64-601: Saint-Imier ( French pronunciation: [sɛ̃.t‿imje] ) is a municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland . It is located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura ( Jura Bernois ). The Observatoire Astronomique de Mont-Soleil is located above the village. Saint-Imier is first mentioned in 884 as cella de sancti Himerii . The municipality
128-447: A Fachhochschule ). Of the 438 who completed tertiary schooling, 60.5% were Swiss men, 20.5% were Swiss women, 11.0% were non-Swiss men and 8.0% were non-Swiss women. The Canton of Bern school system provides one year of non-obligatory Kindergarten , followed by six years of Primary school. This is followed by three years of obligatory lower Secondary school where the students are separated according to ability and aptitude. Following
192-570: A book fair. By the second day of the event, thousands of people had arrived in the town, causing logistical issues for the self-managed space. The event also caused some safety problems, as its campsite was located next to train tracks that campers often crossed over in order to get to the event location, despite attempts by the event organisers to stop them. In order to guarantee safety, the Swiss Federal Railways halted all rail traffic between Saint-Imier and La Chaux-de-Fonds over
256-477: 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
320-571: A different mother language than the classroom language. As of 2000, there were 396 students in Saint-Imier who came from another municipality, while 126 residents attended schools outside the municipality. Saint-Imier is home to 2 libraries, the Haute école Arc – Ingénierie and the Bibliothèque régionale de St-Imier . There was a combined total (as of 2008) of 29,145 books or other media in
384-483: A different mother language than the classroom language. The municipality had 21 primary classes and 349 students. Of the primary students, 31.8% were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 19.2% have a different mother language than the classroom language. During the same year, there were 13 lower secondary classes with a total of 246 students. There were 19.1% who were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 15.9% have
448-563: A foothold in the region. In 1872, the Jura Federation , which had strong support in Saint-Imier, organized a congress in Saint-Imier at which the Anti-authoritarian International was founded. During the 18th century the inhabitants of the valley gradually gave up agriculture in favor of more lucrative jobs in the watch and lace-making industries. The first watch parts workshop opened in the 1720s and
512-473: A solidarity pact to ensure the member federations' independent autonomy and their common union against the General Council. The Bakuninists rebuked the General Council for its centralization of political power and advocation for uniform action towards social emancipation. The coalition would become the Anti-authoritarian International , as formalized at the 1873 Congress of Geneva, and it held that only
576-435: A total of 2,069 full-time equivalent jobs. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 46, of which 42 were in agriculture and 4 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 1,024 of which 879 or (85.8%) were in manufacturing and 81 (7.9%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 999. In the tertiary sector; 184 or 18.4% were in wholesale or retail sales or
640-402: A total of 2,190 apartments (78.9% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 362 apartments (13.0%) were seasonally occupied and 223 apartments (8.0%) were empty. As of 2010, the construction rate of new housing units was 1.3 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, in 2011, was 4.5%. The historical population is given in the following chart: The Collégiale and
704-478: A week's stay with the watchmakers," he wrote, "my views on socialism were settled. I was an anarchist." He then returned to Russia and did not re-involve himself until 1877, the year after he escaped from Russia. Major figures at Jura included James Guillaume , Adhémar Schwitzguébel , Severino Albarracín , Carlo Cafiero , Errico Malatesta , and Élisée Reclus . They discussed the practical and theoretical tenets of anarchist socialism, particularly " propaganda of
SECTION 10
#1732801269370768-499: Is a net importer of workers, with about 2.0 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. About 11.3% of the workforce coming into Saint-Imier are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 10.2% used public transportation to get to work, and 53.3% used a private car. From the 2000 census, 1,989 or 41.4% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church , while 1,642 or 34.2% were Roman Catholic . Of
832-449: 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
896-425: Is used for agricultural purposes, while or 40% is forested. Of the rest, 9.3% of the total is buildings or roads, and 0.7%of the total is unproductive. Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 5.8% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.2%. Out of the forested land, 34% of the total land area is heavily forested and 6% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 1.7%
960-529: Is used for growing crops and 20% is pastures and 27% is used for alpine pastures. The municipality is located in the Saint-Imier valley along the Suze river and on the Biel/Bienne - La Chaux-de-Fonds road. The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Sable two Pales Or and overall on a Bar Argent a Mullet of Five Gules. Saint-Imier has a population (as of December 2020) of 5,156. As of 2010, 23.9% of
