Sion (in German Sitten ) is a Swiss city, Chef-lieu of the Canton of Were worth and of the District of Sion.

Geography

The city counted: 28,013 inhabitants at December 31st, 2005; but in the course of the day, more: 55,000 people are there, with all the Pendulaire S which come there to work. Located in the middle of the Valley of the Rhone, Sion is indeed the economic center of the area.

The basilica (minor) and castle of Valère (old residence of the canons of the chapter) and the Château of Swirl overhang the city.

The Old woman-city is a medieval borough preserved particularly well: in addition to the castles located on the two hills, of many important buildings are there. One can quote: the Castle of Majorie, the Town hall, the House Supersaxo, the casino sheltering the cantonal Parliament, the Notre-Dame Cathedral (or of Glarier) of Sion with opposite Evéché which is the seat of the Diocèse of Sion, the House of the Chapter, the Église Saint-Théodule, the Palais of the Valaisan government, the house of the Diet, and the Tour of the Wizards, one of the rare vestiges of the last enclosing wall with the Tower of Guet located at the foot of the rock of Valère.

History

The town of Sion was occupied as of the Neolithic (necropolis of the Small-Hunter), but it especially seems to have taken its rise at the time Celte.

It draws its current name from the Latin Sedunum , itself derived from that of the Celtic tribe which lived there, the Sédunes (in Latin: Sedunii ). Those built on the site of Sion a Oppidum usually identified with Drousomagos, perhaps meaning gone of Drusus or gone of the bushes , quoted by Ptolémée and which it locates upstream of Martigny.

Until the end of the Roman epoch, Sion remains in the shade of Massongex then of Martigny, then called Octodure, which has the advantage of being on the strategic road of the Large-Saint-Bernard. It is only in Ve century, when the bishop moves the episcopal see there, that the city becomes the sociocultural center of the area.

As of 999, the bishop of Sion became count of the Valais. The the Middle Ages and the Renaissance see to clash, on the ground of the unification of the Valais and the power struggle, the bishop and the Diète, which also sits at Sion.

The town of Sion was destroyed and plundered on several occasions until in 1475, date on which the Savoyard troops were pushed back with its doors at the time of the Bataille of Planted.

The city grows then slowly until terrible the fire of 1788. It is rebuilt, but its ramparts are cut down at the 19th century (it remains about it today more hardly than the Tour of the Wizards and the Tower of Guet).

She makes important great strides with the arrival of the train.

Around the years 1870 - the 1872 famous writer Jules Verne remained one period of his life to the street of the church NR. 7 as a tenant at Pierre Heanni.

At the end of the Years 1960, the commune and the village of Bramois amalgamated with the municipality of Sion.

Sion tried with three recoveries to obtain the Winter Olympics, but was three times the unhappy dolphin of the winner (Denver who finally refused in 1976 with the profit of Innsbruck, Salt Lake City in 2002 and Turin in 2006).

Policy

The Municipal council is the Executive power commune. Its 15 members, nonpermanent except for the President, are elected every 4 years by the people.

The commune of Sion comprises also a corporation of public law resulting from the medieval commune: the Middle-class. The Council bourgeoisial account seven people: a president, a vice-president and five advisers; a chancellor assists them.

Economy

The Tertiary sector is the main activity of the city, because in particular of the presence of the cantonal administration, the Valaisan Parliament, and the cantonal court. The Tourisme (many Castle X and Museum S) is also an important activity

The Secondary industry is represented little, even if a certain clock making activity exists (subcontracting).

The Primary sector, although marginalized, is not negligible: Sion is the third wine commune of Switzerland, the market gardening is also notable there. Nevertheless, the surfaces devoted to the Agriculture and the vine growing are in constant regression, as the Urbanisation progresses.

Finally, it is advisable to announce the presence of an important medical site, the hospital of Sion-Area, which gathers the medical disciplines of point, is member of the Réseau Health Were worth, and collaborates with the University hospital of Vaud of Lausanne.

