63-454: Saignelégier ( French pronunciation: [sɛɲleʒje] ) is a municipality in the canton of Jura in Switzerland . It is the seat of the district of Franches-Montagnes . On 1 January 2009, the formerly independent municipalities of Goumois and Les Pommerats merged into Saignelégier. The bog and nature preserve around étang de la Gruère is located in the municipality. It is also
126-455: A Crown proper with bands Azure (for Fiume ); over all an escutcheon Barry of eight Gules and Argent impaling Gules on a Mount Vert a Crown Or issuant therefrom a double-Cross Argent (for Hungary ) . The field of a shield in heraldry can be divided into more than one tincture , as can the various heraldic charges . Many coats of arms consist simply of a division of the field into two contrasting tinctures. These are considered divisions of
189-458: A French or an anglicised form: for example, a cross pattée or a cross patty ; a cross fitchée or a cross fitchy . In modern English blazons, the anglicised form tends to be preferred. Where the French form is used, a problem may arise as to the appropriate adjectival ending, determined in normal French usage by gender and number. "To describe two hands as appaumées , because the word main
252-622: A Marten proper beneath a six-pointed star Or (for Slavonia ); IV. per Fess Azure and Or over all a Bar Gules in the Chief a demi-Eagle Sable displayed addextré of the Sun-in-splendour and senestré of a Crescent Argent in the Base seven Towers three and four Gules (for Transylvania ); enté en point Gules a double-headed Eagle proper on a Peninsula Vert holding a Vase pouring Water into the Sea Argent beneath
315-471: A certain time in Switzerland are also allowed to participate in municipal politics. As at the cantonal and federal level, citizens enjoy political rights, including direct democratic ones, in their municipality. Municipalities are financed through direct taxes (such as income tax ), with rates varying more or less within a framework set by the canton (see Taxation in Switzerland ). As among the cantons, there
378-447: A complex coat of arms. Other armorial objects and devices – such as badges , banners , and seals – may also be described in blazon. The noun and verb blazon (referring to a verbal description) are not to be confused with the noun emblazonment , or the verb to emblazon , both of which relate to the graphic representation of a coat of arms or heraldic device. The word blazon is derived from French blason , ' shield ' . It
441-453: A long distance and could be easily remembered. They therefore served the main purpose of heraldry: identification. As more complicated shields came into use, these bold shapes were set apart in a separate class as the "honorable ordinaries". They act as charges and are always written first in blazon. Unless otherwise specified they extend to the edges of the field. Though ordinaries are not easily defined, they are generally described as including
504-400: A merger at a date in the future into the new municipality of Franches-Montagnes . The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Or, a Roundel Argent bordered Sable, in base Coupeaux of Six Gules. Saignelégier has a population (as of December 2020) of 2,615. As of 2008, 8.5% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (2000–2010) the population has changed at
567-512: A number of precision manufacturing firms settled in Saignelégier. By 2005, 35% of the population worked in manufacturing while 61% were in technology and services jobs. Almost two-thirds of the workers in town commute elsewhere for work. Saignelégier has an area of 31.67 km (12.23 sq mi). Of this area, 13.44 km (5.19 sq mi) or 42.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 16.06 km (6.20 sq mi) or 50.8%
630-478: A pattern of vertical (palewise) stripes is called paly . A pattern of diagonal stripes may be called bendy or bendy sinister , depending on the direction of the stripes. Other variations include chevrony , gyronny and chequy . Wave shaped stripes are termed undy . For further variations, these are sometimes combined to produce patterns of barry-bendy , paly-bendy , lozengy and fusilly . Semés, or patterns of repeated charges, are also considered variations of
693-497: A picture but rather by the wording of its blazon (though in modern usage flags are often additionally and more precisely defined using geometrical specifications). Blazon is also the specialized language in which a blazon is written, and, as a verb, the act of writing such a description. Blazonry is the art, craft or practice of creating a blazon. The language employed in blazonry has its own vocabulary , grammar and syntax , which becomes essential for comprehension when blazoning
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#1732869314647756-435: A rate of 10%. Migration accounted for 10.7%, while births and deaths accounted for 0.4%. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks French (1,961 or 91.4%) as their first language, German is the second most common (69 or 3.2%) and Italian is the third (20 or 0.9%). There are 3 people who speak Romansh . As of 2008, the population was 49.5% male and 50.5% female. The population was made up of 1,151 Swiss men (45.5% of
819-459: A shield, so the rule of tincture can be ignored. For example, a shield divided azure and gules would be perfectly acceptable. A line of partition may be straight or it may be varied. The variations of partition lines can be wavy, indented, embattled, engrailed, nebuly , or made into myriad other forms; see Line (heraldry) . In the early days of heraldry, very simple bold rectilinear shapes were painted on shields. These could be easily recognized at
