La Goule
Origin of the name La Goule
The name « La Goule » refers both to the small lake formed by the Doubs and to the neighbouring hamlet, and later to the electricity company and power plant that took it up. Nobody knows when it first appears, and its origin has not yet been explained.[1]
Founding of La Goule
La Goule lies at the bottom of the Doubs valley on the Franco-Swiss border, in the municipality of Le Noirmont, opposite the French municipality of Charmauvillers. The small lake formed in 1356, when the Basel earthquake sent rocks into the bed of the Doubs and created a natural dam. Under the Ancien Régime the place belonged to the lordship of the Franches-Montagnes, in the prince-bishopric of Basel, and to the parish of Le Noirmont. The hamlet, linked to France by a bridge, is known for its restaurant and its former customs post. On 2 December 1893, on the initiative of François Geneux, Alfred Boy de la Tour and Fritz Rothacher among others, the Société des forces électriques de La Goule was founded in Saint-Imier to harness the fall of the Doubs. Its plant, built in 1893-1894, supplies the Maîche plateau, the Franches-Montagnes and the Vallon de Saint-Imier.[1][2][3][4]
History of La Goule
1356. During the Basel earthquake, rocks fall into the bed of the Doubs and form a natural dam, the origin of the lake.[1]
1809. The Porrentruy district engineer reports on a project for an edge-tool works at La Goule.[3]
1873. Charmauvillers and Le Noirmont agree to build a bridge over the Doubs at La Goule. It is built in 1875.[3]
1887. A fire destroys the Derrière-la-Roche mill.[3]
1891. On 26 November the prefect of the Doubs authorises a water intake on the Doubs for the power plant project.[3]
1893. The Bernese government grants the concession (4 July). The Société des forces électriques de La Goule is founded in Saint-Imier on 2 December and work begins on 5 December.[3][4]
1894. The turbines are inaugurated on 19 May. The plant goes into service on 8 December and the first electric light comes on in Sonvilier on 17 December.[3]
1902. The La Goule bridge collapses. Rebuilt, it is inaugurated on 19 October.[3]
1914. A school opens at La Goule on 13 June.[3]
1930. The French customs post is moved to Charmauvillers (31 January).[3]
1939. The Bernese power company FMB acquires a majority of the company's capital. The company keeps its legal identity.[4]
1943. The first turbine, dating from 1894, is scrapped.[3]
1955. The dam is raised.[3]
2015. The new La Goule bridge, under construction since 23 March, is inaugurated on 12 September.[3]
Historic sites in La Goule
La Goule power plant. Hydroelectric plant built in 1893-1894 on the right, Swiss bank. It reportedly stands downstream of the dam. With 5.5 MW of installed capacity, a gross head of 28 m and average output of 26 GWh a year, it is the largest hydroelectric plant in the Jura and the Bernese Jura.[2][4]
La Goule dam and lake. Small lake on the Doubs created by the 1356 rockfall. The gravity dam, raised in 1955, is reportedly about 125 m long.[1][3]
La Goule bridge. Border bridge over the Doubs to Charmauvillers, built in 1875, rebuilt after its collapse in 1902 and replaced by a new structure inaugurated in 2015.[3]
Hamlet of La Goule. Hamlet known for its restaurant and its former customs post.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Goule, La » (Claude Rebetez)
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Noirmont, Le » (François Kohler)
- Denis Moine, Chronologie jurassienne, « Goule, La »
- Dictionnaire du Jura, « Société des forces électriques de La Goule (SEG) » (Emma Chatelain)
- Statistique Jura, tableau JU-T.01.01.03, population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025
- geo.admin.ch (swisstopo), recherche de lieux « La Goule »
Other villages near La Goule
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