1024-809: 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
1088-608: The First International during the anti-statist split from the organization. Jura , a Swiss area, was known for its watchmaker artisans in La Chaux-de-Fonds , who shared anti-state, egalitarian views on work and social emancipation. The Jura Federation formed between international socialist congresses in 1869 and 1871. When the First International's General Council, led by Marxists, suppressed
1152-561: 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
1216-419: The primary economic sector and about 23 businesses involved in this sector. 1,102 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 57 businesses in this sector. 1,320 people were employed in the tertiary sector , with 164 businesses in this sector. There were 183 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 59.0% of the workforce. In 2008 there were
1280-655: The Abbey donated Saint-Imier and a number of surrounding villages to the Prince-Bishop of Basel . In 1264, the Bishop appointed Otto of Arguel (or Erguel ) as the vogt over the Saint-Imier valley fief . Otto raised the valley to become a seigniory and parish of the Diocese of Basel. By the end of the 15th century, Saint-Imier included the villages of Villeret , Sonvilier , Renan and La Ferriere . Even though
1344-654: The Bakuninists, the Jura Federation organized an international of the disaffected federations at the 1872 St. Imier Congress . The congress disavowed the General Council's authoritarian consolidation of power and planning as an affront to the International's loose, federalist founding to support workers' emancipation. Members of the First International agreed and even statists joined the anti-statists' resulting Anti-authoritarian International, but by 1876,
SECTION 20
#17328012693701408-600: The First International 's anarchist coalition under luminary Mikhail Bakunin in the late 1860s and early 1870s, assisted by the Swiss government's laxity toward political agitators. The Jura Federation formed during infighting in the International between Bakunin and Karl Marx 's factions. The Jura Federation split during the Fédération Romande congress of the International, in January 1869. Though Bakunin's faction
1472-587: The General Council. The Jura Federation organized a group of the First International's apostate factions at the September 1872 St. Imier Congress . The Bakuninists from Jura, France, Italy, Spain, and the United States reaffirmed their Sonvilier Circular position and charged the General Council with violating the premises of their partnership: the autonomy of the federations and their ultimate cause: workers' emancipation. The St. Imier coalition agreed to
1536-516: The Haute école Arc/Hochschule Arc. A number of other schools opened in the town including the Bernese Jura Music School (1981), a vocational and technical school (1997), and a training center for health professionals (1993). On 31 December 2009, the district of Courtelary , the municipality's former district, was dissolved. On the following day, 1 January 2010, a new district (or arrondissement administratif ) of Jura bernois
1600-735: The Longines Watch factory are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance . The entire urban village of Saint-Imier is part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites . In the 2011 federal election the most popular party was the Social Democratic Party (SP) which received 26.4% of the vote. The next two most popular parties were the Swiss People's Party (SVP) (25.4%), and the FDP.The Liberals (18.2%). In
1664-500: The alliance between the statists and anti-statists had mostly dissolved and the Jura Federation was in decline. The Jura watchmakers cooperative in La Chaux-de-Fonds had a work shortage and the group's isolation from the general population had worn them. Bakunin retired from the Jura Federation in 1873 and died three years later. Jura remained a continuation of Bakunin's International alliance and Peter Kropotkin became
1728-480: The alliance had mostly dissolved. While in decline, the Jura Federation remained the home of Bakuninists whose figures engaged on a two-decade debate on the merits of propaganda of the deed . The egalitarian relations of the Jura Federation had played an important role in Peter Kropotkin 's adoption of anarchism, who became the anarchist standard-bearer after Bakunin. The Jura became the geographic center of
1792-403: 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
1856-696: The deed ", whose question became associated with the group in 1876 and was debated for two decades. Adherents such as Malatesta and the Italian anarchists quickly adopted the tactic, while Guillaume was hesitant. Up until this time, the anarchist philosophy had flourished in small artisan communities, such as the watchmakers in Jura, and propaganda of the deed was intended to bond anarchist and workers' groups, as had been done in Spain and Italy. Upset by Kropotkin's advances, Guillaume left Jura in 1878. An 1880 congress of
1920-439: The economic crisis of the 1930s and the 1970s hit Saint-Imier hard. By the beginning of the 21st century, there were about ten watchmaking companies and the economy had diversified to include dental and medical technology and meteorology. Portions of the town were destroyed by fire in 1839, 1843 and 1856. A hospital opened in Saint-Imier in 1856. In 1874 the town was connected to the Swiss rail network. The town's infrastructure
1984-724: 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
Saint-Imier - Misplaced Pages Continue