882-564: A total of 56 students in the municipality. The municipality had 9 primary classes and 167 students. During the same year, there were 6 lower secondary classes with a total of 120 students. As of 2000, there were 66 students in Saignelégier who came from another municipality, while 81 residents attended schools outside the municipality. Municipalities of Switzerland Municipalities ( German : Gemeinden , Einwohnergemeinden or politische Gemeinden ; French : communes ; Italian : comuni ; Romansh : vischnancas ) are
945-418: A total of 816 apartments (89.1% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 79 apartments (8.6%) were seasonally occupied and 21 apartments (2.3%) were empty. As of 2009, the construction rate of new housing units was 3.2 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, in 2010, was 0.85%. The historical population is given in the following chart: The entire village of Les Pommerats and
1008-470: Is June during which time Saignelégier receives an average of 152 mm (6.0 in) of rain or snow. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 13.7 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is May, with an average of 15.8, but with only 150 mm (5.9 in) of rain or snow. The driest month of the year is October with an average of 98 mm (3.9 in) of precipitation over 10 days. In Saignelégier about 747 or (34.8%) of
1071-421: Is a formal description of a coat of arms , flag or similar emblem , from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb to blazon means to create such a description. The visual depiction of a coat of arms or flag has traditionally had considerable latitude in design, but a verbal blazon specifies the essentially distinctive elements. A coat of arms or flag is therefore primarily defined not by
1134-475: Is a net importer of workers, with about 1.9 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. About 17.0% of the workforce coming into Saignelégier are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 5.6% used public transportation to get to work, and 55.1% used a private car. The municipality has a railway station, Saignelégier , on the La Chaux-de-Fonds–Glovelier line . From
1197-449: Is a tax transfer among the municipalities to balance various levels of tax income. Switzerland has a relatively high number of small municipalities, with a population of 1,000 or less, especially in rural areas. Because of the increasing difficulty in providing professional government services and in finding volunteers for political offices in small municipalities, the cantons tend to encourage voluntary mergers of municipalities. This led to
1260-689: Is any object or figure placed on a heraldic shield or on any other object of an armorial composition. Any object found in nature or technology may appear as a heraldic charge in armory. Charges can be animals, objects, or geometric shapes. Apart from the ordinaries, the most frequent charges are the cross – with its hundreds of variations – and the lion and eagle . Other common animals are stags , wild boars , martlets , and fish . Dragons , bats , unicorns , griffins , and more exotic monsters appear as charges and as supporters . Animals are found in various stereotyped positions or attitudes . Quadrupeds can often be found rampant (standing on
1323-655: Is feminine in French, savours somewhat of pedantry. A person may be a good armorist, and a tolerable French scholar, and still be uncertain whether an escallop-shell covered with bezants should be blazoned as bezanté or bezantée". The usual convention in English heraldry is to adhere to the feminine singular form, for example: a chief undée and a saltire undée , even though the French nouns chef and sautoir are in fact masculine. Efforts have been made to ignore grammatical correctness, for example by J. E. Cussans , who suggested that all French adjectives should be expressed in
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#17328693146471386-462: 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 a three or four-year optional upper Secondary school followed by some form of Tertiary school or they may enter an apprenticeship . During the 2009–10 school year, there were a total of 343 students attending 18 classes in Saignelégier. There were 3 kindergarten classes with
1449-400: Is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.72 km (0.66 sq mi) or 5.4% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.21 km (0.081 sq mi) or 0.7% is either rivers or lakes and 0.32 km (0.12 sq mi) or 1.0% is unproductive land. Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 2.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.2%. Out of the forested land, 46.7% of
1512-538: Is found in English by the end of the 14th century. Formerly, heraldic authorities believed that the word was related to the German verb blasen ' to blow (a horn) ' . Present-day lexicographers reject this theory as conjectural and disproved. Blazon is generally designed to eliminate ambiguity of interpretation, to be as concise as possible, and to avoid repetition and extraneous punctuation. English antiquarian Charles Boutell stated in 1864: Heraldic language
1575-401: Is four, but the principle has been extended to very large numbers of "quarters". The third common mode of marshalling is with an inescutcheon , a small shield placed in front of the main shield. The field of a shield, or less often a charge or crest, is sometimes made up of a pattern of colours, or variation . A pattern of horizontal (barwise) stripes, for example, is called barry , while
