Diesse is a former municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland, located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura (Jura Bernois). The proposed merger of the municipalities of Diesse, Lamboing, Nods, and Prêles into the new municipality of Le Plateau de Diesse was rejected by voters. However, on 1 January 2014 the former municipalities of Diesse, Lamboing, and Prêles merged into the new municipality of Plateau de Diesse. History Diesse is first mentioned in 1178 as Diesse. In German it was known as Tess though this name is no longer commonly used. The parish church of Diesse was first mentioned in 1185. Beginning in 1530 the Protestant Reformation gradually gained power until the parish switched to the new faith in 1554. Until 1798, Diesse was the capital of the district of Tessenberg. Following the 1798 French invasion, Diesse became part of France and remained so until the Congress of Vienna returned it to Bern. The village school was built in 1850-56. The village's population slowly declined until the 1980s, when commuters to the surrounding towns began to move into Diesse. Geography Before the merger, Diesse had a total area of . As of 2012, a total of or 47.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 47.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 4.5% is settled (buildings or roads), and or 0.1% is unproductive land. During the same year, housing and buildings made up 1.5%, and transportation infrastructure made up 2.3%. Out of the forested land, 43.0% of the total land area is heavily forested, and 4.1% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 21.9% is used for growing crops, 10.5% is pastureland, and 15.2% is used for alpine pasture. The former municipality is located on the plateau de Diesse. On 31 December 2009 District de la Neuveville, the municipality's former district, was dissolved. On the following day, 1 January 2010, it joined the newly created Arrondissement administratif Jura bernois. Coat of arms The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Gules five Linden leaves of the same on a Saltire Argent. Demographics As of 2011 Diesse had a population of 436. , 9.0% of the population were resident foreign nationals. Over the past ten years (2001-2011) the population has changed at a rate of -1.8%. Migration accounted for -2.9%, while births and deaths accounted