Diesse (French pronunciation: [djɛs]) is a former municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district of the canton of Bern, Switzerland. It is situated in the French‑speaking Bernese Jura region.
Geography
- Location: 47° 7′ N, 7° 7′ E; elevation 838 m (2,749 ft) above sea level.
- Area: 9.48 km² (3.66 sq mi). Prior to its 2014 merger, approximately 47.9 % of the land was used for agriculture, 47.2 % was forested, and 4.5 % was settled.
- Neighbouring municipalities: Prêles, Lamboing, and Nods.
History
- First documentary mention: 1178, recorded as Diesse. In German the village was historically known as Tess, a name no longer in common use.
- Ecclesiastical heritage: The parish church is documented from 1185. The Reformation reached Diesse in the mid‑16th century; the parish adopted Protestantism in 1554.
- Political status: Until the French invasion of 1798, Diesse served as the capital of the district of Tessenberg. After the invasion it was incorporated into France, and the Congress of Vienna (1815) restored it to the canton of Bern.
- Modern development: A village school was built between 1850 and 1856. Population decline in the 19th and early 20th centuries reversed in the 1980s as commuters settled in the area.
Demographics
- Population (December 2011): 436 residents, yielding a density of roughly 46 inhabitants per km² (119 / sq mi).
Administrative changes
- A proposed merger of Diesse with Lamboing, Nods, and Prêles was rejected by local voters. Nonetheless, on 1 January 2014 Diesse merged with Lamboing and Prêles to form the new municipality of Plateau de Diesse.
References
- Swiss Federal Statistical Office data (area, population).
- Historical records from the canton of Bern archives.
- Official website of the former municipality: www.diesse.ch.
