Signau: Difference between revisions

Signau
Signau
Municipality
	Signau village
	Coat of arms
	Location of Signau
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Bern
District	Emmental
Government
• Mayor	Martin Wyss
Area
• Total	22.1 km2 (8.5 sq mi)
Elevation	683 m (2,241 ft)
Population (31 December 2018)
• Total	2,659
• Density	120/km2 (310/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (Central European Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time)
Postal code(s)	3534
SFOS number	0907
ISO 3166 code	CH-BE
Surrounded by	Lauperswil, Langnau im Emmental, Eggiwil, Röthenbach im Emmental, Bowil, Oberthal
Website	www.signau.ch ; SFSO statistics

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Signau is a municipality in the administrative district of Emmental in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

History

Signau is first mentioned between 1130 and 1146 as Sigenowo.^[3]

Scattered mesolithic, Bronze age and medieval artifacts indicate a long history of settlements in the area. By the High Middle Ages the Lords of Schweinsberg-Attinghausen had built their ancestral castle above the village. The remains of possibly four other earthen fortifications have been discovered around the area. Though the Schweinsberg-Attinghausen castle fell into ruins in 13th or 14th century, the village with Alt- and Neu-Signau Castles (today in Bowil municipality) formed the center of the Herrschaft of Signau. The Barons of Signau built St. Mary's Church in Signau as the parish church for the parish. In 1529 the city of Bern acquired the village and Herrschaft of Signau. In 1648, the village of Eggiwil left the Signau parish to form its own parish and eventually it politically split to became an independent municipality. The village church was renovated and rebuilt in 1850.^[3]

By 1622 Signau had a yearly market in the fall. Two other yearly markets were added in the 18th century. By 1800 the town was home to a number of industries and businesses in addition to the farmers and livestock herders who lived there. In 1856 the Schüpbach canal drained the swampy valley floor and opened up additional farm land. In 1864 the Bern-Langnau railroad connected Signau to the growing Swiss rail network. The first line was followed in 1875 by the Langnau-Lucerne line. The good rail and road connections encouraged industry to settle in the town. By 2005, agriculture provided about one-third of all jobs in the community.^[3]

There are several primary schools scattered around the municipality in Höhe, Häleschwand, Mutten and Schüpbach. The secondary school in Signau pulls in students from Röthenbach, Eggiwil and Bowil as well as Signau.^[3]

Geography

Signau has an area of 22.13 km² (8.54 sq mi).^[4] As of 2012, a total of 12.2 km² (4.7 sq mi) or 55.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 7.91 km² (3.05 sq mi) or 35.8% is forested. The rest of the municipality is 1.76 km² (0.68 sq mi) or 8.0% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.24 km² (0.093 sq mi) or 1.1% is either rivers or lakes and 0.01 km² (2.5 acres) or 0.0% is unproductive land.^[5]

During the same year, housing and buildings made up 3.8% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.9%. A total of 34.1% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.7% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 23.2% is used for growing crops and 30.8% is pasturage, while 1.2% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.^[5]

The municipality is located in the the upper Emmental near the head waters of the Emme river. It consists of the linear village of Signau, part of the hamlet of Steinen, the Schüpbach settlement and scattered farmhouses in the surrounding mountains at elevations of 700–1,100 meters (2,300–3,600 ft).

On 31 December 2009 Amtsbezirk Signau, the municipality's former district, was dissolved. On the following day, 1 January 2010, it joined the newly created Verwaltungskreis Emmental.^[6]

Coat of arms

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Pally of six Argent and Azure and overall two Bars Gules.^[7]

Demographics

Signau has a population (as of December 2020^[update]) of 2,594.^[8] As of 2012^[update], 4.7% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Between the last 2 years (2010-2012) the population changed at a rate of -0.1%. Migration accounted for -2.8%, while births and deaths accounted for -0.1%.^[9]

