Bonfol

Bonfol is a common Suisse of the Canton of the Jura.

Geography

Village located at the North-West of the Swiss , in the plain of the Ajoie (the tabular Jura), at the border with the France (Alsace). With 12 kilometers of the chief town Porrentruy.

The territory of the commune is crossed by the boundary line of water between the catchment areas of the the Rhone (the Vendline crosses the village) and of the the Rhine (Largue). Many ponds.

Transport: regional train of the Railroads of the Jura (Bonfol-Porrentruy line) and highway A16, Left 6 (Courgenay).

Demography and statistics

Evolution of the population resident:

Groups of age (2000): 19.6% from 0 to 19 years, 55.5% from 20 to 64 years and 24.9% 65 years and more.

active People (2000): 44.9%.

Distribution by sex (2004): 51.5% women and 48.5% men.

foreign Population (2004): 7.5%.

Distribution by language (2000): 84.7% French, 12.2% German and 1.6% Spanish.

Vehicle ownership, cars per capita (2005): 56.5%.

Land use (1994): 48% of useful agricultural surfaces, 44% of timbered surfaces, 6% of surfaces of habitat and infrastructure and 2% of unproductive surfaces (water levels in particular).

Not highest: 481 meters ( Combe Guerri ) - Not low: 418 meters ( Largin ).

History

The name of Bonfol could have two etymological origins: either Latin ( good fô ) meaning good forest, or Celtic ( round of applause fol ) meaning place where clay abounds. In German: Pumpfel (nonused).

The first human presence on the territory of the commune goes back to the Âge of iron, probably at the beginning of the Period of Hallstatt. A Tumulus was discovered during a flight in the plane in 1989, in the west of the current village to the locality Moncevi . Made of a stone crown 2 meters broad and of a diameter of 19 meters, this completely flush burial however was not excavated to date. This tumulus, the only known one in Ajoie, is one of the rare signs of a human presence at that time in the area.

A first village undoubtedly existed in VIIe century with the Cras-Country cottage , between the current village and Beurnevésin. At the time of work of correction of the road in 1885, a cemetery mérovingien of forty tombs was updated. Many jewels were exhumed, of which one plate-buckles of iron belt, damascened money and representing the prophet Daniel surrounded by two lions. This jewel of art burgonde is the oldest testimony of the presence of the Christianisme in the the Jura.

Thereafter, the development of the commune is not clearly established. The territory of Bonfol accommodated several villages or hamlets, having existed simultaneously or successively in time: Truncheré located close to the ponds in direction of Courtavon, Vareroille (or Varoille ) in direction of Damphreux and Bonfol-le-Haut (or Vieux Bonfol ) on the heights in direction of Vendlincourt and which can let suppose the existence of Bonfol-le-Bas , close to the current village.

The first mention of the name of the village was written in 1136. Some Verner de Bunfol , knight of Bonfol, appear in the confirmation of Lucelle. Later, the noble ones of Bonfol were the stock of those of Vendlincourt, Chatelvouhay and Coeuve. According to the tradition, the castle of this noble family was in the neighborhoods of the current childish school. In 1188, the count of Ferrette Louis gives to the Abbaye of Lucelle his ground of Bonfol of which he was owner since 1125. At the time of this donation, it is mentioned village of Truncheré , about which one will intend to speak for the last time in 1357. As for Vareroille , one knows of it the existence thanks to his mayor called Jean and appearing like witness in an act of agreement of 1343 between Chevenez and the abbey of Lucelle. Lastly, Bonfol-le-Haut is mentioned in 1291 and in an act of 1386.

The village of Bonfol, which belonged to the town hall of Coeuve, had the same fate as Ajoie. Possession of the counts of Montbeliard since 1236, it is given to the bishop of Basle into 1283 before turning over in the bosom of Montbeliard of 1386 to 1461. Finally, Bonfol again joined Evêché of Basle until its disappearance in 1793. The princes bishops appreciated the village because of its ponds, which they arranged for pisciculture (carps) and drives out it (wild ducks, water teals and hens), thus feeding the rich person tables of their castle of Porrentruy (first mention of the ponds in 1497).

