Sion (; ; former ; ) is a Swiss town situated in the Rhône valley, a municipality, and the capital of the canton of Valais and of the district of Sion. it had a population of (known as ).

On 17 January 1968, the former municipality of Bramois merged into the municipality of Sion. On 1 January 2013, the former municipality of Salins merged into the municipality of Sion, and on 1 January 2017, Les Agettes did the same.

Landmarks in Sion include the Basilique de Valère and the Château de Tourbillon. Sion has an airfield for civilian and military use, which serves as a base for air rescue missions.

History

Prehistoric settlement

thumb|[[Necropolis at Le Petit-Chasseur]]

thumb|upright|[[Menhir at Le Petit-Chasseur]]

Sion is one of the most important prehistoric sites in Europe. The alluvial fan of the river Sionne, the rocky slopes above the river and, to a lesser extent, Valeria and Tourbillon hills have been settled nearly continuously since antiquity. The oldest trace of human settlement comes from 6200 BC during the late Mesolithic. Around 5800 BC early Neolithic farmers from the Mediterranean settled in Sion. The settlements remained small until about 4500 BC, during the middle Neolithic, when the number of settlements increased sharply. To support the population increase, farming and grazing spread throughout the valley. They also began burying their dead in Chablandes-type stone burial cists with engraved anthropomorphic stelae. The individual graves changed at the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC in large, dry stone wall communal tombs (such as the Dolmen of Le Petit-Chasseur). During the Beaker culture period in the second half of the third Millennium, dolmens were built once again, but they were smaller and had no podium. Stelae continued to be carved, though these were rich with geometric patterns and sometimes built out of old dolmen. At the beginning of the Early Bronze Age (around 2300 BC) the last stelae were erected. Julius Caesar mentions them as . They were conquered by the Romans in the 10s BC. By 8–7 BC, Emperor Augustus praised the tribe () of the Seduni with an inscription. The town-hall is said to contain several Roman inscriptions, one of which found at Sion commemorates the Roman presence: .

In 589 the bishop, St. Heliodorus, transferred the see to Sion, leaving the low-lying, flood-prone site of Octodurum, where the Drance joins the Rhône. Though frequently the early bishops were also the abbots of Saint-Maurice, the community of canons was jealously watchful that the bishops should not extend their jurisdiction over the abbey. Several of the bishops united both offices: Wilcharius (764–780), previously archbishop of Vienne, whence he had been driven by the Moors; Saint Alteus, who received from the pope a bull of exemption in favor of the abbey (780); Aimo II, son of Count Humbert I of Savoy, who entertained Leo IX at Saint-Maurice in 1049.

"This discovery is of prime importance to help us understand social rituals at the end of the Neolithic period (around 2,500BC) in central Europe," was announced from the canton of Valais. According to the press release, a number of stones were noticed to have been intentionally broken.

Three of the standing stones were carved with markings. The largest of the stones assumed to be a male figure wearing geometrically decorated clothes with a sun-like motif around his face is about two tonnes.

Geography

thumb|Vineyards outside Sion and Sion town

After the 2017 merger Sion had an area of .

Before the merger Sion had an area (as of the September 2004 survey) of . Of this area, about 38.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 15.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 38.4% is settled (buildings or roads) and 7.2% is unproductive land. In the 2004/09 survey a total of or about 17.0% of the total area was covered with buildings, an increase of over the 1980 amount. Over the same time period, the amount of recreational space in the municipality increased by and is now about 4.47% of the total area. Of the agricultural land, is used for orchards and vineyards, is fields and grasslands and consists of alpine grazing areas. Since 1980 the amount of agricultural land has decreased by . Over the same time period the amount of forested land has increased by . Rivers and lakes cover in the municipality.

The Medieval chroniclers report the occurrence of severe flood events, and during the Little Ice Age (or LIA, 1350–1850 AD) the Upper Rhône had certainly a torrential regime as other rivers in the Western Alps. During the second half of the nineteenth century, the anthropogenic activities had a crucial impact on the Rhône basin. The river was channelized twice in the periods of 1863–1894 and 1930–1960 (the so-called ‘Corrections of the Rhone’, which reduced the length of the river and gave to the river the present-day aspect. In the 2000s, after severe flood events, the ‘Third Correction’ began following the ‘Room-for-River’ flood management strategy and aims to: (1) widen the river, (2) increase the capacity, (3) secure levees and (4) improve the general environmental quality.