Most of the population (as of 2000^[update]) speaks German (2,741 or 95.2%) as their first language, Albanian is the second most common (53 or 1.8%) and French is the third (16 or 0.6%). There are 3 people who speak Italian.^[10]

As of 2008^[update], the population was 50.6% male and 49.4% female. The population was made up of 1,320 Swiss men (48.0% of the population) and 70 (2.5%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,314 Swiss women (47.8%) and 45 (1.6%) non-Swiss women.^[11] Of the population in the municipality, 1,213 or about 42.1% were born in Signau and lived there in 2000. There were 1,151 or 40.0% who were born in the same canton, while 207 or 7.2% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 161 or 5.6% were born outside of Switzerland.^[10]

As of 2012^[update], children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 22.0% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 59.2% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18.9%.^[9]

As of 2000^[update], there were 1,272 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 1,347 married individuals, 196 widows or widowers and 63 individuals who are divorced.^[10]

As of 2010^[update], there were 333 households that consist of only one person and 102 households with five or more people.^[12] In 2000^[update], a total of 1,041 apartments (91.5% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 47 apartments (4.1%) were seasonally occupied and 50 apartments (4.4%) were empty.^[13] As of 2012^[update], the construction rate of new housing units was 1.1 new units per 1000 residents.^[9] The vacancy rate for the municipality, in 2013^[update], was 2.8%. In 2012, single family homes made up 29.0% of the total housing in the municipality.^[14]

The historical population is given in the following chart:^[3]^[15]^[16]

Economy

As of 2011^[update], Signau had an unemployment rate of 1.47%. As of 2011^[update], there were a total of 1,042 people employed in the municipality. Of these, there were 325 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 116 businesses involved in this sector. 336 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 48 businesses in this sector. 381 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 95 businesses in this sector.^[9] There were 1,482 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 41.2% of the workforce.

In 2008^[update] there were a total of 739 full-time equivalent jobs. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 208, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 306 of which 209 or (68.3%) were in manufacturing, 6 or (2.0%) were in mining and 89 (29.1%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 225. In the tertiary sector; 62 or 27.6% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 18 or 8.0% were in the movement and storage of goods, 30 or 13.3% were in a hotel or restaurant, 6 or 2.7% were in the information industry, 12 or 5.3% were the insurance or financial industry, 17 or 7.6% were technical professionals or scientists, 38 or 16.9% were in education and 13 or 5.8% were in health care.^[17]

In 2000^[update], there were 340 workers who commuted into the municipality and 907 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 2.7 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. A total of 575 workers (62.8% of the 915 total workers in the municipality) both lived and worked in Signau.^[18] Of the working population, 14.8% used public transportation to get to work, and 50.5% used a private car.^[9]

The local and cantonal tax rate in Signau is one of the lowest in the canton. In 2012 the average local and cantonal tax rate on a married resident, with two children, of Signau making 150,000 CHF was 12.3%, while an unmarried resident's rate was 18.5%.^[19] For comparison, the average rate for the entire canton in 2011, was 14.2% and 22.0%, while the nationwide average was 12.3% and 21.1% respectively.^[20]

In 2010 there were a total of 1,161 tax payers in the municipality. Of that total, 268 made over 75,000 CHF per year. There were 12 people who made between 15,000 and 20,000 per year. The greatest number of workers, 332, made between 50,000 and 75,000 CHF per year. The average income of the over 75,000 CHF group in Signau was 103,562 CHF, while the average across all of Switzerland was 131,244 CHF.^[21]

In 2011 a total of 1.5% of the population received direct financial assistance from the government.^[22]

Sights

The entire village of Signau is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites^[23]

Politics

In the 2011 federal election the most popular party was the Swiss People's Party (SVP) which received 44.7% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the Conservative Democratic Party (BDP) (18.2%), the Social Democratic Party (SP) (11.2%) and the Evangelical People's Party (EVP) (6.1%). In the federal election, a total of 1,048 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 48.3%.^[24]