The current site of the village was occupied by a forest of oaks where the tradition places the retirement of the hermit Saint Fromond about the 7th century. Always according to the tradition, the three villages of Truncheré , Vareroille and Vieux Bonfol were entirely destroyed by Etienne de Hagenbach at the beginning of the wars of Burgundy in 1474 at the time of a raid in Alsace and Ajoie carried out to avenge death for his/her brother Pierre, large baillif and lieutenant of Charles Bold the. The survivors of the villages of Bonfol were established then close to the place or the hermit was supposed to have lived and founded a new village. This not very important locality was then joined together with the parish of Damphreux until 1619, date on which it became an independent parish.

Bonfol did not escape from the obscurantism and the Chasse for the witches. September 1st, 1609, one living of the village, Aiguillatte widowed of Thiebault , was decapitated and burned. Subjected to the question, she had admitted being taken along to the Sabbath by " a beautiful young person homme".

The Guerre Thirty Year old was particularly testing for Bonfol. In 1634, the Swedes plundered and set fire to the village and massacred a good part of the inhabitants. According to certain sources, it is perhaps on this occasion which the various villages of the commune did not disappear to form any more but one.

Évêché of known Basle of many disorders of 1730 to 1740, also in Bonfol. The inhabitants in particular held head with the large-Master of the prince bishop Jean Conrad in 1731, prohibiting the access to the forests to him and accompanying back it under the threat of sticks to the borders of the village. The princes bishops did not appreciate of it less the village, primarily because of its ponds. In 1751, they financed important alteration work occupying of many workmen lasting three years.

Until 1782, Bonfol raised at the spiritual level of the diocese of Besancon before joining the authority of the prince bishop of Basle, on which it depended already on the temporal level. In 1783-1784, the church of the village was rebuilt by the architect Pierre-François Paris in a traditional style 18th century. Only remained the ground floor and the first two stages of the bell-tower of the old building dating from the 15th century and falling in ruin. Its new bell-tower, with the quadrangular dome with the comtoise, is characteristic of the north of the Jura. The church is dedicated to Saint Laurent and shelters still today very many Ex-voto , testimonys and thanks of the pilgrims venerating Saint Fromond, whose relics are deposited in a small niche on the right heart. As for the current bells, they were molten in 1818 and 1850.

During the summer 1786, the large pond of the prince was entirely emptied. The following autumn, it left there miasmas which infected the village and propagated a bad fever: more than 60 inhabitants died in a few days.

Known Bonfol the same destiny that the remainder of Evêché of Basle and joined transitory République Rauracienne in 1792, then the French department of the Mount-Terrible (1793 to 1800) which was integrated thereafter into that of the Haut-Rhin (1800 to 1815). The Terreur struck also certain inhabitants of the village: the forester Antoine Jecker was led on the scaffold in February 1794. The worship of Saint Fromond also caused some concern with the inhabitants. In 1797, thirty soldiers were dispatched at the village to prevent the annual celebration of the saint, prohibiting the entry of the church and the water collection to the source.

In 1815, Bonfol became Swiss territory, following the decision of the Congrès of Vienna to yield the old one évêché of Basle to the Canton of Bern. Bonfol adopted the mixed statute of commune in 1836.

The quality of the Argile of Bonfol is known of long time. A first mention goes back to 1383, whereas the town of Delémont entrusted the manufacture of a furnace to called a Küna , wire of Henri , of Bonfol. Potters of the village were still quoted in 1640 ( Jean Pourchon ) and 1684 ( Cramatte ). The potteries coarse but resistant to fire, in particular let us caquelons them, were famous in all the area. Half of the population of the village lived of this activity in 1800, representing 53 families of potters and 23 furnaces. The exploitation of the loam became even industrial extensive with the construction of mechanical tilery Jules Fattet between 1886 and 1889 (destroyed by a fire in 1919). In 1902, a workshop of pottery, the Factory of Bregnard ceramics and Co SA , was founded and active until 1957. In parallel, another baptized company Céramique of Ajoie SA was in activity of 1924 to 1991. CISA SA , an industry producing of planelles (carlage and decoration), used at its beginnings in 1951 the ground of the village before giving up it with the imported ground profit; it disappeared following its bankruptcy in 1999. Today, the village counts nothing any more but one artisanal workshop held by a potière.

