FRDEITEN
Villages / Bern / Former La Neuveville district / Prêles

Prêles

Canton of Bern · Former district: La Neuveville · 886 inhabitants (2000, former municipality of Prêles, last figure before the merger)
Part of the municipality of Plateau de Diesse
Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Legends Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Prêles

The name appears in 1179 as «Prales», in a 12th-century forgery, then in 1185 as «Preles». In German the village is called Prägelz.[1]

Founding of Prêles

Prêles is a village of the Montagne de Diesse, above the north shore of Lake Biel, which also includes the hamlet of Châtillon. In 1178 the chapter of Saint-Imier and the abbey of Saint-Jean near Erlach held large estates here. A noble family «de Perls» is recorded from the 12th to the 15th century, and several of its members appear as witnesses, Eberard de Prêles around 1195, Louis and Conon in 1284, Conrad in 1352. Prêles is now part of the municipality of Plateau de Diesse (merger of 2014).[1][2]

History of Prêles

1530-1554. The population turns to the Reformation.[1]

1861. A fire ravages La Chaîne, the northern district, which had some fifteen houses.[2]

1912. The Ligerz-Prêles funicular, built on the initiative of Arnold Rossel, links the village to the lakeshore and ends the isolation of the plateau.[1][2][6]

1912-1939. Summer tourism grows, with the Mont-Souhait hotel and three holiday camps.[1][2]

1918. The State of Bern buys 188 hectares at Prêles, Nods and Diesse for its reformatory. The marsh is drained from 1918 to 1923.[2][3]

1920. The Grand Council decides to move the reformatory of Trachselwald, opened in 1892, to the Montagne de Diesse.[3]

1927. The institution's main building, planned for 80 young people, is opened at Prêles.[3]

1945. The refugee camps housed in the former hotel come to an end. From 1953 to 1974 the building houses a watchmaking workshop.[2]

1946. The municipal arms, a cauldron recalling the gathering of pitch, recorded since the mid-16th century, are officially recognised.[1][2]

Around 1950. Farming ceases to be the village's main activity.[1]

1954-1956. In «Le Bon Jour» Jack Rollan compares the institution to «Hitler camps». Sued for libel by the director Georges Luterbacher, he receives a light sentence in 1956.[3]

1961. On 4 March the founding assembly of the Plateau de Diesse land consolidation meets in the institution's gymnasium. The main works end in 1987.[2]

1969-1970. After two young inmates take their lives at the end of 1969, press inquiries and an expert commission lead to reforms. The home takes the name of foyer d'éducation.[3]

2010-2012. The home is renovated and enlarged from 2010 to 2012 (or from 2008 to 2012) for 37 million francs, then reopened on 26 October 2012.[3][4]

2013. On 9 June Prêles accepts the merger by 229 votes to 124. On 1 January 2014 the village becomes part of the municipality of Plateau de Diesse.[5]

2016. For lack of enough residents, the home closes.[3][4]

Population of Prêles

Sources and references: [1]

Population of Prêles
1818252
1850330
1900375
1950507
2000886

Historic sites in Prêles

Ligerz-Prêles funicular. It climbs from the north shore of Lake Biel through the Schafiser vineyards. It also carried goods such as salt and sugar.[2]

Arnold Rossel monument. At the northern exit of the village, it recalls the man behind the funicular.[2]

Former reformatory. The main building of 1927, the director's villa, the farm, the pavilions and the workshops of the institution have stood empty since 2016. In 2019 the canton did not rule out selling them.[3][4]

Former Mont-Souhait hotel. A well-known hotel, closed at the start of the Second World War and turned into flats.[2]

Le Chânet. Forest about two kilometres west of the village, where survivors of the plague are said to have settled. A nearby spring feeds the Velou fountain.[2]

Legends of Prêles

The witches' grimoire. It is said that some people still own a grimoire from the time of the witches, which would let them cast spells.[2]

Sources

  1. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Prêles » (Frédy Dubois, version du 19.09.2016, texte italien)
  2. Commune de Plateau de Diesse, « Historique de la commune de Prêles »
  3. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Prêles (établissement d'éducation) » (Anne-Françoise Praz, version du 24.02.2026)
  4. RJB, « Ancien foyer de Prêles : éviter qu'il tombe en ruine » (30 juillet 2019)
  5. Commune de Plateau de Diesse, « Histoire de la fusion »
  6. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Diesse, Montagne de » (Frédy Dubois, version du 09.02.2015)

Other villages near Prêles

Missing information, or do you have a source? Suggest a correction or addition. Every submission is checked before it's published.

Suggest a change