Religion

From the 2000 census^[update], 2,226 or 77.3% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church, while 110 or 3.8% were Roman Catholic. Of the rest of the population, there were 21 members of an Orthodox church (or about 0.73% of the population), and there were 206 individuals (or about 7.16% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 85 (or about 2.95% of the population) who were Muslim. There was 1 person who was Buddhist, 11 individuals who were Hindu and 7 individuals who belonged to another church. 90 (or about 3.13% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic or atheist, and 121 individuals (or about 4.20% of the population) did not answer the question.^[10]

Education

In Signau about 56.7% of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 13.8% have completed additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).^[9] Of the 231 who had completed some form of tertiary schooling listed in the census, 72.7% were Swiss men, 22.1% were Swiss women, 3.9% were non-Swiss men.^[10]

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 the lower Secondary students may attend additional schooling or they may enter an apprenticeship.^[25]

During the 2012-13 school year, there were a total of 393 students attending classes in Signau. There were a total of 59 students in the German language kindergarten classes in the municipality. Of the kindergarten students, 6.8% were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 8.5% have a different mother language than the classroom language. The municipality's primary school had 160 students in German language classes. Of the primary students, 6.3% were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 10.6% have a different mother language than the classroom language. During the same year, the lower secondary school had a total of 174 students. There were 0.6% who were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 4.0% have a different mother language than the classroom language.^[26]

As of 2000^[update], there were a total of 398 students attending any school in the municipality. Of those, 300 both lived and attended school in the municipality, while 98 students came from another municipality. During the same year, 103 residents attended schools outside the municipality.^[18]

Signau is home to the Bibliothek Signau library. The library has (as of 2008^[update]) 10,068 books or other media, and loaned out 26,221 items in the same year. It was open a total of 165 days with average of 9 hours per week during that year.^[27]

References

^ ^a ^b "Arealstatistik Standard - Gemeinden nach 4 Hauptbereichen". Federal Statistical Office. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
^ "Ständige Wohnbevölkerung nach Staatsangehörigkeitskategorie Geschlecht und Gemeinde; Provisorische Jahresergebnisse; 2018". Federal Statistical Office. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Signau in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
^ Arealstatistik Standard - Gemeindedaten nach 4 Hauptbereichen
^ ^a ^b Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Land Use Statistics 2009 data Template:De icon accessed 25 March 2010
^ Nomenklaturen – Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz Template:De icon accessed 4 April 2011
^ Flags of the World.com accessed 5 August 2014
^ "Ständige und nichtständige Wohnbevölkerung nach institutionellen Gliederungen, Geburtsort und Staatsangehörigkeit". bfs.admin.ch (in German). Swiss Federal Statistical Office - STAT-TAB. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 5 August 2014
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e STAT-TAB Datenwürfel für Thema 40.3 - 2000 Template:De icon accessed 2 February 2011
^ Statistical office of the Canton of Bern Template:De icon accessed 4 January 2012
^ Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Haushaltsgrösse Template:De icon accessed 8 May 2013
^ Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB - Datenwürfel für Thema 09.2 - Gebäude und Wohnungen Template:De icon accessed 28 January 2011
^ Statistischer Atlas der Schweiz - Anteil Einfamilienhäuser am gesamten Gebäudebestand, 2012 accessed 5 August 2014
^ Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB Bevölkerungsentwicklung nach Region, 1850-2000 Template:De icon accessed 29 January 2011
^ Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Ständige Wohnbevölkerung in Privathaushalten nach Gemeinde und Haushaltsgrösse Template:De icon accessed 12 August 2013
^ Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB Betriebszählung: Arbeitsstätten nach Gemeinde und NOGA 2008 (Abschnitte), Sektoren 1-3 Template:De icon accessed 28 January 2011
^ ^a ^b Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Statweb Template:De icon accessed 24 June 2010
^ Statistischer Atlas der Schweiz - Steuerbelastung, 2012 Politische Gemeinden Template:De icon accessed 4 August 2014
^ Swiss Federal Tax Administration - Grafische Darstellung der Steuerbelastung 2011 in den Kantonen Template:De icon Template:Fr icon accessed 17 June 2013
^ Federal Tax Administration Report Direkte Bundessteuer - Natürliche Personen - Gemeinden - Steuerjahr 2010 Template:De icon Template:Fr icon accessed 5 August 2014
^ Statistischer Atlas der Schweiz - Bezüger/-innen von Sozialhilfeleistungen (Sozialhilfeempfänger/-innen), 2011 accessed 18 June 2013
^ "Kantonsliste A-Objekte". KGS Inventar (in German). Federal Office of Civil Protection. 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2011. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
^ Swiss Federal Statistical Office 2011 Election Template:De icon accessed 8 May 2012
^ EDK/CDIP/IDES (2010). Kantonale Schulstrukturen in der Schweiz und im Fürstentum Liechtenstein / Structures Scolaires Cantonales en Suisse et Dans la Principauté du Liechtenstein (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 24 June 2010.
^ Datei der Gemeinde- und Schultabellen Template:De icon accessed 23 July 2014
^ Swiss Federal Statistical Office, list of libraries Template:De icon accessed 14 May 2010

