Crémines
Origin of the name Crémines
The village is recorded in 1461 as «Crimene». A mention of 1179, among the possessions of Moutier-Grandval, would place it earlier. The name probably comes from «creux des mines» (hollow of the mines).[1][2]
Founding of Crémines
Crémines grew up in the Grand Val, or Cornet, where the Gaibiat meets the Rauss. Early medieval graves have been found there. The village belonged to the provostship of Moutier-Grandval and always came under the parish of Grandval. Its Pré de Sales meadow was the duelling ground for the whole provostship. Agricultural until about 1900, it also knew watchmaking, pottery and arquebus making as cottage work, on a small scale. In 2000 the secondary sector provided more than half of the jobs.[1][2]
History of Crémines
Early Middle Ages. Graves from this period have been found at Crémines.[1]
1179. The village is listed among the possessions of Moutier-Grandval.[2]
1461. Crémines appears in the form «Crimene».[1]
1531. The parish of Grandval, to which the village has always belonged, adopts the Reformation.[1][2]
1615-1798. Farmers build log granaries. Twelve of those that survive bear a date from this period.[2]
1797-1800. The village passes from the provostship of Moutier-Grandval to the French department of Mont-Terrible.[1]
1800-1813. Crémines belongs to the department of Haut-Rhin.[1]
1815. Assigned to Bern, the municipality joins the bailiwick, then the district of Moutier.[1][2]
1819. The Croix Blanche inn is built.[2]
1842-1843. The new cantonal road from Gänsbrunnen to Moutier opens. The Grand-Rue grows up along it.[2]
1853. Crémines becomes a mixed municipality (commune mixte).[1]
1855. A serious fire devastates the village.[2]
1868. A neoclassical school is built between the old core and the Grand-Rue.[2]
1871. Another fire strikes Crémines, which explains why so few farmhouses predate 1800.[2]
1904-1908. The Moutier-Solothurn line is built. Crémines station opens in 1908, and bar turning (décolletage) arrives thanks to the railway and the industry of Moutier.[1][2]
1935. A wooden Catholic chapel, part of the parish of Moutier, is consecrated for the workers who came to work in the factories.[1][2]
1943. A cardboard factory settles in the village.[1]
1972. A zoological garden opens at Crémines.[1]
Population of Crémines
Sources and references: [1][3]
| 1755 | 252 |
| 1850 | 297 |
| 1900 | 383 |
| 1950 | 497 |
| 2000 | 565 |
| 2010 | 523 |
| 2020 | 478 |
| 2025 | 527 |
Historic sites in Crémines
Granaries. Some twenty log granaries survive in the village. Twelve are dated between 1615 and 1798, another 1843, a rare example from after 1800, and one 1861.[2]
Pré de Sales. Meadow that served as the duelling ground for the whole provostship of Moutier-Grandval.[1]
Croix Blanche inn. Inn dated 1819.[2]
School. Neoclassical school of 1868, linking the old core and the Grand-Rue.[2]
Catholic chapel. Wooden chapel of 1935, built for the Catholic factory workers.[1][2]
Bridges and fountains. The Gaibiat and the Rauss flow in the open under seven small bridges. The monolithic public fountains date from the second half of the 19th century. The Chemin de l'Église is the old path to Grandval.[2]
Remains in Crémines
Early medieval graves. Burials of the early Middle Ages discovered at Crémines.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Crémines » (François Wisard), version du 14.01.2026
- Office fédéral de la culture, ISOS, « Crémines », commune de Crémines, district de Moutier, canton de Berne, 2e version, mars 2006
- Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS), STATPOP, population résidante permanente au 31.12.2025
Other villages near Crémines
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