1638-521: Is most concise, and it is always minutely exact, definite, and explicit; all unnecessary words are omitted, and all repetitions are carefully avoided; and, at the same time, every detail is specified with absolute precision. The nomenclature is equally significant, and its aim is to combine definitive exactness with a brevity that is indeed laconic . However, John Brooke-Little , Norroy and Ulster King of Arms , wrote in 1985: "Although there are certain conventions as to how arms shall be blazoned ... many of
1701-798: The Bürgerrecht (citizenship), regardless of where they were born or where they may currently live. Instead of the place of birth , Swiss legal documents, e.g. passports, contain the Bürgerort (place of citizenship, or place of origin ). The Bürgergemeinde also often holds and administers the common property in the village for the members of the community. Each canton determines the powers and responsibilities of its municipalities. These may include providing local government services such as education, medical and social services, public transportation, and tax collection. The degree of centralization varies from one canton to another. The federal constitution protects
1764-473: The canton , the label , and flaunches . Ordinaries may appear in parallel series, in which case blazons in English give them different names such as pallets, bars, bendlets, and chevronels. French blazon makes no such distinction between these diminutives and the ordinaries when borne singly. Unless otherwise specified an ordinary is drawn with straight lines, but each may be indented, embattled, wavy, engrailed, or otherwise have their lines varied. A charge
1827-528: The coat of arms of Nunavut , for which a round shield is specified). The main conventions of blazon are as follows: Because heraldry developed at a time when English clerks wrote in Anglo-Norman French , many terms in English heraldry are of French origin. Some of the details of the syntax of blazon also follow French practice: thus, adjectives are normally placed after nouns rather than before. A number of heraldic adjectives may be given in either
1890-409: The cross , the fess , the pale , the bend , the chevron , the saltire , and the pall . There is a separate class of charges called sub-ordinaries which are of a geometrical shape subordinate to the ordinary. According to Friar, they are distinguished by their order in blazon. The sub-ordinaries include the inescutcheon , the orle , the tressure, the double tressure, the bordure , the chief ,
1953-406: The primary economic sector and about 42 businesses involved in this sector. 567 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 51 businesses in this sector. 911 people were employed in the tertiary sector , with 121 businesses in this sector. There were 1,055 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 44.6% of the workforce. In 2008,
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2016-570: The 2000 census, 1,544 or 72.0% were Roman Catholic , while 237 or 11.0% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church . Of the rest of the population, there were 17 members of an Orthodox church (or about 0.79% of the population), there was 1 individual who belongs to the Christian Catholic Church , and there were 58 individuals (or about 2.70% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 27 (or about 1.26% of
2079-403: The autonomy of municipalities within the framework set out by cantonal law. Municipalities are generally governed by an executive council headed by a president or mayor . Legislative authority is exercised by a town meeting of all citizens, or by a municipal parliament, depending on the size of the municipality, and on cantonal and municipal law. In some cantons, foreigners who have lived for
2142-598: The banks of the Doubs river to the Etang de la Gruère. The original village lies at the intersection of the roads to Delémont , Tramelan , La Chaux-de-Fonds and France . It consists of the villages of Saignelégier, Les Pommerats and Goumois and a number of hamlets . The municipalities of Le Bémont , Les Bois , Les Breuleux , La Chaux-des-Breuleux , Les Enfers , Les Genevez , Lajoux , Montfaucon , Muriaux , Le Noirmont , Saignelégier, Saint-Brais and Soubey are considering
2205-697: The exercise of political rights for everyone except the members of the Bürgergemeinde . In the Regeneration era (1830–1848), the liberal revolutions of the common people helped to restore some rights again in a few cantons. In other cantons, the Bürgergemeinden were able to maintain power as political communities. In the city of Zürich it was not until the Municipal Act of 1866 that the political municipality came back into existence. The relationship between
2268-414: The field per pale and putting one whole coat in each half. Impalement replaced the earlier dimidiation – combining the dexter half of one coat with the sinister half of another – because dimidiation can create ambiguity. A more versatile method is quartering , division of the field by both vertical and horizontal lines. As the name implies, the usual number of divisions
2331-405: The field. The Rule of tincture applies to all semés and variations of the field. Cadency is any systematic way to distinguish arms displayed by descendants of the holder of a coat of arms when those family members have not been granted arms in their own right. Cadency is necessary in heraldic systems in which a given design may be owned by only one person at any time, generally the head of
2394-739: The hamlet of Les Cerlatez are designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SPS which received 36.77% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP (23.89%), the CSP (23.34%) and the SVP (9.14%). In the federal election, a total of 727 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 46.2%. As of 2010, Saignelégier had an unemployment rate of 4.1%. As of 2008, there were 109 people employed in