[wikidata-34465df301612b4c187d3751abe3e95527f60501-v18-1] "Arealstatistik Standard - Gemeinden nach 4 Hauptbereichen". Federal Statistical Office. Retrieved 13 January 2019.

[wikidata-08bd17aa84cda5e3983f082e36c9004a86cf08fc-v18-2] "Ständige Wohnbevölkerung nach Staatsangehörigkeitskategorie Geschlecht und Gemeinde; Provisorische Jahresergebnisse; 2018". Federal Statistical Office. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.

[HDS-3] Signau in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.

[Arealstatistik-4] Arealstatistik Standard - Gemeindedaten nach 4 Hauptbereichen

[BFS_land-5] Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Land Use Statistics 2009 data Template:De icon accessed 25 March 2010

[Mutation-6] Nomenklaturen – Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz Template:De icon accessed 4 April 2011

[7] Flags of the World.com accessed 5 August 2014

[Stat2020_BE-8] "Ständige und nichtständige Wohnbevölkerung nach institutionellen Gliederungen, Geburtsort und Staatsangehörigkeit". bfs.admin.ch (in German). Swiss Federal Statistical Office - STAT-TAB. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2021.

[SFSO-9] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 5 August 2014

[STAT2000-10] STAT-TAB Datenwürfel für Thema 40.3 - 2000 Template:De icon accessed 2 February 2011

[BE_Stat-11] Statistical office of the Canton of Bern Template:De icon accessed 4 January 2012

[12] Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Haushaltsgrösse Template:De icon accessed 8 May 2013

[Housing-13] Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB - Datenwürfel für Thema 09.2 - Gebäude und Wohnungen Template:De icon accessed 28 January 2011

[14] Statistischer Atlas der Schweiz - Anteil Einfamilienhäuser am gesamten Gebäudebestand, 2012 accessed 5 August 2014

[15] Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB Bevölkerungsentwicklung nach Region, 1850-2000 Template:De icon accessed 29 January 2011

[16] Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Ständige Wohnbevölkerung in Privathaushalten nach Gemeinde und Haushaltsgrösse Template:De icon accessed 12 August 2013

[17] Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB Betriebszählung: Arbeitsstätten nach Gemeinde und NOGA 2008 (Abschnitte), Sektoren 1-3 Template:De icon accessed 28 January 2011

[commuter-18] Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Statweb Template:De icon accessed 24 June 2010

[19] Statistischer Atlas der Schweiz - Steuerbelastung, 2012 Politische Gemeinden Template:De icon accessed 4 August 2014

