Clavaleyres

Clavaleyres
Clavaleyres village
Coat of arms
Clavaleyres Show map of Switzerland Clavaleyres Show map of Canton of Bern
Location of Clavaleyres
Coordinates: 46°54′N 7°6′E / 46.900°N 7.100°E / 46.900; 7.100Coordinates: 46°54′N 7°6′E / 46.900°N 7.100°E / 46.900; 7.100
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Bern
District	Bern-Mittelland
Area
• Total	1.01 km2 (0.39 sq mi)
Elevation	454 m (1,490 ft)
Population (Dec 2015)
• Total	49
• Density	49/km2 (130/sq mi)
Postal code	1595
SFOS number	0661
Surrounded by	Courgevaux (FR), Faoug (VD), Villarepos (FR)
Website	http://www.clavaleyres.ch SFSO statistics

Clavaleyres is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

Finds of bronze rings imply a settlement in the area during the La Tène era. During the Roman Empire the area was an estate which supplied the nearby city of Aventicum. In the Middle Ages, Clavaleyres was under the lordship of the Münchenwiler Priory. In 1527 the town was acquired by Bern. From 1798 to 1807, the town belonged to the canton of Fribourg, before it was finally returned to the canton of Bern. There have been various attempts to merge the municipality with Münchenwiler, another exclave of the canton of Bern in the nearby area. The proposals have failed because of the opposition of the inhabitants.

Clavaleyres has an area of 1.01 km² (0.39 sq mi). As of 2012, a total of 0.78 km² (0.30 sq mi) or 77.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 0.16 km² (0.062 sq mi) or 15.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.04 km² (9.9 acres) or 4.0% is settled (buildings or roads).

During the same year, housing and buildings made up 2.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.0%. Out of the forested land, 13.9% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.0% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 54.5% is used for growing crops and 21.8% is pastures.

The municipality is located on the shores of Lake Murten. It forms a German-speaking exclave on the border between the French-speaking Cantons of Fribourg and Vaud. It consists of the village of Clavaleyres and scattered farm houses. The area has lost population in the last century; in 1880 it had a population of 118; today it has only 54 inhabitants.