BIENNE, or BIEL

This article appears in Volume V03, Page 921 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: BER-BLA

BIENNE, or BIEL , an industrial town in the Swiss

canton

of Bern. It is built between the N.E. end of the lake of the same name and the point at which the river Suze or Scheuss (on the right bank of which it is situated) issues from a deep cleft (called the Taubenloch) in the Jura range. Bienne is 19 m. by rail N.E. of Neuchatel, and 21 M. N.W. of Bern. Its industrial importance is shown by the fact that it is the site of the West Swiss technical institute, which has departments for instruction in

watch

WATCH (in O. Eng. wcecce, a keeping guard or watching, from wacian, to guard, watch, wacan, to wake)

-making, in electricity, in engraving and chasing, and in subjects relating to railway, postal and telegraph matters. Its

chief

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

industries

INDUSTRIES

are

watch

WATCH (in O. Eng. wcecce, a keeping guard or watching, from wacian, to guard, watch, wacan, to wake)

-making, chain-making, the manufacture of machines and other objects for use on railways, &c. Its rapidly increasing commercial activity accounts no doubt for the rapid rise in its population, which in 185o was but 3589, rose in 187o to 8165, and in 1900 was 22,016, mainly

Protestant

PROTESTANT

,
and two-thirds German-speaking. The parish church of St Benedict

dates

DATES

from 1451, but was restored in 1775it has some fine 15th-century painted glass in the choir. In the town is the Schwab museum, which is chiefly notable for its fine collection of objects from the lake-dwellings. To the north-west of Bienne two funicular railways lead up to Evilard (or Leubringen) and Macolin (or Magglingen) ,both situated on the slope of the Jura.
First mentioned in the 12th century, Bienne continued for centuries to be under the

jurisdiction

JURISDICTION
JURISDICTION, CRIMINAL LAW, DIVORCE

of the prince-

bishop

of Basel. In 1279 (permanently in 1352) it made an alliance with Bern, in 1344 with Soleure, and in 1382 with Fribourg. But its attempts to be admitted into the Swiss Confederation were fruitless, though after it adopted the Reformation in 1525, it was closely associated with the

Protestant

PROTESTANT

cantons. In 1798 it was seized by the French, but in 1815, with the greater part of the bishopric of Basel, it became part of the

canton

of Bern.
See C. A. Bloesch, Geschichte der Stadt Biel (to 1854), (3 vols., Biel, 18J5-1856). (W. A. B. C.)

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