Renan
Origin of the name Renan
The village is recorded in 1372 as « Renens ». Its old German name is « Rennen ». The name remains unexplained.[1]
Founding of Renan
Renan lies in the upper part of the Vallon de Saint-Imier. The village belonged to the chapter of Saint-Imier and was part of the lordship of Erguël, a territory of the Prince-Bishopric of Basel. It first depended on the parish of Saint-Imier, received a church in the early 17th century and became a parish in 1729. Watchmaking, which came from the Neuchâtel mountains at the end of the 17th century, drove its growth: 380 inhabitants in 1725, 1'820 in 1850.[1]
History of Renan
1372. The village appears as « Renens ».[1]
1530. Renan adopts the Reformation together with the Erguël.[1][2]
1627-1631. The church is built with the permission of the Prince-Bishop of Basel, who keeps the right of presentation, that is, the appointment of the pastor.[1]
Late 17th century. Watchmaking arrives from the Neuchâtel mountains.[1]
1729. Renan, until then attached to Saint-Imier, becomes a parish, which also includes La Ferrière.[1]
1798-1813. Under French rule the municipality belongs to the department of Mont-Terrible, then to that of Haut-Rhin.[1]
1815. Renan joins the canton of Bern.[1]
1831. After the Neuchâtel insurrection the municipality takes in many refugees.[1]
1848. On 1 March Ami Girard and a corps of volunteers set out from Renan for the Neuchâtel revolution.[1]
1861. La Ferrière leaves the parish of Renan.[1]
1868. Renan becomes a mixed municipality (commune mixte).[1]
1874. The opening of the Biel/Bienne-Les Convers line brings the railway to the village.[1]
1930s. The crisis worsens the slowdown in growth. Watchmaking recovers after the Second World War.[1]
1961. An anthroposophical vocational centre, the Werksiedlung, opens at Renan.[1]
1970s. The watchmaking crisis makes industry decline. In 2005 agriculture provides 36% of jobs.[1]
Population of Renan
Sources and references: [1][3]
| 1725 | 380 |
| 1800 | 929 |
| 1850 | 1'820 |
| 1900 | 1'746 |
| 1950 | 1'042 |
| 2000 | 836 |
| 2025 | 935 |
Historic sites in Renan
Reformed church. Built from 1627 to 1631 with the permission of the Prince-Bishop of Basel, restored in 1976-1977.[1]
Werksiedlung. Anthroposophical vocational centre opened in 1961.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Renan (BE) » (Christine Gagnebin-Diacon), version du 25.06.2012
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Erguël » (Anne Beuchat-Bessire), version du 26.07.2017
- Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS), STATPOP, population résidante permanente au 31.12.2025
Other villages near Renan
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