[20] Swiss Federal Tax Administration - Grafische Darstellung der Steuerbelastung 2011 in den Kantonen Template:De icon Template:Fr icon accessed 17 June 2013

[21] Federal Tax Administration Report Direkte Bundessteuer - Natürliche Personen - Gemeinden - Steuerjahr 2010 Template:De icon Template:Fr icon accessed 5 August 2014

[22] Statistischer Atlas der Schweiz - Bezüger/-innen von Sozialhilfeleistungen (Sozialhilfeempfänger/-innen), 2011 accessed 18 June 2013

[23] "Kantonsliste A-Objekte". KGS Inventar (in German). Federal Office of Civil Protection. 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2011. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)

[election_2011-24] Swiss Federal Statistical Office 2011 Election Template:De icon accessed 8 May 2012

[25] EDK/CDIP/IDES (2010). Kantonale Schulstrukturen in der Schweiz und im Fürstentum Liechtenstein / Structures Scolaires Cantonales en Suisse et Dans la Principauté du Liechtenstein (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 24 June 2010.

[School-26] Datei der Gemeinde- und Schultabellen Template:De icon accessed 23 July 2014

[27] Swiss Federal Statistical Office, list of libraries Template:De icon accessed 14 May 2010

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@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
  | municipality_name	= Signau
  | municipality_type	= municipality
+ | image_photo          = Signau 056.jpg
+ | image_caption        = Signau village
  | imagepath_coa	= Signau-coat of arms.svg|pixel_coa=
  | map			=
@@ Line 14: / Line 16: @@
  | area			= 22.1
  | elevation		= 683|elevation_description=
- | population		= {{Swiss populations NC|CH-BE|0907}} | populationof = {{Swiss populations YM|CH-BE}} |  popofyear = {{Swiss populations Y|CH-BE}}
+ | population           = 2745 | populationof = Dec 2012|  popofyear = 2012
- | website		= www.signau.ch
+ | website              = www.signau.ch
- | mayor		= Martin Wyss|mayor_asof=|mayor_party=
+ | mayor                =  Martin Wyss |mayor_asof=|mayor_party=
- | mayor_title	= |list_of_mayors	=
+ | mayor_title = |list_of_mayors =
  | places		=
  | demonym		=
@@ Line 25: / Line 27: @@
 '''Signau''' is a [[Municipalities of Switzerland|municipality]] in the administrative district of [[Emmental (administrative district)|Emmental]] in the [[Cantons of Switzerland|canton]] of [[Bern (canton)|Bern]] in [[Switzerland]].
+==History==
+[[File:Ruine Alt-Signau 2.jpg|thumb|left|Ruins of Alt-Signau Castle]]
+[[File:Signau, Kirche und Pfarrhaus (2).jpg|thumb|left|The village church of Signau]]
+Signau is first mentioned between 1130 and 1146 as ''Sigenowo''.<ref name=HDS/>
+Scattered [[mesolithic]], [[Bronze age]] and [[Middle ages|medieval]] artifacts indicate a long history of settlements in the area.  By the [[High Middle Ages]] the Lords of Schweinsberg-Attinghausen had built their ancestral castle above the village.  The remains of possibly four other [[Earthworks (archaeology)|earthen fortifications]] have been discovered around the area.  Though the Schweinsberg-Attinghausen castle fell into ruins in 13th or 14th century, the village with [[Alt-Signau Castle|Alt-]] and [[Neu-Signau Castle]]s (today in [[Bowil]] municipality) formed the center of the ''[[Herrschaft (territory)|Herrschaft]]'' of Signau.  The Barons of Signau built St. Mary's Church in Signau as the [[parish church]] for the [[parish]].  In 1529 the city of [[Bern]] acquired the village and ''Herrschaft'' of Signau.  In 1648, the village of [[Eggiwil]] left the Signau parish to form its own parish and eventually it politically split to became an independent municipality.  The village church was renovated and rebuilt in 1850.<ref name=HDS/>
+By 1622 Signau had a yearly market in the fall.  Two other yearly markets were added in the 18th century.  By 1800 the town was home to a number of industries and businesses in addition to the farmers and livestock herders who lived there.  In 1856 the Schüpbach canal drained the swampy valley floor and opened up additional farm land.  In 1864 the Bern-[[Langnau]] railroad connected Signau to the growing Swiss rail network.  The first line was followed in 1875 by the Langnau-[[Lucerne]] line.  The good rail and road connections encouraged industry to settle in the town.  By 2005, agriculture provided about one-third of all jobs in the community.<ref name=HDS/>