2457-474: The home of noted brewery Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes . Saignelégier is first mentioned in 1294 as Saignelegier . The municipality was formerly known by its German name Sankt Leodegar , however, that name is no longer used. During the Middle Ages the village of Saignelégier was part of the diocese of Basel . During the 15th century, Saignelégier began to grow into an important regional town. A chapel
2520-409: The left hind foot). Another frequent position is passant , or walking, like the lions of the coat of arms of England . Eagles are almost always shown with their wings spread, or displayed. A pair of wings conjoined is called a vol . In English heraldry the crescent , mullet , martlet , annulet , fleur-de-lis , and rose may be added to a shield to distinguish cadet branches of a family from
2583-646: The lowest level of administrative division in Switzerland. Each municipality is part of one of the Swiss cantons , which form the Swiss Confederation . In most cantons, municipalities are also part of districts or other sub-cantonal administrative divisions. There are 2,131 municipalities as of January 2024 . Their populations range between several hundred thousand ( Zürich ), and a few dozen people ( Kammersrohr , Bister ), and their territory between 0.32 km² ( Rivaz ) and 439 km² ( Scuol ). The beginnings of
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2646-496: The masculine singular, without regard to the gender and number of the nouns they qualify, thus a chief undé and a saltire undé . Full descriptions of shields range in complexity, from a single word to a convoluted series describing compound shields: Quarterly I. Azure three Lions' Heads affronté Crowned Or (for Dalmatia ); II. chequy Argent and Gules (for Croatia ); III. Azure a River in Fess Gules bordered Argent thereon
2709-567: The modern municipality system date back to the Helvetic Republic . Under the Old Swiss Confederacy , citizenship was granted by each town and village to only residents. These citizens enjoyed access to community property and in some cases additional protection under the law. Additionally, the urban towns and the rural villages had differing rights and laws. The creation of a uniform Swiss citizenship, which applied equally for citizens of
2772-462: The municipalities under cantonal or federal law. Municipalities are numbered by the Swiss Federal Office for Statistics (see Community Identification Number#Switzerland ). One or more postal codes (PLZ/NPA) can by assigned to a municipality or shared with other municipalities. Between 2011 and 2021 nine of the smallest municipalities merged into others as part of the effort to eliminate
2835-436: The number of municipalities dropping by 384 between the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2019. Some municipalities designate themselves as "city" ( ville or Stadt ) or as "village" ( Dorf ). These designations result from tradition or local preference – for example, several small municipalities designated as cities held city rights in medieval times – and normally do not impact the legal or political rights or obligations of
2898-525: The old towns and their tenants and servants, led to conflict. The wealthier villagers and urban citizens held rights to forests, common land and other municipal property which they did not want to share with the "new citizens", who were generally poor. The compromise solution, which was written into the municipal laws of the Helvetic Republic, is still valid today. Two politically separate but often geographically similar organizations were created. The first,
2961-408: The political municipality and the Bürgergemeinde was often dominated by the latter's ownership of community property. Often the administration and profit from the property were totally held by the Bürgergemeinden , leaving the political municipality dependent on the Bürgergemeinde for money and use of the property. It was not until the political municipality acquired rights over property that served
3024-447: The political voting and electoral body rights from the Bürgergemeinde . In the cities, the percentage of members in the Bürgergemeinde in the population was reduced as a result of increasing emigration to the cities. This led to the Bürgergemeinde losing its former importance to a large extent. However, the Bürgergemeinde has remained, and it includes all individuals who are citizens of the Bürgergemeinde , usually by having inherited
3087-461: The population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education , and 183 or (8.5%) have completed additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule ). Of the 183 who completed tertiary schooling, 58.5% were Swiss men, 29.0% were Swiss women, 6.6% were non-Swiss men and 6.0% were non-Swiss women. The Canton of Jura school system provides two-year of non-obligatory Kindergarten , followed by six years of Primary school. This
3150-463: The population) and 100 (4.0%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,177 Swiss women (46.6%) and 99 (3.9%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality, 721 or about 33.6% were born in Saignelégier and lived there in 2000. There were 678 or 31.6% who were born in the same canton, while 360 or 16.8% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 260 or 12.1% were born outside of Switzerland. As of 2000, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 27.1% of
3213-447: The population) who were Islamic . There was 1 person who was Buddhist and 9 individuals who were Hindu . 146 (or about 6.81% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic or atheist , and 133 individuals (or about 6.20% of the population) did not answer the question. Saignelégier has an average of 153.6 days of rain or snow per year and on average receives 1,511 mm (59.5 in) of precipitation . The wettest month
