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Les Riedes-Dessus

Canton of Jura · District: Delémont · No published figure for the locality; the municipality of Soyhières has 461 inhabitants (31.12.2025)
Part of the municipality of Soyhières
View of Les Riedes-Dessus
Photo: Zwantzig, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Must-see historical sites Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Les Riedes-Dessus

The hamlet bears the name Les Riedes-Dessus. A letter of enfeoffment of 1647 already concerns « les Riedes ». The origin of the name is unexplained.[4]

Founding of Les Riedes-Dessus

Les Riedes-Dessus is a hamlet in the municipality of Soyhières, about 3.5 km downstream from the village, on the right bank of the Birse. It is not known who founded it. Formerly attached to Courroux, it was detached in 1856, when a decree of the Bernese Grand Council made it a burgher commune. It still forms a burgher commune today, while the hamlet belongs to the political municipality of Soyhières. Its burghers all bear the name Joray.[1][3][4]

History of Les Riedes-Dessus

1647. Letter of enfeoffment of Les Riedes.[4]

1719. Prince-Bishop Johann Konrad von Reinach orders the communities of the valley to widen the road from Delémont to Les Riedes.[4]

1764. Les Riedes, until then in the parish of Courroux, are attached to Soyhières by decree of Prince-Bishop Simon Nikolaus von Montjoie.[2]

1796. The administration of the Mont-Terrible department orders the demolition of the Riedes bridge.[4]

1849-1850. The inhabitants ask for their communal status to be regularised. The assemblies of Courroux and Soyhières debate the status of Les Riedes-Dessus.[4]

1856. Decree of the Bernese Grand Council making the hamlet of Les Riedes-Dessus a burgher commune. The hamlet is detached from Courroux.[1][4]

1890. The Bernese government grants the water-power concession for the Riedes-Dessus plant.[4]

1893-1894. Construction of the Saint-Joseph chapel thanks to the bequest of Fridolin Joray, who died in 1889; inauguration in 1894.[2][4]

1911. Les Riedes in the neighbouring municipality of Liesberg, mostly German-speaking, plan a French-language school.[4]

1912. The municipal assembly decides to build a school at Les Riedes-Dessus.[4]

1975. Closure of the hamlet school.[4]

2007. Torrential rain causes flooding at Les Riedes.[4]

2008. Inauguration of the chapel restored after the 2007 floods.[4]

2013. Inauguration of the bridge rebuilt after the floods.[4]

Historic sites in Les Riedes-Dessus

Saint-Joseph chapel. Chapel built in 1893 and inaugurated in 1894 thanks to the bequest of Fridolin Joray (800 francs to fit out a chapel and 200 francs for a Mass). Restored in 1934, 1975 and 1992, then after the 2007 floods. A solemn Mass is celebrated there on Saint Joseph's day.[2][4]

Bridge over the Birse. The Riedes bridge, whose demolition was ordered in 1796, has been rebuilt several times. The latest bridge, rebuilt after the 2007 floods, was inaugurated in 2013.[4]

Sources

  1. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Soyhières » (François Kohler)
  2. Dictionnaire du Jura, « Chapelle des Riedes-Dessus » (Philippe Kauffmann e.a.)
  3. Commune de Soyhières, « Historique »
  4. Chronologie jurassienne, « Riedes (Soyhières) »
  5. Statistique Jura, tableau JU-T.01.01.03, population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025
  6. geo.admin.ch (swisstopo), recherche de lieux « Les Riedes-Dessus »

Other villages near Les Riedes-Dessus

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