Pleujouse
Origin of the name Pleujouse
The village appears in 1105 as « de Pluiusa ». A mention of 1141, « Nuwenburg », may refer to the first stone castle. The former German name was « Plützhausen ». The etymology of the name has not yet been explained.[1][2]
Founding of Pleujouse
The village grew up around the castle that the lords of Pleujouse built around 1100 on a rocky spur. From the 13th century the castle belonged to the Bishop of Basel, who granted it as a fief or pledge to the Pleujouse family and then to other noble families. Pleujouse belonged to the lordship of Ajoie in the Prince-Bishopric of Basel until the Revolution. A mainly agricultural village known for damassine plums, Pleujouse is today part of the municipality of La Baroche (merger of 1 January 2009).[1][2]
History of Pleujouse
around 1100. The lords of Pleujouse build a castle (a tower) on the rocky spur.[1][2]
1105. First mention: « de Pluiusa ».[1][2]
1141. Mention of « Nuwenburg », which may refer to the first stone castle.[2]
13th century. The castle passes to the Bishop of Basel but remains a fief of the Pleujouse family. The round tower is built.[1][2]
1425. The castle is damaged during a siege.[2]
1437-1438. The castle is restored by Bishop Jean de Wenningen of Basel.[2]
1444-1445. The castle is destroyed by the Confederates, then rebuilt by the Mörsberg family.[2]
1582. The castle passes to the counts of Ortenburg.[2]
1792-1813. Pleujouse belongs to the French departments of Mont-Terrible, then Haut-Rhin.[1]
1794. The castle is sold as national property.[1][2]
1815-1978. Pleujouse is part of the canton of Bern (district of Porrentruy).[1]
1836. Pleujouse adopts the status of a mixed municipality.[1][2]
1839. Pleujouse, until then part of the parish of La Baroche (Charmoille), is attached to the parish of Asuel.[1][2]
1881. The chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes is built.[1][2]
1914-1918. The castle serves as quarters for Swiss troops.[2]
1924. The castle becomes the property of the Association des amis du château de Pleujouse.[1][2]
1933-1936. The round tower is restored.[2]
1980. A fire destroys the castle's residential wing, which is then rebuilt.[1][2]
1988. A restaurant opens in the castle.[1][2]
2009. On 1 January, Pleujouse merges with Asuel, Charmoille, Fregiécourt and Miécourt into the municipality of La Baroche.[1][2]
Population of Pleujouse
Sources and references: [1][2]
| 1818 | 205 |
| 1850 | 239 |
| 1900 | 135 |
| 1950 | 109 |
| 2000 | 80 |
| 2008 | 97 (or 91) |
Historic sites in Pleujouse
Pleujouse castle. Built around 1100 by the lords of Pleujouse on a rocky spur, owned by the Bishop of Basel from the 13th century, destroyed by the Confederates in 1444-1445 and then rebuilt, sold as national property in 1794. Owned since 1924 by the Association des amis du château de Pleujouse and renovated several times, notably after the fire of 1980, it has housed a restaurant since 1988. It is a cultural property of regional significance.[1][4]
Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes. Chapel with a bell turret, built in 1881.[1][2]
Village below the spur. Farmhouses lined up along the road climbing to the castle, including the former school from the late 19th century now used as the municipal hall, farms and barns from the 18th and 19th centuries, two-basin fountains and a stone crucifix dated 1856.
Remains in Pleujouse
13th-century round tower. The oldest surviving part of the castle, a circular keep with a raised entrance, restored in 1933-1936.[1][2]
Residential wing and gate. The tall 16th-century residential wing was rebuilt after the fire of 1980. A gate dated to the 15th century leads into the courtyard. The north moat has been filled in.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Pleujouse » (Dominique Prongué), version du 10.06.2020
- Inventaire fédéral des sites construits d'importance nationale (ISOS), fiche n° 2417 « Pleujouse », 2e version (07.2008)
- geo.admin.ch (swisstopo), recherche de lieux « Pleujouse »
- Office fédéral de la protection de la population (OFPP), Inventaire PBC, liste cantonale du canton du Jura (état au 1.1.2026)
Other villages near Pleujouse
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