BIENNE or BIEL, an important industrial town in the Swiss canton of Berne, at the north-eastern end of the Bielersee, where the river Suze or Scheuss issues from a deep cleft (the Tauben loch) in the Jura range, 19m. N.E. of Neuchatel, and N.W. of Berne. Its chief industries are watch-making, chain-making, the manufacture of machines and other objects for use on rail ways, etc. The West Cantonal Technical institute gives instruc tion in these subjects. The population, which in 185o was but and rose in 1930 to 37,825, was mainly Protestant, and two-thirds German-speaking. The parish church of St. Benedict dates from 1451, but was restored in has some fine 15th century painted glass. In the town is the Schwab museum, chiefly notable for its fine collection of objects from the pile dwellings. To the north-west, two funicular railways lead up to (or Leubringen) and Macolin (or Magglingen), both situated on the slope of the Jura.
First mentioned in the 12th century, Bienne was for centuries under the jurisdiction of the prince-bishop of Basle. In 1279 (permanently in 1352) it made an alliance with Berne, in and 1344 with Soleure, and in 1311 and 1382 with Fribourg. It failed to gain admission into the Swiss confederation, though after it adopted the Reformation in 1528 it was closely associated with the Protestant cantons. In 1798 it was seized by the French, but in 1815, with the greater part of the bishopric of Basle, it became part of the canton of Berne.
See C. A. Bloesch, Geschichte der Stadt Biel (to 1854) (Biel, ; also Bieler Neujahrsblatter (1908-1o) ; Bieler Jahrbuch (2927, 1928) .
Lake of Bienne, or BIELERSEE, a Swiss lake, is situated at the foot of the Jura range. It is 71m. long, 21M. wide, its greatest depth 249ft., its surface 1,424ft. above the sea, and its area i6sq.m. In it is the Isle of St. Pierre with many traces of lake dwellings. It receives the R. Suze or Scheuss and the R. Thiele or Zihl (from Lake Neuchatel) . The Hagneck canal leads the waters of the Aar into the lake and the Nidau conducts them out again.