Tüscherz-Alfermée

Tüscherz-Alfermée
Former municipality of Switzerland
Coat of arms
Tüscherz-Alfermée Show map of Switzerland Tüscherz-Alfermée Show map of Canton of Bern
Location of Tüscherz-Alfermée
Coordinates: 47°6′N 7°11′E / 47.100°N 7.183°E / 47.100; 7.183Coordinates: 47°6′N 7°11′E / 47.100°N 7.183°E / 47.100; 7.183
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Bern
District	Nidau
Area
• Total	3.3 km2 (1.3 sq mi)
Elevation	444 m (1,457 ft)
Population (December 2007)
• Total	309
• Density	94/km2 (240/sq mi)
Postal code	2512
SFOS number	0752
Surrounded by	Biel/Bienne, Ipsach, Lamboing, Leubringen/Magglingen (Evilard/Macolin), Nidau, Sutz-Lattrigen, Twann
Website	SFSO statistics

Tüscherz-Alfermée was a municipality in the district of Nidau in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. On 1 January 2010 the municipalities of Tüscherz-Alfermée and Twann merged into the municipality of Twann-Tüscherz.

Tüscherz is first mentioned in 1230 as Tusschiers. In 1267 it was mentioned as Tuschers. Alfermée is first mentioned in 1276 as Alphermme.

Tüscherz and Alfermée were part of the lands of the Counts of Neuchatel-Nidau, until 1388 when the counts died out and the land was acquired by Bern. Originally it was part of the parish of Sutz which was located on the opposite side of the lake. The priest at Sutz allowed the Mass to be read in the chapel above Tüscherz. After the Protestant Reformation the chapel was closed, but it remained part of the Sutz parish until the parish was dissolved in 1876. Tüscherz and Alfermée then became part of the parish of Twann. In 2010 the parishes of Twann / Tüscherz-Alfermée and Ligerz merged to become the Pilgerweg Bielersee parish.

Viticulture and fishing dominated the villages, because there was little land for growing grain. Some of the residents even rented fields across the lake in Sutz. Many of the vineyards were owned by monasteries, hospitals and lower nobility or burghers of Bern, Biel and Nidau. Several vineyard estates were owned by St. Urban's Abbey, including the Schünen estate which was bought in 1256 and later abandoned and the Convalet estate which was owned by the Abbey until 1848. In the 18th century it was expanded into a large manor house but it was demolished in 1859. The Biel road (built in 1838), the Biel-Neuchatel railroad (built 1860) and the A5 motorway (1973) isolate the villages from the lake. The lower village of Alfermée was built on land won from the lake after the Jura water correction in 1868-91 but was demolished in 1969 to clear land for the motorway. Until 1973 the primary school was located in the municipality, then it relocated to Twann. The vineyards are still an important industry, though now about two-thirds of the working population commute to Biel/Bienne for work.