Ederswiler
Origin of the name Ederswiler
Name origin: the oldest known form is « Ernswilre » in 1323. The etymology is not explained in the sources consulted; the ending « -wilre » corresponds to the old form of Alemannic names in « -wil(er) » (to be cross-checked).
Founding of Ederswiler
Ederswiler is a farming village north of Delémont, near the French border, bordering Movelier, Pleigne and Roggenburg (Basel-Landschaft). No founder or founding date is known: the village appears in the records in 1323. It always belonged to the parish of Roggenburg and was part of the lordship of Delémont, in the Prince-Bishopric of Basel, where it was one of the twenty mairies until 1793. German-speaking, it remained in the Bernese district of Delémont after 1815, then joined the canton of Jura, of which it is today the only German-speaking municipality.
History of Ederswiler
1323. Oldest known mention, in the form « Ernswilre ».
1389. The Bishop of Basel pledges Ederswiler to the Counts of Thierstein.
1454. The pledge to the Counts of Thierstein is redeemed; the village returns to the Bishop of Basel.
until 1793. Ederswiler is one of the twenty mairies of the lordship of Delémont (Prince-Bishopric of Basel) and belongs to the parish of Roggenburg.
1793-1800. The village belongs to the French department of Mont-Terrible.
1800-1813. It is attached to the French department of Haut-Rhin.
1815. The Congress of Vienna assigns the former Prince-Bishopric of Basel to the canton of Bern; Ederswiler belongs to the bailiwick, then the district of Delémont, until 1978.
1857. Construction of the Sainte-Anne chapel.
1867. Ederswiler becomes a mixed municipality.
1974. In the vote of 23 June 1974 on the creation of the canton of Jura, Ederswiler is one of the three municipalities of the district of Delémont to vote against (42 votes to 35, to be cross-checked). Having no common border with the Laufen district, it cannot join it, unlike Roggenburg.
1979. Ederswiler becomes part of the new canton of Jura, as its only German-speaking municipality.
1980s. As the village no longer has a school, pupils are taught in French at Movelier and Soyhières (to be cross-checked).
2000. More than half of the jobs in the municipality are in the primary sector; 84.5% of the inhabitants have German as their mother tongue (to be cross-checked).
Population of Ederswiler
| 1818 | 156 |
| 1850 | 219 |
| 1900 | 124 |
| 1920 | 109 |
| 1950 | 151 |
| 1960 | 166 |
| 2000 | 129 |
| 2010 | 117 |
| 2025 | 111 |
Historic sites in Ederswiler
Sainte-Anne chapel. The village chapel, built in 1857. In religious matters, Ederswiler has always belonged to the parish of Roggenburg.
A German-speaking village in Jura. The only German-speaking municipality in the canton of Jura. In the vote of 23 June 1974 it rejected the creation of the new canton, but could not join the Laufen district for lack of a common border.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Ederswiler » (François Kohler)
- Wikipédia, « Ederswiler » (français)
- Wikipedia, « Ederswiler » (allemand)
- Statistique Jura, tableau JU-T.01.01.03, population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025
- geo.admin.ch (swisstopo), recherche de lieux « Ederswiler »
Other villages near Ederswiler
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