Climate

<!--Numers are based on the 1981-2010 period. Do NOT make any period update without updating all numbers in this section-->

One of the driest and sunniest areas of Switzerland, Sion has an average of 82.1 days of rain or snow per year and on average receives of precipitation. The wettest month is December during which time Sion receives an average of of rain or snow. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 7.4 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is August, with an average of 7.9, but with only of rain. The driest month of the year is April with an average of of precipitation over 5.2 days. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Sion has a (warm humid) temperate climate, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.

Coat of arms

thumb|Panorama of Sion

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Per fess Argent two Mullets of Five Gules and Gules.

Demographics

thumb|upright|Grand-Pont, street in the town center

thumb|Stadium and apartment buildings in Sion

Sion has a population () of . , 26.9% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over years 2000–2010 the population changed at a rate of 10%. It has changed at a rate of 10.1% due to migration and at a rate of 2.3% due to births and deaths.

Most of the population () speaks French (22,338 or 82.2%) as their first language, German is the second most common (1,523 or 5.6%) and Portuguese is the third (912 or 3.4%). There are 855 people who speak Italian and 19 people who speak Romansh. Of the population in the municipality, 9,542 or about 35.1% were born in Sion and lived there in 2000. There were 7,481 or 27.5% who were born in the same canton, while 2,939 or 10.8% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 6,285 or 23.1% were born outside of Switzerland.

, there were 11,326 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.3 persons per household. , the construction rate of new housing units was 4.7 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.53%.

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{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"

! colspan="12" | Historic Population Data

In the 2011 federal election the most popular party was the CVP with 29.8% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP (22.2%), the SP (20.0%) and the SVP (16.9%). In the federal election, a total of 10,750 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 58.3%.

In the 2009 Conseil d'État/Staatsrat election a total of 8,663 votes were cast, of which 907 or about 10.5% were invalid. The voter participation was 49.1%, which is much less than the cantonal average of 54.67%. In the 2007 Swiss Council of States election a total of 9,688 votes were cast, of which 835 or about 8.6% were invalid. The voter participation was 55.8%, which is similar to the cantonal average of 59.88%.

In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the CVP which received 34.5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP (19.08%), the SVP (15.52%) and the FDP (13.9%). In the federal election, a total of 9,828 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 55.6%.

Economy

thumb|Sion and the Rhône

thumb|Vineyards near Sion castle

The tertiary sector is the main economic sector in Sion, mainly due to the presence of the canton's administration, the Valaisan parliament and the canton's courthouse. Tourism is also an important sector due to its historic châteaux and museums.

Sion is the third largest wine making region in Switzerland, however, the valuable agricultural land and vineyards are undergoing constant regression due to the process of urbanisation.

Sion has also become an important medical site. The Sion-Region hospital is situated here next to the central institute of Valaisan hospitals and the Suva clinic for physical rehabilitation.

Finally the commune hosts a waste incinerator which disposes of the waste from 44 surrounding communes. This incinerator is equipped with a catalytic converter which lowers the levels of NOx emissions below acceptable levels. In addition, the heat created from the combustion is converted into electrical energy which is then provided to local communes.

Sion is a medium-sized regional center. The municipality is the center of its own agglomeration.

, there were a total of 33,228 people employed in the municipality. Of these, a total of 494 people worked in 93 businesses in the primary economic sector. A majority (54.0%) of the primary sector employees worked in very small businesses (less than ten employees). The remainder worked in 7 small businesses with a total of 227 employees. The secondary sector employed 5,638 workers in 466 separate businesses. In 2014 a total of 3,405 employees worked in 447 small companies (less than 50 employees). There were 17 mid sized businesses with 1,614 employees and 2 large businesses which employed a total of 619 people. Finally, the tertiary sector provided 27,096 jobs in 3,134 businesses. In 2014 a total of 16,599 employees worked in 3,068 small companies (less than 50 employees). There were 60 mid sized businesses with 7,289 employees and 6 large businesses which employed 3,208 people.

