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Orvin

Town Canton of Bern · Former district: Courtelary · 1'284 inhabitants (31.12.2025)
Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Remains Legends Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Orvin

Orvin appears on 19 March 866 as « Ulvinc », in a charter of King Lothair II confirming lands to the monastery of Moutier-Grandval and naming the local chapel. The name is said to mean « among the descendants of Ulf », Ulf meaning wolf. It became Urvin, then Orvin, and in German Ulvingen, then Ilfingen.[2]

Founding of Orvin

Orvin lies in a side valley of the lower Suze, north of Biel/Bienne, watered by the Orvine and its tributary, the Jore. An old road, the « Vy d'Etraz », already crossed the valley. The village first belonged to the monastery of Moutier-Grandval, with which it passed to the bishop of Basel. It then formed a lordship, held in fief by the nobles of Orvin, then by the d'Orsans, lords of Rondchâtel, before returning to the bishop. A single high officer of the prince administered Biel and the lordships of Orvin and Diesse.[1][2]

History of Orvin

999. Through a gift of King Rudolph III of Burgundy, Orvin passed with Moutier-Grandval under the sovereignty of the bishop of Basel.[1]

1295. Orvin became a separate lordship, held in fief by the nobles of Orvin.[1]

1352. On 28 February the village received a roll of franchises, and in November a roll of the lordship set out its institutions (another account dates this roll to 1382).[1][2][3]

Fin du XIVe siècle. The men of Orvin formed the banner of Orvin, which marched with those of the Erguël under the command of Biel.[1]

1530. After the preaching of Guillaume Farel, Orvin adopted the Reformation.[1][3]

1536-1798. The pastor of Orvin also served the parish of Vauffelin.[1]

1643. On 24 May the roll was revised into a customary, the « Lois et coutumes usitées au village d'Orvin de toute ancienneté ».[1][3]

1649-1852. The honourable company of the banner of Orvin existed for more than two centuries.[1][3]

1668. On 12 October Prince-Bishop Johann Konrad von Roggenbach sanctioned the customary, which remained in force until the end of the Ancien Régime.[1][3]

1722. The present church was built in a rural Baroque style.[1][3]

1724 et 1754. Two fires ravaged the village, on 25 July 1724 (17 houses) and in the night of 14 to 15 November 1754 (48 houses), after which it was rebuilt.[2][3]

1797-1815. Orvin was French, first in the department of Mont-Terrible, then from 1800 in that of Haut-Rhin.[1]

1801. On 9 August the most destructive fire destroyed 80 houses (or 65).[2][3]

1815-1816. The Congress of Vienna assigned Orvin to the canton of Bern, which placed it in the district of Courtelary in 1816.[2][3]

1854. The municipality and the burgher community were separated (in 1853 according to another source). Until the early 20th century the municipality remained dependent on the burghers.[1][2]

1916. The painter Paul Robert decorated the church (in 1914 according to another source).[1][3]

1954. The village, isolated until about 1950, received a branch of the Schäublin factory of Bévilard. Léchot followed in 1961, Bulova in 1964, LNS in 1973 and Precimed in 1988.[1][2]

1963-1991. Orvin added facilities: a new school in 1963, a groundwater intake at Jorat in 1967, a kindergarten in 1973, and the Les Roches care home in 1991.[2]

2008. On 1 June Orvin and Péry rejected the plan to merge six municipalities of the Bas-Vallon, which failed.[5]

Population of Orvin

Sources and references: [1][3][6]

Population of Orvin
1764532
1850659
1900766
1950780
19701'034
20001'235
20251'284

Historic sites in Orvin

Reformed church. Built in 1722 in a rural Baroque style, decorated by Paul Robert and restored in 1994. It is listed in the inventory of cultural property (B object). Its font, carved in the 18th century, shows the legend of the bear.[1][2][3][4]

Maison Robert. House at the locality of Le Chärjus, listed in the inventory of cultural property of regional importance.[4]

Remains in Orvin

Church of Saint Peter. The medieval church, dedicated to Saint Peter, has disappeared. A late Gothic building preceded the present church of 1722.[1]

Crêt de Sur Neu Châtel and Château des Ruines. These two place names in the valley are thought to date from the time when the « Vy d'Etraz » crossed it.[2]

Legends of Orvin

Or, vin !. A hunter, facing a bear below the Roche, is said to have called out « Or, vin ! », meaning « Bear, come! » in the local dialect, before killing it with his spear. Tradition uses this to explain the village's name, and the scene appears in its coat of arms.[2]

Sources

  1. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Orvin » (Christine Gagnebin-Diacon, version du 07.12.2010)
  2. Commune d'Orvin, « Histoire »
  3. Chronologie jurassienne, « Orvin »
  4. Office fédéral de la protection de la population, Inventaire suisse des biens culturels d'importance nationale et régionale, liste du canton de Berne (2026)
  5. Canton de Berne, Direction de l'intérieur et de la justice, « Laufende Fusionsprojekte im Kanton Bern » (juin 2026)
  6. Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS), STATPOP, population résidante permanente au 31.12.2025

Localities of the municipality with a page

Other villages near Orvin

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