The vault of Saint Fromond located in the forest at the north of the village was built in 1866 on request of the priest François-Joseph Jeanguenat because of the increasing veneration of the saint and the surge of the pilgrims coming from all Jura and Alsace.

Ajoie was attended a long time by packs of wolves. In December 1867, the mayor of Bonfol, Mr. Jacques Chapuis , was one of the last inhabitants of the area to be attacked by several wolves between Coeuve and Bonfol. It is only with sorrow that it joined healthy and except the village with its harnessed car of two horses.

Since 1901, Bonfol is connected to Porrentruy by a railway line, supporting its economic advancement in the field of ceramics, the clock industry and microtechnic (miniature rolls of the dice). The line was prolonged until Pfetterhouse in 1910, thus connecting to the network of the German Reich of which the Alsace formed part then. The frontier way was definitively unused in 1970.

During all the First World War, the farm of the Largin (north-eastern of the village) was the southernmost starting point of the Franco-German face which extended to the North Sea. This short period of Swiss territory in the shape of duck nozzle has even known some bombardments following errors of shooting of artillery of the belligerents. However, there be a small miracle at the time of the Christmas Eve 1916. On the initiative of a bilingual Swiss soldier, Jacques Weibel , the meal of the midnight supper was taken jointly by Swiss, French and German soldiers. There exist several anecdotes of this type, reporting convivial truces or relations between the various parts present close to the Largin .

During the Second world war, Bonfol accommodated many refugees exfiltrant itself of Alsace. Many Alsatian which was to be run away of their village passed thus by the farm of the Largin , which was at the time a grocer and a restaurant. Since 1942, beginning of the accounting of crossings of Swiss border side, nearly 3 ' 000 people forwarded by the Largin , before being led towards camps of internment inside the country. At the time of the German counter-attack in 1944, all the population of the Alsatian village of Seppois crosses the border with the Largin and was lodged during one week by the communes of Bonfol and Beurnevésin before being able to return to it in full safety.

Tourism

The many ponds, natural reserves since 1961 and polydactylous frog shelters, as well as the rich person forests - in particular of beeches, ashes and oaks - offer the occasion of splendid stroll on the especially arranged ways of pedestrian tourism. Finnish track close to the vault of Saint-Fromond.

The Musée of the Pottery of Bonfol presents a panorama of the artisanal and industrial activities related to the ground of the village, called variegated clay of Bonfol, which was used during several centuries out of ceramics.

Vault and fountain of Holy Fromond. Parish church of traditional style 18th century (2 statues of the 16th century and many ex-votos of 18th with 19th).

Friday following the Ascension is the day of the worship of Saint Fromond: procession and village festival.

Personalities

Laurent Bourgnon (1966 -), navigator
Gerard Bregnard (1920-2003), painter and sculptor
Adrien Chapuis (1887-1962), engineer and general in Argentina
Louis Chevrolet (1878-1941), pilot and car manufacturer
Holy Fromond, hermit of VIIe century
François Lachat (1942 -), Jurassic politician
Pierre Granny (1920 -), bishop of the diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Freiburg
Bernard Muller (1953 -), Jacques Muller (1947 -) Creative of famous watch SWATCH
Pierre-Olivier Walzer (1915-2000), editor and writer

Characteristics

Bonfol is twinned since 1988 with the common neighbors of Beurnevésin and Pfetterhouse and is godfather of the village of Bozea in Romania.

An old industrial discharge (DIB), exploited of 1961 to 1976, is on the territory of the commune and is the object of a project of complete cleansing, currently in the course of planning.

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