In 2014 a total of 8.1% of the population received social assistance.

the total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 21,338. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 245, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 4,830 of which 1,976 or (40.9%) were in manufacturing, 51 or (1.1%) were in mining and 2,323 (48.1%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 16,263. In the tertiary sector; 3,356 or 20.6% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 858 or 5.3% were in the movement and storage of goods, 968 or 6.0% were in a hotel or restaurant, 685 or 4.2% were in the information industry, 1,566 or 9.6% were the insurance or financial industry, 1,357 or 8.3% were technical professionals or scientists, 1,249 or 7.7% were in education and 2,989 or 18.4% were in health care.

, there were 13,194 workers who commuted into the municipality and 2,857 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 4.6 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. Of the working population, 10.4% used public transportation to get to work, and 57.1% used a private car.

A characteristic of Sion is its medieval townscape, dominated by the hills Valère () with the Basilique de Valère (12th–13th century), and Tourbillon () with the ruins of the Tourbillon Castle. The Valère Basilica is the church on top of the southern of the two mottes, at the east end of the old town. It houses the oldest playable organ in the world, which was built in the 1430s.

<gallery>

File:Rathaus von Sion - Town hall of Sion.JPG | Hôtel de Ville

File:Majorie.jpg | La Majorie

File:Tourbillon Castle 3.jpg|Tourbillon Castle

File:Sion, la Maison Supersaxo.jpg|Maison Supersaxo

File:Sion, Musée cantonal des Beaux-arts.jpg|Fine Arts Museum

File:Reconstitution of tomb no 546 of Sion Sous-le-Scex 05.JPG|Skeleton from the History Museum

File:Sion, cathédrale - ch.jpg| Notre-Dame Cathedral

File:Sion Valere Castle 20070730.jpg|Valère Basilica

File:St. Théodule.jpg|St. Théodule

File:Chapelle Tous les Saints.jpg|Chapelle de Tous les Saints Sion

</gallery>

Airshows

Public Airshows have been held at the airfield of Sion. Aerobatic teams such as the Frecce Tricolori from Italy and the Patrouille de France have performed there.

Sport

The football club FC Sion plays in the Swiss Super League. Their stadium is the Stade Tourbillon.

HCV Sion is the city's main Ice hockey team. They play in the Swiss Premiere League, the third tier of Swiss hockey. Their arena is the Ancien Stand which has a seating capacity of 1,200.

On 1 May 2021, the Alaia Bay surfing wave pool made by Wavegarden opened in Sion. It is the first surf pool open to the public in mainland Europe.

Sion has never previously hosted the Olympics but bid for the Olympics in 1976, 2002, 2006 and 2026.

Media

thumb|Haut de Cry mountain at the west side of Sion

Sion is host to a number of newspapers, television and radio stations:

  • Le Nouvelliste, a daily Valais paper printed in Sion;
  • Canal 9, regional Valais television;
  • Rhône FM, private Valaisan radio;
  • TSR, retransmission of public Swiss television.

Education

In Sion about 8,560 or (31.5%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 3,670 or (13.5%) have completed additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule). Of the 3,670 who completed tertiary schooling, 54.9% were Swiss men, 32.0% were Swiss women, 7.5% were non-Swiss men and 5.6% were non-Swiss women.

Schools

Sion has two high schools (colleges)

  • the Lycée-Collège des Creusets (LCC);
  • the Lycée-Collège de la Planta (LCP).

Sion is also host to the :

  • Ecole d’agriculture du Valais, situated in Châteauneuf, Sion;
  • A circus school;
  • A jazz school;
  • HES-SO Valais, a technical university;
  • HEM Valais (Conservatoire Supérieur et Académie de Musique Tibor Varga).

The HES-SO Valais offers education in Sciences, Engineering, Economics, Information Technology and Health Sciences.

  • There is a Business and Tourism university situated near Sion Institut Universitaire Kurt Bösch.

Transport

Sion has a railway station that provide trainlinks to Geneva, Milan, Venice and other parts of Switzerland. The city is also along the E62 motorway. Sion Airport only provides routes to limited destinations, the nearest larger domestic and international airport is Geneva Airport, located west of the city centre.

