Tavannes is a municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

Early mills were built along the Birse, utilizing its water as a source of power.

In the fourth century, as the Roman Empire crumbled, the Burgundians moved into the area around Tavannes.

In 999, King Rudolph III of Burgundy gave the monastery of Moutier-Grandval and all its possessions to the Prince-Bishop of Basel.

At Rudolph's death, the district passed into the Holy Roman Empire, to which it belonged for 760 years.

In the spring of 1530, Guillaume Farel preached the Reformation in Tavannes and surrounding areas, with great success.

After Napoleon's defeat and the Congress of Vienna, Tavannes was assigned to the Canton of Bern in 1815.

The municipality was connected to the growing railroad network in 1874 and by the 1890s was home to several large factories.

The establishment of the Tavannes Watch Co. in 1895 turned the village into a major watchmaking center.

The Royal Cinema opened in 1918 and turned Tavannes into regional cultural center.

Of the rest of the land, 1.61 km2 (0.62 sq mi) or 10.9% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.01 km2 (2.5 acres) or 0.1% is either rivers or lakes.

On the following day, 1 January 2010, it joined the newly created Arrondissement administratif Jura bernois.

[6] The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Azure a Rooster hardi Or crested langued and jelloped Gules on a Mount of 3 Coupeaux Vert.

[9] Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks French (2,835 or 84.0%) as their first language, German is the second most common (202 or 6.0%) and Italian is the third (122 or 3.6%).

[14] The historical population is given in the following chart:[3][15] The Church of Christ-Roi and the Pierre Pertuis (passage carved into the rock above the Roman road) are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance.

The entire urbanized village of Tavannes is part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.

The mosaic of the resurrection over the main entrance was done by Gino Severini and Louis Barillet.

[17] The Pierre Pertuis is a Roman era tunnel through the mountains above Tavannes.

A 3rd century inscription by Marcus Dunius Paternus is still visible on the north side of the tunnel.

The number of jobs in the primary sector was 42, of which 39 were in agriculture and 3 were in forestry or lumber production.

In the tertiary sector; 148 or 29.0% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 42 or 8.2% were in the movement and storage of goods, 39 or 7.6% were in a hotel or restaurant, 14 or 2.7% were in the information industry, 14 or 2.7% were the insurance or financial industry, 35 or 6.8% were technical professionals or scientists, 70 or 13.7% were in education and 95 or 18.6% were in health care.

[25] As of the 2000 census[update], 1,369 or 40.6% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church, while 1,124 or 33.3% were Roman Catholic.

This is followed by three years of obligatory lower secondary school, where the students are separated according to ability and aptitude.

Following the lower secondary, students may attend additional schooling, or they may enter an apprenticeship.