2048-513: The federal election, a total of 929 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 31.6%. Saint-Imier is the hometown of the Longines watchmaking company. The Breitling watchmaking company was founded in Saint-Imier, but moved to Grenchen , Canton of Solothurn . As of 2011, Saint-Imier had an unemployment rate of 3.59%. As of 2008, there were a total of 2,483 people employed in the municipality. Of these, there were 61 people employed in
2112-567: The fold, along with the First International's statist and anti-statist factionalism. The English Federation, for example, explicitly disagreed with the Jurassian position on action, but as long as the federations were free to pursue their own methods, affirmed the higher purpose of restoring a federalist International. The Jura argued for abstention from political action, citing their fruitless experiences with parliamentary politics and their subsequent organization outside political parties. By 1876,
2176-403: The fourth tier of Swiss hockey. Their home arena is the 3,000-seat Erguël Arena. Municipalities of Switzerland Municipalities ( German : Gemeinden , Einwohnergemeinden or politische Gemeinden ; French : communes ; Italian : comuni ; Romansh : vischnancas ) are the lowest level of administrative division in Switzerland. Each municipality is part of one of
2240-424: The industry continued to expand throughout the 19th century. By 1817 there were about 200 workers employed in either watchmaking workshops or small shops at home. The small scale workshops were replaced by large factory work, when Longines opened a factory in the town in 1867. By the end of the year, 1,600 people were employed in 47 watchmaking companies. Because the town's economy was so dependent on watchmaking,
2304-523: The international anarchist standard-bearer. Jura was particularly influential in Kropotkin's adoption of anarchism. Skeptical of the First International's leadership in Geneva, had visited the organization's other stronghold, in Jura in 1872, where he was impressed by their egalitarian ethics, independence of thought, devotion to the cause, and opposition to the International's authoritarian elements. "After
2368-546: The libraries, and in the same year a total of 41,777 items were loaned out. The municipality has a railway station, St-Imier . The station is located on the Biel/Bienne–La Chaux-de-Fonds line and has half-hourly service to Biel/Bienne and La Chaux-de-Fonds . Mont Soleil can be reached with Funiculaire Saint-Imier-Mont-Soleil [ fr ] . HC Sainti Bats plays in the Première Ligue ,
2432-407: The lower Secondary students may attend additional schooling or they may enter an apprenticeship . During the 2010-11 school year, there were a total of 695 students attending classes in Saint-Imier. There were 5 kindergarten classes with a total of 100 students in the municipality. Of the kindergarten students, 27.0% were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 33.0% have
2496-584: 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
2560-471: 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
2624-436: 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
Saint-Imier - Misplaced Pages Continue
2688-533: 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,
2752-468: The physical valley was owned by the Bishop of Basel, religiously it was part of the Diocese of Lausanne . The Saint-Imier parish was probably founded in the 9th or 10th century. A village chapel was first mentioned in 968, with the parish church of St. Martin first appearing in the records in 1228. The church of St. Martin was later rebuilt in the gothic style . Another church, the collegiate church
2816-408: 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
2880-447: 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
2944-446: The population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (2000-2010) the population has changed at a rate of 4.2%. Migration accounted for 6.3%, while births and deaths accounted for -2.9%. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks French (4,049 or 84.2%) as their first language, German is the second most common (315 or 6.6%) and Italian is the third (183 or 3.8%). There are 2 people who speak Romansh . As of 2008,
3008-580: The population was 48.1% male and 51.9% female. The population was made up of 1,682 Swiss men (35.3% of the population) and 612 (12.8%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,947 Swiss women (40.8%) and 530 (11.1%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality, 1,486 or about 30.9% were born in Saint-Imier and lived there in 2000. There were 1,072 or 22.3% who were born in the same canton, while 1,040 or 21.6% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 1,028 or 21.4% were born outside of Switzerland. As of 2010, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.1% of
3072-426: The population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 56.7% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 21.2%. As of 2000, there were 1,842 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 2,242 married individuals, 447 widows or widowers and 276 individuals who are divorced. As of 2000, there were 916 households that consist of only one person and 86 households with five or more people. In 2000,
3136-657: The proletariat masses could seek social emancipation for themselves through free, spontaneous action and egalitarian economic federation: It could not be imposed from hierarchy. Members of the First International largely supported the St. Imier congress, and opposed the General Council's suppression of the Bakuninists at the 1871 London Conference and 1872 Hague Congress . As a result, the Anti-authoritarian International congresses in 1873 and 1874 attracted Belgian, English, Dutch, and German federations into