Religion

thumb|Reformed church in Sion

From the , 21,220 or 78.1% were Roman Catholic, while 1,198 or 4.4% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there were 212 members of an Orthodox church (or about 0.78% of the population), there were 18 individuals (or about 0.07% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church, and there were 453 individuals (or about 1.67% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 16 individuals (or about 0.06% of the population) who were Jewish, and 1,360 (or about 5.01% of the population) who were Islamic. There were 86 individuals who were Buddhist, 52 individuals who were Hindu and 22 individuals who belonged to another church. 1,371 (or about 5.05% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic or atheist, and 1,385 individuals (or about 5.10% of the population) did not answer the question.

Notable people

140px|thumb|Saint Théodule de Sion

140px|thumb|Fritz de Quervain

140px|thumb|Micheline Calmy-Rey, 2011

140px|thumb|Noémie Schmidt, 2016

People associated with Sion include:

  • Saint Theodore of Octodurum (Ger: Theodor von Sitten), 4th century Patron Saint of Valais and the Walser
  • Saint Guarinus of Sitten (1065–1150), Bishop of Sion
  • Hildebrand of Riedmatten, Bishop of Sion in 1594, whencefrom comes the coat of arms of Sitten/Sion
  • Ignaz Venetz (1788–1859), Swiss civil engineer, botanist and glaciologist
  • Anton von Riedmatten (1811–1897), Swiss politician
  • Leo Luzian von Roten (1824–1898), Swiss politician, poet and editor of the Walliser Wochenblatt
  • Ernest von Stockalper (1838–1919) was a Swiss civil engineer, foreman for the Gotthard tunnel
  • Fritz de Quervain (1868–1940), a Swiss surgeon, authority on thyroid disease.
  • Walther Ritz (1878–1909), theoretical physicist
  • Charles Oser (1902–1994), a Swiss politician
  • Maurice Zermatten (1910–2001), a French-speaking Swiss writer
  • Hermann Geiger (1914–1966), a Swiss aviator and search and rescue pilot
  • Dr Hywel Davies (1924–2016), a cardiologist and writer, lived in Sion
  • Micheline Calmy-Rey (born 1945), politician, president of the Confederation in 2007 and 2011
  • Carole de Kalbermatten (1945–2009), Swiss film director and feminist who grew up in Sion
  • Jean Zermatten (born 1948), lawyer, chairman of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
  • Madeleine Carruzzo (born 1956), a Swiss violinist, plays for the Berlin Philharmonic
  • Oskar Freysinger (born 1960), Swiss politician, studied at a German-speaking school in Sion
  • Brigitte Fournier (born 1961), Swiss operatic soprano
  • Stéphane Udry (born 1961), an astronomer at the Geneva Observatory, searches for extra-solar planets
  • Jean-Pierre Siggen (born 1962), a Swiss politician
  • Christelle Luisier (born 1974), politician
  • Nicolas Steiner (born in 1984), Swiss film director, screenwriter and film producer
  • Samael, extreme metal band, formed in 1987 in Sion
  • Noémie Schmidt (born 1990), a Swiss actress on TV and film
  • Pierre Ducrey (born 1938), archaeologist specialising in Greek epigraphy
  • Georges Dumitresco (1922–2008), Romanian-Swiss physician, painter, illustrator and poet

; Sport

  • Toni Branca (1916–1985), a Swiss racing driver
  • Jean-Claude Rudaz (born 1942), a Swiss racing driver
  • Umberto Barberis (born 1952), a former Swiss-Italian footballer, over 400 club games and 54 for national team
  • Marco Pascolo (born 1966), a retired Swiss international football goalkeeper, 406 club games and 55 for national team
  • Björn Bregy (born 1974), a Swiss super heavyweight kickboxer
  • Johnny Leoni (born 1984), a football goalkeeper over 250 club games and 54 for the national team
  • Sophie Lamon (born 1985), a Swiss fencer, silver medallist in the women's team épée event at the 2000 Summer Olympics
  • Gelson Fernandes (born 1986), footballer, over 350 club games and 57 for the national side
  • Tiffany Géroudet (born 1986), a Swiss épée fencer, competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics
  • Estelle Balet (1994–2016), a Swiss freeride snowboarder and two-time world champion
  • Edimilson Fernandes (born 1996), footballer, on loan to West Ham United F.C.

Twin towns

Sion is twinned with:

{| class="wikitable"

|- valign="top"

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  • Colón, Argentina

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  • Philippi, West Virginia, United States

|}

References

  • Tourism information