Pontenet

Pontenet is a municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura (Jura Bernois). On 1 January 2015 the former municipalities of Bévilard, Malleray and Pontenet merged to form the new municipality of Valbirse. Pontenet is first mentioned in 1359 as Pontenat. By 1371 Bellelay Abbey was one of the major landholders in the village. In 1515 they granted their lands in the village to Grosjean Girod de Loveresse. During the Early Modern era it was administered by the provost of Moutier-Grandval for the Prince-Bishop of Basel. In 1750 the Birs river flooded and destroyed the village mill, sawmill and bridge over the river. After the 1797 French victory and the Treaty of Campo Formio, Pontenet became part of the French Département of Mont-Terrible. Three years later, in 1800 it became part of the Département of Haut-Rhin. After Napoleon's defeat and the Congress of Vienna, Pontenet was assigned to the Canton of Bern in 1815. Throughout its history it was part of the parish of Bévilard. In 1876 the Tavannes-Court branch line was built off the main Biel-Sonceboz-Delémont-Basel railroad. However, it was over forty years later, in 1918, that the train finally stopped in Pontenet. A few small workshops developed along the road and railroad into town. Before the merger, Pontenet had a total area of . As of 2012, a total of or 48.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 44.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 6.2% is settled (buildings or roads). During the same year, housing and buildings made up 4.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.5%. Out of the forested land, 38.5% of the total land area is heavily forested and 5.9% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 8.8% is used for growing crops and 12.8% is pastures, while 1.5% is used for orchards or vine crops and 25.3% is used for alpine pastures. The municipality is located in the Tavannes valley, at the foot of Moron mountain.