Bellmund

Bellmund
Ipsach as seen from the lake; Bellmund is to the rear.
Bellmund Show map of Switzerland Bellmund Show map of Canton of Bern
Location of Bellmund
Coordinates: 47°6′N 7°15′E / 47.100°N 7.250°E / 47.100; 7.250Coordinates: 47°6′N 7°15′E / 47.100°N 7.250°E / 47.100; 7.250
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Bern
District	Biel/Bienne
Area
• Total	3.8 km2 (1.5 sq mi)
Elevation	499 m (1,637 ft)
Population (Dec 2015)
• Total	1,623
• Density	430/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Postal code	2564
SFOS number	0732
Surrounded by	Hermrigen, Ipsach, Jens, Merzligen, Port, Sutz-Lattrigen
Twin towns	Dobronin (Czech Republic)
Website	www.bellmund.ch SFSO statistics

Bellmund (French: Belmont) is a municipality in the Biel/Bienne administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

Bellmund is first mentioned in 1107 as Bellus mons. In 1228 it was mentioned as Belmunt. The municipality was formerly known by its French name Belmont, however, that name is rarely used.

The oldest trace of a settlement in the area are a few, scattered neolithic items on the Jensberg hill. Later traces include Roman era iron ingots which were found in the Wilerholz and the remains of what may have been a Roman road to Sutz. A few early medieval graves were found in the modern village. During the High Middle Ages, Knebelburg Castle (also spelled Chnebelburg) was built on the Jensberg. By 1107 the royal family of Burgundy founded a Cluniac priory near the village. However, in 1127, the priory moved to St. Peter's Island in the nearby Lake Biel. The village was part of the Herrschaft of Nidau and came partly under Bernese control in 1388 and fully in 1393.

The first village church was mentioned in 1228, however it collapsed in 1509. When the Protestant Reformation came to Bellmund in 1528, the village accepted the new faith and became part of the parish of Nidau.