Biel/Bienne - Stadtkirche

Biel/Bienne lies on the language boundary between the French-speaking and German-speaking parts of Switzerland and is bilingual throughout. Biel is the German name for the town; Bienne is the French name.

Biel was considered an associate of the Swiss Confederacy during the 15th century, and after its participation in the Burgundy Wars even came to be recognized as a full member by 1494.

Even though Biel remained nominally under the control of the Catholic Bishops of Basel, in 1528 it converted to the new Protestant faith.

In 1793, the French Army captured the Bishopric of Basel and brought the French into the lands. In 1798, French troops marched through the open city gate while the population celebrated their arrival. Bienne and its neighboring communities were incorporated as the "Canton de Bienne". The Congress of Vienna in 1814 granted most of the territory of the Bishopric to the canton of Bern. In 1815 Biel finally joined the Canton of Bern.

By the beginning of the 20th century anarcho-syndicalist groups, which saw strikes and sabotage as legitimate means to bring about reform, began to influence the labor movement in Biel/Bienne. The first large scale strike was the construction workers strike of 1902. The following years were marked with bitterly fought labor disputes. The largest strike was the journeymen carpenters strike of 1907, which lasted almost a year. Also in 1907 a member of the Social Democratic Party was elected mayor. His election marked the first time that a Social Democrat was elected to such a powerful office in Switzerland. During WW I wages were reduced significantly while inflation made everything more expensive. In July 1918, a demonstration of starving workers erupted into street riots that required military action to suppress. The town was known as "Red Biel" and that was probably the reason behind the failure of the merger with Nidau in 1920, prevented by the conservative Council in Bern.

Today, Biel is the center of the watchmaking industry in Switzerland. Omega, Rolex, Swatch, Mido, Wenger and many other manufacturers have factories here.

The current church was built on the site of two earlier churches, one Romanesque and one early Gothic. The construction of the church began in 1451 under the direction of the master builder Wenzlin von Böhmen, who stayed here until his death in 1465. The main construction was completed about 5 years later in 1470.