Sorvilier
Origin of the name Sorvilier
The village appears in 1148 as «Sorurvilier», in a forged charter written at the end of the 12th century, then in 1179 as «Sororviler». Its old German name is «Surbelen». The origin of the name remains obscure.[1]
Founding of Sorvilier
Sorvilier lies on the floor of the Tavannes valley, beside the Birse. The old farmhouses form a core on the right bank, while the newer houses line the left bank along the road from Moutier to Tavannes. Under the prince-bishops of Basel the village belonged to the great mayoralty of Orval, in the provostry of Moutier-Grandval. It belongs to the parish of Court, and the cemetery shared by the two places lies between them.[1]
History of Sorvilier
1148. The village is mentioned for the first time, in a forged charter of the late 12th century.[1]
1463. On 26 February a roll sets out the rights and customs of the parishes of Tavannes, Bévilard, Malleray, Court and Sorvilier.[2]
1531. The parish of Court, to which Sorvilier belongs, adopts the Reformation.[1]
1713. On 21 April Bern urges Court and Sorvilier to agree on the site of the new church.[2]
1773. A stone bridge is built over the Birse.[1]
1780. On 25 April Sorvilier submits a memorandum on the disappearance of the neighbouring village of Mévilier.[2]
1786. On 14 February a rescript of the prince-bishop authorises moving the church from Court to Sorvilier.[2]
1797-1813. Sorvilier is French, first in the département of Mont-Terrible, then in that of Haut-Rhin, where from 1800 it belongs to the canton of Malleray.[1][2]
1815. The village passes to the canton of Bern. A decree of 6 April 1816 places it in the district of Moutier and the parish of Court.[1][2]
1867. On 28 September a fire destroys seven houses.[2]
1876. On 16 December the Tavannes-Court line opens, with a station at Sorvilier. The Delémont-Sonceboz-Biel link is completed the following year.[1][2]
Around 1900. Watchmaking, which arrived in the mid-19th century, keeps a watch blank factory with about a hundred workers going.[1]
1948. During the night of 13 to 14 March the Hôtel de la Croix-Blanche burns down.[2]
1973. On 5 December the Bernese government protects the Chaufours reserve, whose preservation the burghers' assembly had requested in May.[2]
1975. On 16 March Sorvilier chooses to remain in Bern by 122 votes to 75. On 23 June 1974 it had rejected the creation of the canton of Jura by 122 votes to 66.[2]
2014. On 15 January Sorvilier announces that it is leaving the Valbirse merger project.[2][3]
Population of Sorvilier
Sources and references: [1][2][4]
| 1850 | 316 |
| 1870 | 278 |
| 1900 | 438 |
| 1920 | 444 |
| 1950 | 424 |
| 1980 | 299 |
| 2000 | 272 |
| 2025 | 311 |
Historic sites in Sorvilier
Stone bridge. Built in 1773 over the Birse.[1]
Wooden granaries. Several granaries of the 17th and 18th centuries survive in the village.[1]
Cemetery of Court and Sorvilier. Shared by the two villages of the parish, it lies between the two places.[1]
Chaufours reserve. Natural area placed under protection by the Bernese government in 1973.[2]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Sorvilier » (François Wisard, version du 03.10.2016)
- Chronologie jurassienne, « Sorvilier »
- Chronologie jurassienne, année 2014
- Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS), STATPOP, population résidante permanente au 31.12.2025
Other villages near Sorvilier
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