The canton of Jura celebrates its anniversary under the banner of youth
Published: Thursday, Jun 13th 2024, 09:50
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From June 21 to 23, the Jura will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the vote that led to the founding of the canton. The celebrations, with the official day on June 23, will include exhibitions, a parade through the streets of Delsberg and various other events.
On June 23, 1974, the population of the seven districts of the historic Jura region approved the creation of a new canton by 36,802 votes to 34,057. However, only the districts of Delsberg, Pruntrut and Freiberge were in favor of separation at the time, while the three southern districts of the Jura and the Laufental were against.
The Jura government wants to involve the population and, in particular, the movements involved in the fight for independence in this celebration, which is particularly aimed at young people. In particular, it has involved the Mouvement autonomiste jurassien (MAJ) and the Jura-24 association in the festivities.
The celebrations will begin on Friday, 21 June as a popular festival organized by the MAJ. The independence movement, which has moved its festival, which traditionally takes place in September, wants to focus on celebratory aspects and leave politics in the background.
The MAJ aims to appeal to the younger generations who did not live through the political struggles of the time. In addition to testimonies, tributes and an appearance by the poet and activist Alexandre Voisard, plaques will be set up in Delsberg retracing the events that shaped Jura's history.
Grand parade
The highlight will be the big parade on Sunday, which will tie in with the events that once took place in Delsberg. It is expected to bring together tens of thousands of participants.
The parade will include delegations from the Jura and abroad, former members of the Bélier group, children, brass bands and floats retracing the main stages of the Jura question. It will begin at the Wenger factory and continue to Rue du 23 Juin.
The official ceremony will take place at the Théâtre du Jura in Delsberg. The ceremony is intended to bring together the people who contributed to the creation of the Canton of Jura. The official ceremony will be followed by an aperitif for the general public.
Four exhibitions
Parallel to these celebrations, the public will be able to visit exhibitions from June 23rd until September that shed light on the past, present and future of the canton of Jura. The exhibition project, entitled Jura-24, is being organized by an association of the same name.
Four locations were selected for the exhibition: Delsberg, Pruntrut, Moutier (BE) and the Franches-Montagnes. In Prutrut, the exhibition "Des racines et des rêves" (Roots and Dreams) invites the public to travel back in time through images and sound. Videos show the achievements of the canton and help to understand the aspirations for autonomy.
In the exhibition "Le génie jurassien" (The Jura genius) in Delsberg, 40 companies present the products of their industrial or artisanal production to promote their know-how.
In the Franches-Montagnes, the Jura-24 association will offer walks and an exhibition in Le Noirmont to illustrate the rich cultural heritage of the region with the theme "Landscape in motion".
The future in Moutier
The event will include Moutier (BE), which will join the canton of Jura on January 1, 2026. With "Rêver 2074" (Dream 2074), the exhibition set up in the former SBB freight hall will symbolically transport the Jura and Switzerland to the year 2074, the year in which the plebiscite on self-determination will be held for the hundredth time.
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