Les Prés-d'Orvin
Origin of the name Les Prés-d'Orvin
The name ties these mountain meadows to the municipality of Orvin, whose heights they occupy on the north slopes of the Mont Sujet.[4]
Founding of Les Prés-d'Orvin
Les Prés-d'Orvin are a place of chalets and leisure much visited by people from Biel and Solothurn. Before buses, private taxis organised by villagers drove up from Evilard or Orvin, run by Arthur Auroi, then by Georges and Armand Aufranc. In the early 1950s Daniel and Sydney Charpilloz, from Bévilard and Tavannes, and Armin Mottet and Armin-André Mottet, from Orvin, planned a ski lift whose first customers were mostly the chalet residents.[1][4][5]
History of Les Prés-d'Orvin
1930. A road from Orvin via Les Prés-d'Orvin to the Chasseral was planned.[3]
1932. The Confederation granted 160'500 francs for the Orvin - Prés-d'Orvin - Montagne de Bienne road.[3]
1944. The « vergé » spruce of Les Prés-d'Orvin was placed under protection.[3]
1950. The area had 181 chalets.[1][2]
1954. On 26 May an easement contract was signed with the landowner, the Biel veterinarian Herman Fuhrimann. The ski lift opened for the 1954-1955 season.[4][5]
1962. A second ski lift, the large tow running up towards the Mont Sujet, went into service. It ran only eight days that first winter.[4][5]
1963. The Grillon restaurant opened, run since then by the Jeandrevin family.[4]
1967. A third ski lift was bought second-hand. Two small rope tows were added in 1969 and 1971.[4][5]
1970. A national hill climb race ran from Orvin to Les Prés-d'Orvin.[3]
1975. The number of chalets reached 332.[1][2]
1984. The town of Biel and the municipality of Orvin took over the plot of the ski area.[4]
1989. The Biel - Orvin - Les Prés-d'Orvin bus line opened.[3]
1998. Les Prés-d'Orvin had 339 chalets.[2]
1999. Early in the year the municipality of Orvin became the main shareholder of Téléskis SA Les Prés-d'Orvin, alongside the burgher community.[2][4]
2006-2009. The winter of 2006-2007 allowed only four days of operation, while that of 2008-2009 gave a record 117.[4][5]
2019. In July an agreement with Pro Natura allowed the lift cable to be replaced, which meant moving the top wheel back 22 metres.[6]
Historic sites in Les Prés-d'Orvin
Ski lifts. The ski area covers the north slopes of the Mont Sujet, between 1'030 and 1'230 m. It has been lit for night skiing since the 2000s and is 26 minutes from Biel station by public transport.[4][5]
Grillon restaurant. Opened in 1963 at the foot of the slopes and run by the Jeandrevin family.[4]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Orvin » (Christine Gagnebin-Diacon, version du 07.12.2010)
- Commune d'Orvin, « Histoire »
- Chronologie jurassienne, « Orvin »
- Téléskis des Prés-d'Orvin, « Archives » (texte du jubilé des 60 ans, 14 janvier 2015)
- RJB, « Les téléskis des Prés-d'Orvin fêtent leurs soixante ans » (16 janvier 2015)
- RJB, « Prés-d'Orvin : accord pour le téléski » (11 juillet 2019)
Other villages near Les Prés-d'Orvin
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