"Loyal to Bern" against it After historical conflict, Moutier moves from the canton of Bern to the Jura
The town of Moutier with its 7300 inhabitants will experience a historic day on Wednesday: with the last chime of the bell at midnight, the municipality will switch from the canton of Bern to the canton of Jura.
31.12.2025, 06:03
31.12.2025, 06:37
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- At midnight on Wednesday, the town of Moutier with its 7300 inhabitants will transfer from the canton of Bern to the canton of Jura.
- The change of canton will be celebrated in style.
- But not all residents are taking part.
- The voters of the small town in Bernese Jura voted in favor of the change of canton in March 2021.
A torchlight procession, a banquet and a light and sound show will precede the celebrations. Several thousand people are expected to attend this "night for the history books", according to the organizers of the celebration. The change of canton from Bern to the Jura comes almost five years after a referendum in which a majority of the city's voters decided to join the Jura. The two cantonal governments reached an agreement on the issue of financial equalization in March 2023 after lengthy negotiations.
The celebrations will begin on Wednesday at 4.45 pm with an official part in front of the town hall with representatives of the municipal authorities, the Jura government and the "Moutier Ville Jurassienne" committee. Around 1200 people will then gather in the Forum de l'Arc for a banquet.
Sound and light spectacle
At 10.30 pm, a torchlight procession will make its way from the Forum de l'Arc to the center of Moutier. There, a light and sound show will accompany the last moments of the town of Moutier in the canton of Bern. This show will pay tribute to the history of the Bernese-Jura town and its transition to the canton of Jura.
The assembled crowd will then count down to midnight and will probably burst into cheers when it is complete. Finally, the party will end with DJs. The restaurants have a free night.
Even though the entire population is invited to this festive rather than political event, hardly anyone loyal to Bern is likely to take part. For many of them, the change of canton is a cause for sadness, not joy. For decades, those loyal to Bern have campaigned against joining the Jura and in favor of remaining part of the canton of Bern.
Centuries-old conflict
The change is seen as the "final act in the Jura question", wrote the "Neue Zürcher Zeitung" - a conflict between the Bernese and the Jura that is over two hundred years old and has brought Switzerland closer to civil war than any other event since the founding of the federal state in 1848.
