Le Peuchapatte
Origin of the name Le Peuchapatte
Old form « Peulx-Chapatte » in 1669. It is not known whether this is the very first mention. The village is said to have been founded by a Chapatte family, whose name appears in the second part of the place name. The rest of the etymology is unexplained.
Founding of Le Peuchapatte
Le Peuchapatte is regarded as the youngest village community of the Franches-Montagnes: it is said to have been founded around 1530 by a Chapatte family from Les Breuleux. Located at 1'131 metres, on a plateau between Les Bois and Les Breuleux, it is the highest village in the canton of Jura. It belonged to the lordship of the Franches-Montagnes, in the Bishopric of Basel. Le Peuchapatte is now part of the municipality of Muriaux (merger of 1 January 2009).
History of Le Peuchapatte
Around 1530. Presumed founding of the village by a Chapatte family from Les Breuleux.
1629. Le Peuchapatte is attached to the parish of Le Noirmont.
1669. Old form of the name: « Peulx-Chapatte ».
1792. End of its membership in the lordship of the Franches-Montagnes, in the Bishopric of Basel.
1793-1813. The village belongs to the French department of Mont-Terrible, then to that of Haut-Rhin.
1815-1978. Le Peuchapatte is part of the canton of Bern.
1883. A neo-Gothic votive chapel is built.
1917. The village rejects a plan to merge with Les Bois.
1923. Attached to the parish of Les Breuleux.
1971. The chapel is replaced by a modern building with stained-glass windows by Yves Voirol.
1979. Le Peuchapatte becomes part of the new canton of Jura.
2005. All jobs still belong to the primary sector (farming and horse breeding).
2009. Merger with Muriaux (1 January).
Population of Le Peuchapatte
| 1818 | 84 |
| 1850 | 133 |
| 1900 | 84 |
| 1950 | 54 |
| 2000 | 38 |
| 2008 | 38 |
Historic sites in Le Peuchapatte
Chapel of Le Peuchapatte. A neo-Gothic votive chapel is built in 1883. In 1971 it is replaced by a modern building with stained-glass windows by Yves Voirol.
Le Peuchapatte plateau. At 1'131 metres, between Les Bois and Les Breuleux, the highest village in the canton of Jura, devoted to farming and horse breeding.
Legends of Le Peuchapatte
The men who went to buy some wit. Tired of being mocked for their foolishness all over the Jura, the people of Le Peuchapatte sent two lads to Morteau to buy some wit. The pair spent the day at the inn, and in the evening a butcher sold them sausages as wit. These were put in a cupboard for the night, and the mice ate the lot: that, says the tale, is why the people of Le Peuchapatte still have no wit. It is one of the teasing stories villages told about each other everywhere.[3]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Le Peuchapatte » (François Kohler)
- geo.admin.ch (swisstopo), recherche de lieux « Le Peuchapatte »
- Aurélie Reusser-Elzingre, Éditer et transmettre un patrimoine linguistique et culturel suisse. Contes et légendes en dialecte oïlique collectés par Jules Surdez, thèse, Université de Neuchâtel, 2018, p. 95-100
Other villages near Le Peuchapatte
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