Always in the medical sector, one finds in Sion the central Institute of the Valaisan Hospitals (ICHV), the French Private clinic of physical readjustment of SUVA, and the Research institute in ophthalmology (IRO - laboratories in optics, biophysics and oculogenetic).

The commune shelters a factory of Incinération of refuse which serves 44 neighbouring communes. This factory is equipped with a Catalyseur which brings back the emissions of {{fchim|NR||O|X}} below the tolerated limiting values. Moreover, the heat of combustion is converted into electrical energy which is injected into the lan.

Sports

Football

The club of the city is FC Sion.

Hockey

The club of the city is HC Sion.

Media

• the Short story writer is the Valaisan daily newspaper published in Sion;

• Channel 9, (Sierre) Valaisan Television regional;
• the Rhone FM, radio private Valaisan;
• TSR Were worth area, the Valaisan drafting of Swiss public television;
• the Newspaper of Sion, published monthly.

Secondary education

The town of Sion has two college-college S for the training of the students:

• the College-College of the Crucibles (LCC);
• the College-College of Planted (LCP).

The École of the trades of Were worth is also established in Sion (thus qu´à Viège).

Other schools:

• the cantonal School of agriculture, located at Châteauneuf/Sion;
• the School of Circus Zôfy (prize winner of money 2005 the Grock and bronze 2006).
• the School of jazz and current music.

Higher education and research

• Academic institute Kurt Bösch (IUKB)
• High specialized school of Western Switzerland (HES-SO)
• Sciences of the engineer-E
• industrial Systems, Technologies of alive the
• Economy and services
• Business computing, Saving in company
• Health-Social
• Mobility and rehabilitation, Social work, Care and education with health
• National college of business of Sion.
• High music school (HEM-Vs) (also known under the name of higher Academy and Academy of music Tibor Varga)
• Conservatory cantonal of music of Sion

Personalities

• Roger Bonvin, president de Sion in 1955, National Adviser then Federal adviser of 1962 to 1973;
• Hermann Geiger, pilot of the glaciers and chief of place at the commercial airport of Sion, accidentally dead in 1966;
• Shlomo Mintz, violonist virtuoso, artistic director of the International festival of Music of Sion Were worth and chair of the jury of the International Contest of Violin of Sion Valais;
• Its Excellence Mister Henri Schwery, cardinal, member of the Congregation for the causes of the saints. He is also large-prior of the Ordre of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre in Switzerland;
• Tibor Varga, violonist who founded the International festival of music Tibor Varga, died in Sion in 2003;
• Maurice Zermatten, Valaisan writer.

Transport

• the town of Sion east crossed by the railway line of the Simplon (Paris - Milan).
• Sion is an important intermodal node (civil airport and militairede Sion, railway station (CF) and coach station)
• corresponds to it to the European Route E62, left: and.

Sports and leisures

• Garden of snows
• Skating rinks covered and outdoor
• Swimming pools covered and outdoor of 50 m
• Golf 18 holes
• bourgeoisial Field of the islands for the relaxation and the water sports
• Center of horsemanship and equestrian walks
• Many equipment and many companies for sportsmen of all levels
• sporting Initiation and training of the young people

Culture

Equipped with several cinemas and theaters including, in season, of theaters and spectacles of outdoor (for example Sion in Lights ), the cultural life of Sion is animated. Many cantonal museums (museum of history, natural history, archeology, of the Art schools, the Treasury of the Cathedral, or the House of the nature of Montorge) are there. Moreover, various festivals of music take place there, of which famous the festival Tibor Varga and its international contest of violin or the festival of the old organ, dedicated to oldest the playable Orgue of the world (1430) which is in the Basilica of Valère. Since 2003, the old city of Sion is also equipped with a traditional market. It offers a direct contact with the rural world and artisanal, as well as the animations intended for the families.

Photograph gallery

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