The Birse ( German Birs in ) is a Rivière Suisse.

Course

It takes its source with Tavannes, the foot of the collar of Pierre-Sluice, at an altitude of 765 m, and is thrown, after a course of 75 km, in the the Rhine with Basle, at an altitude of 262 Mr.

With a catchment area of 924 km ², Birse is the most important river of the Swiss Jura.

Birse bathes five cantons: Bern, the the Jura, Basle-Countryside, Soleure and Basle-City.

History

The origin of its name, which is used since the 15th century, is discussed. It could come from “ Beheres ” (word of Indo-European root meaning “ fast ”) or from “ Bir ” which in Celte includes the terms of water and river. At the beginning of the 20th century, 49 Pont S span Birse, of which a dozen railway works arranged with the opening of the line between Basle and Bienne, in 1877. One century later, one counts a hundred of it.

The risings of Birse caused important floods with Pontenet and Bévilard in 1750, then with Birsfelden in 1881. If the rising of June 23rd, 1973 caused major damage, that from August 8th to 10th 2007 with same half-compartment Delémont of any connection with world, certain hearths having even been private of electricity during more than three days.

Affluents

• the Screen
• Chaluet
• Chalière
• Raus
• Scheulte
• the Sinter slag
• Lützel
• the Lüssel

References

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