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#17328693146473276-522: The population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 56.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 16.4%. As of 2000, there were 943 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 955 married individuals, 130 widows or widowers and 117 individuals who are divorced. As of 2000, there were 968 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.5 persons per household. There were 269 households that consist of only one person and 67 households with five or more people. In 2000,
3339-498: The public (such as schools, fire stations, etc.) and taxes, that they obtained full independence. For example, in the city of Bern, it was not until after the property division of 1852 that the political municipality had the right to levy taxes. It was not until the Federal Constitution of 1874 that all Swiss citizens were granted equal political rights on local and Federal levels. This revised constitution finally removed all
3402-467: The repair of motor vehicles, 44 or 6.4% were in the movement and storage of goods, 62 or 9.0% were in a hotel or restaurant, 3 or 0.4% were in the information industry, 91 or 13.2% were the insurance or financial industry, 47 or 6.8% were technical professionals or scientists, 49 or 7.1% were in education and 135 or 19.5% were in health care. In 2000, there were 778 workers who commuted into the municipality and 401 workers who commuted away. The municipality
3465-500: The senior line of a particular family. As an armiger 's arms may be used "by courtesy", either by children or spouses, while they are still living, some form of differencing may be required so as not to confuse them with the original undifferenced or "plain coat" arms. Historically, arms were only heritable by males and therefore cadency marks had no relevance to daughters; in the modern era, Canadian and Irish heraldry include daughters in cadency. These differences are formed by adding to
3528-417: The senior line. These cadency marks are usually shown smaller than normal charges, but it still does not follow that a shield containing such a charge belongs to a cadet branch. All of these charges occur frequently in basic undifferenced coats of arms. To marshal two or more coats of arms is to combine them in one shield. This can be done in a number of ways, of which the simplest is impalement : dividing
3591-402: The smallest communities. Only Bister has not merged into a new municipality although the smallest municipality is now Kammersrohr with a population of just 32. In addition to the municipalities as basic territorial political subdivisions, a number of other local subdivisions exist in several cantons. These include: Blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology , a blazon
3654-659: The so-called municipality, was a political community formed by election and its voting body consists of all resident citizens. However, the community land and property remained with the former local citizens who were gathered together into the Bürgergemeinde /bourgeoisie. During the Mediation era (1803–1814), and especially during the Restoration era (1814–1830), many of the gains toward uniform citizenship were lost. Many political municipalities were abolished and limits were placed on
3717-435: The supposedly hard and fast rules laid down in heraldic manuals [including those by heralds] are often ignored." A given coat of arms may be drawn in many different ways, all considered equivalent and faithful to the blazon, just as the letter "A" may be printed in many different fonts while still being the same letter. For example, the shape of the escutcheon is almost always immaterial, with very limited exceptions (e.g.,
3780-484: The total land area is heavily forested and 4.0% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 5.9% is used for growing crops and 22.3% is pastures and 14.2% is used for alpine pastures. Of the water in the municipality, 0.3% is in lakes and 0.3% is in rivers and streams. The municipality is the capital of the Franches-Montagnes district. Since the 2009 merger, it has stretched from
3843-447: The total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 1,239. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 38, of which 37 were in agriculture and 1 was in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 509 of which 401 or (78.8%) were in manufacturing and 104 (20.4%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 692. In the tertiary sector; 152 or 22.0% were in wholesale or retail sales or
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#17328693146473906-531: Was built and a yearly market started in 1428. Around the same time, the pastor of Montfaucon , the head of the main parish of the Franches-Montagnes region, moved to Saignelégier. In 1629 it became an independent parish. In 1691, it became the seat of the Bishop's bailiff over the surrounding area. The bailiff's castle was built around the end of the 17th century. After the French invasion (1793–1813), Saignelégier
3969-638: Was the capital of the canton in the Département of Mont-Terrible and then in the Département of Haut-Rhin . Following the collapse of Napoleonic France, in 1815 it became part of the Canton of Bern , where it remained until the founding of the Canton of Jura in 1978. With the advent of the watch industry in Switzerland in the 19th century and the opening of rail lines in 1892 to La Chaux-de-Fonds and Glovelier in 1904,
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