Tessenberg ( or ''Plateau de Diesse'') is an elevated plateau in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. It is located above Lake Biel, on the southern slopes of Chasseral, at an elevation of about 800 m. It is divided between the Swiss cantons of

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

and

Neuchâtel Neuchâtel (, ; ; ) is a list of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the capital (political), capital of the cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Neuchâtel (canton), Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel ...

, and three municipalities, Nods, Lignières and Plateau de Diesse. The plateau is drained by ''Twannbach'' to the east and by ' to the south-west, both emptying into Lake Biel, and as such part of the

Aare The Aare () or Aar () is the main tributary of the High Rhine (its discharge even exceeds that of the latter at their confluence) and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland. Its total length from its source to i ...

basin. It can be reached by a

funicular A funicular ( ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep grade (slope), slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to ...

, the Vinifuni Ligerz–Prêles, from Ligerz railway station.

History

The area was part of the dominion of the Counts of Neuchâtel from the 12th century. It was later administered jointly by the counts of Neuchâtel and the Prince-bishopric of Basel and

. Tessenberg was occupied by French troops in December 1797 and partly adjoined to the French département Mont-Terrible. The territory was returned to Switzerland, as part of the

canton of Bern The canton of Bern, or Berne (; ; ; ), is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. The bear is the heraldic symbol of the c ...

( Erlach District, after 1846 La Neuveville District), following the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...

of 1815.

References

* . Landforms of the canton of Bern Landforms of the canton of Neuchâtel Aare basin Jura Mountains {{neuchâtel-geo-stub