Réclère
Origin of the name Réclère
The village is first recorded in 1150 as « Resclires ». The name is said to come from a Franche-Comté word meaning a clearing, though this is uncertain.[1]
Founding of Réclère
In 1283 Réclère was attached to the lordship of Roche-d'Or and, from the end of the 15th century, to the grande mairie of Chevenez in the Prince-Bishopric of Basel. Long part of the parish of Damvant, the village has remained mainly agricultural. A commune mixte from 1836, it is now part of the municipality of Haute-Ajoie (merger of 1 January 2009). It is not known who founded the village, recorded in 1150, or when.[1]
History of Réclère
1150. First mention of the village as « Resclires ».[1]
1283. Réclère is attached to the lordship of Roche-d'Or.[1]
Late 15th century. The village comes under the grande mairie of Chevenez in the Prince-Bishopric of Basel.[1]
1766. On 28 September, a fire destroys ten houses in the village.[2]
1793-1813. Réclère belongs to the French departments of Mont-Terrible, then Haut-Rhin.[1]
1815-1978. The village is part of the canton of Bern, in the bailiwick and later district of Porrentruy.[1]
1836. Réclère becomes a commune mixte.[1]
1860-1864. Rebuilding of the church of Saints-Gervais-et-Protais.[1]
1877. Réclère ceases to belong to the parish of Damvant.[1]
1889. Discovery of the Réclère caves, in 1889 (or 1886, an uncertain date).[1][2][3]
Around 1900. Modest industrialisation begins with watchmaking, which has since disappeared.[1]
1935. The canton of Bern recognises the parish of Réclère.[1][2]
1939-1945. During the Second World War, a farmer and an innkeeper of the village reportedly helped Jews from occupied France to reach Switzerland.
1979. Réclère joins the new canton of Jura.
1994. Opening of the Préhisto-Parc on the French border.[1]
2009. On 1 January Réclère merges with Chevenez, Damvant and Roche-d'Or into the municipality of Haute-Ajoie.[1]
Population of Réclère
Sources and references: [1]
| 1818 | 274 |
| 1850 | 321 |
| 1900 | 362 |
| 1950 | 249 |
| 2000 | 187 |
| 2008 | 189 |
Historic sites in Réclère
Réclère caves. Remarkable caves discovered in 1889 (or 1886, an uncertain date) and opened to the public in 1890. The visitor route is about 1'500 m long and crosses a great hall of about 150 m by 70 m adorned with stalagmites. Local farmers reportedly had long known the chasm, which they called « Trou du Fahy », and are said to have thrown animal carcasses into it.[1][3]
Préhisto-Parc. Park opened in 1994 on the French border. A woodland trail of about 2 km traces the evolution of life from fish to dinosaurs and then mammals, with several dozen life-size reconstructions.[1][3]
Church of Saints-Gervais-et-Protais. Parish church rebuilt in 1860-1864. Its stained-glass windows, by Wilfried Moser, date from 1969.[1][2]
School. After the school burned down on 28 December 1907, the building of a new school was put out to tender in 1908. In 2015 the Haute-Ajoie municipal assembly decided to close it.[2]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Réclère » (Dominique Prongué), version du 04.06.2020
- Denis Moine, Chronologie jurassienne, « Réclère »
- Showcaves.com, « Grottes de Réclère »
- geo.admin.ch (swisstopo), recherche de lieux « Réclère »
Other villages near Réclère
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