First mention of Courroux, in the German form « Lütoltesdorf »; the parish (diocese of Basel, deanery of Salsgau) is mentioned from this date.

1148. First known French form of the name: « Corolt ».

12th-15th century. A noble family of Courroux is recorded.

1271. Courroux, one of the thirteen free villages of the Delémont valley, is part of this lordship of the bishopric of Basel.

1293. The prince-bishop of Basel is the patron (collator) of the parish.

1792-1815. Courroux is a French municipality, in the department of Mont-Terrible, then Haut-Rhin.

1815-1978. Courroux is part of Bern, in the bailiwick and then the district of Delémont.

1838. Construction of the chapel of Sainte-Philomène in Courcelon.

1853. Courroux receives the status of a mixed municipality (political and burgher).

1856. The hamlet of Les Riedes-Dessus is separated from Courroux and joined to Soyhières.

1871-1873. The church of Saint-Nicolas is rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style.

1923. Karl Lüdin begins the excavations on the Roc de Courroux, which he continues for more than fifty years.

from the 1960s. Population growth leads to the construction of residential districts; since the end of the 19th century the village has lived in the economic orbit of Delémont, where several hundred residents work.

1979. Courroux becomes part of the new canton of Jura (1 January 1979).

Population of Courroux

733

1818

1'173

1850

1'333

1900

1'626

1950

2'733

2000

3'025

2010

3'439

2025

Historic sites in Courroux

Roc de Courroux. Summit of the Bambois (855 m), the wooded mountain that shelters the village to the north. It held a strategic position controlling the entrance to the Delémont valley up the Birse, which explains the settlement of a village there in the Bronze Age.

Church of Saint-Nicolas. Parish church rebuilt in 1871-1873 in the neo-Gothic style. The parish is mentioned from 1146 and the prince-bishop of Basel was its patron from 1293.

Chapel of Sainte-Philomène, Courcelon. Chapel built in 1838 in the village of Courcelon, east of Courroux.

Soyhières castle. Castle standing on a rocky ridge near the village of Soyhières, on the right bank of the Birse, but within the municipal territory of Courroux, like the locality of Bellerive.

Remains in Courroux

Late Bronze Age village on the Roc de Courroux. Settlement from 1200 to 800 BC, excavated for more than fifty years from 1923 by Karl Lüdin. The site has yielded one of the most important collections of pottery from this period in the Jura Arc.

Gallo-Roman villa and statuette of Mars. In the centre of the present village, a large Gallo-Roman villa was identified in the 19th century. It has never been scientifically excavated, but a magnificent statuette of the god Mars comes from there.

Roman cemetery. Large cemetery of which 148 graves have been excavated; 116 cremation burials and eight inhumations are dated from AD 70 to 240.

Sources

Other villages near Courroux

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