3200-507: 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
3264-710: The region. After the 1797 French victory and the Treaty of Campo Formio , Saint-Imier became part of the French Département of Mont-Terrible . Three years later, in 1800 it became part of the Département of Haut-Rhin . After Napoleon 's defeat and the Congress of Vienna , Saint-Imier was assigned to the Canton of Bern in 1815. During the 19th century the anti-authoritarian or anarchist movement gained
SECTION 50
#17328012693703328-426: The repair of motor vehicles, 29 or 2.9% were in the movement and storage of goods, 48 or 4.8% were in a hotel or restaurant, 40 or 4.0% were the insurance or financial industry, 44 or 4.4% were technical professionals or scientists, 101 or 10.1% were in education and 437 or 43.7% were in health care. In 2000, there were 1,624 workers who commuted into the municipality and 802 workers who commuted away. The municipality
3392-536: The rest of the population, there were 22 members of an Orthodox church (or about 0.46% of the population), there were 17 individuals (or about 0.35% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church , and there were 386 individuals (or about 8.03% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 161 (or about 3.35% of the population) who were Islamic . There were 4 individuals who were Buddhist , 1 person who
3456-433: 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: Jura Federation The Jura Federation represented the anarchist, Bakuninist faction of
3520-677: 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
3584-403: The surrounding valley transferred from Lausanne to the Diocese of Basel. Catholic church services resumed in Saint-Imier in 1857 and in 1866 the neo-gothic Church of St. Martin was built. In 1912 a Christian Catholic church was built in the town. In 1792 Théodore Frédéric Louis Liomin, the vogt or bailiff of Saint-Imier, threw his support behind the revolutionary movement that was sweeping
3648-520: The weekend, organising replacement bus services in order to maintain the public transit network. The event would end up counting 5,000 attendees, mostly people in their early twenties, who were reportedly warmly welcomed by the town's population. Saint-Imier mayor Corentin Jeanneret reported that the event went largely smoothly, with the exception of a few cases of graffiti. Saint-Imier has an area of 20.87 km (8.06 sq mi). Of this area, 49%
3712-439: Was Hindu and 4 individuals who belonged to another church. 617 (or about 12.84% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic or atheist , and 156 individuals (or about 3.25% of the population) did not answer the question. In Saint-Imier about 1,696 or (35.3%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education , and 438 or (9.1%) have completed additional higher education (either university or
3776-534: Was built in the 11th century, probably under the direction of the Bishop of Basel. In 1530, Biel encouraged Saint-Imier to embrace the Protestant Reformation and convert to the new religion. The collegiate church before the parish church for the new Reformed parish. Over the following centuries, the Church of St. Martin was used less and less until it was demolished in 1828. In 1814 the town and
3840-517: Was created, which includes all of the former Courtelary District , as well as the former district of La Neuveville and the area around Tavannes . On 19 July 2023, hundreds of anarchists began arriving in Saint-Imier to participate in an international anarchist gathering, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Saint-Imier Congress. The event included lectures, workshops, concerts, film screenings, theatre plays, exhibitions and
3904-405: Was formerly known by its German name St. Immer , however, that name is no longer used. Its name refers to Imerius of Immertal , a 7th-century saint. According to the legend of St. Imerius, he settled in the valley as a hermit in the late 6th or early 7th century on a piece of land that bishop Marius of Lausanne gave him as a present. In 884 a cella (probably a church, farm and monastery)
SECTION 60
#17328012693703968-686: Was larger, the International's General Council was Marxist, and did not recognize the Jura Federation for its relation to Bakunin. The group was formally inaugurated at the 1871 Congress of Sonvilier. Their founding treatise, the Sonvilier Circular , held positions against the state and against the General Council, which the Jura charged with turning free and autonomous parts of the International into an authoritarian hierarchy. The Federation started its journal, Bulletin de la Fédération jurassienne , in February 1872 to explicate its stance against
4032-491: Was mentioned on the site. Archeological excavations around the former Church of St. Martin indicate that a village grew up around the cella around the same time. Two of the 142 graves from the church have been dated to the Early Middle Ages and the church was rebuilt at least three times before the 14th or early 15th century. In 884 the cella with its outbuildings belonged to Moutier-Grandval Abbey . In 999,
4096-417: Was modernized early, before 1900 it had municipal water, gas and electricity. Saint-Imier has grown into a regional education center. The town's secondary school opened in 1860, followed by a watchmaker's school in 1866. The watch-maker's school was expanded into a machinist's school in 1896 and a technical vocational school in 1961. In 1976 it became a school of engineering and in 2005 it was integrated into
#369630