+There are several primary schools scattered around the municipality in Höhe, Häleschwand, Mutten and Schüpbach.  The secondary school in Signau pulls in students from Röthenbach, Eggiwil and Bowil as well as Signau.<ref name=HDS/>
 ==Geography==
+[[File:Schuepbach Emmenbruecke Totale.jpg|thumb|Wooden bridge over the [[Emme (river)|Emme river]] at Schüpbach]]
-Signau lies in the [[Emmental]].
+Signau has an area of {{Swiss area|0907|mi=on}}.{{Swiss area data|0907|QUELLE}}<!--22.08 - 22.12 km2-->  As of 2012, a total of {{convert|12.2|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} or 55.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while {{convert|7.91|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} or 35.8% is forested.   The rest of the municipality is {{convert|1.76|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} or 8.0% is settled (buildings or roads), {{convert|0.24|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} or 1.1% is either rivers or lakes and {{convert|0.01|km2|acre|abbr=on}} or 0.0% is unproductive land.<ref name=BFS_land>[http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/02/03/blank/data/gemeindedaten.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Land Use Statistics] 2009 data {{de icon}} accessed 25 March 2010</ref>
+During the same year, housing and buildings made up 3.8% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.9%.  A total of 34.1% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.7% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees.  Of the agricultural land, 23.2% is used for growing crops and  30.8% is pasturage, while 1.2% is used for orchards or vine crops.  All the water in the municipality is flowing water.<ref name=BFS_land/>
-Signau has an area, {{as of|2009|lc=on}}, of {{convert|22.08|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}.  Of this area, {{convert|12.2|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} or 55.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while {{convert|7.91|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} or 35.8% is forested.   Of the rest of the land, {{convert|1.76|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} or 8.0% is settled (buildings or roads), {{convert|0.24|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} or 1.1% is either rivers or lakes and {{convert|0.01|km2|acre|abbr=on}} or 0.0% is unproductive land.<ref name=BFS_land>[http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/02/03/blank/data/gemeindedaten.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Land Use Statistics] 2009 data {{de icon}} accessed 25 March 2010</ref>
+The municipality is located in the the upper [[Emmental]] near the head waters of the [[Emme (river)|Emme river]].  It consists of the [[linear village]] of Signau, part of the [[hamlet (place)|hamlet]] of Steinen, the Schüpbach settlement and scattered farmhouses in the surrounding mountains at elevations of {{convert|700|-|1100|m|ft|sp=us}}.
-Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 3.8% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.9%.  34.1% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.7% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees.  Of the agricultural land, 23.2% is used for growing crops and 30.8% is pastures, while 1.2% is used for orchards or vine crops.  All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.<ref name=BFS_land/>
+On 31 December 2009 Amtsbezirk Signau, the municipality's former district, was dissolved.  On the following day, 1 January 2010, it joined the newly created Verwaltungskreis Emmental.<ref name=Mutation>[http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/infothek/nomenklaturen/blank/blank/gem_liste/02.html Nomenklaturen – Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz] {{de icon}} accessed 4 April 2011</ref>
+==Coat of arms==
+The [[blazon]] of the municipal [[coat of arms]] is ''Pally of six Argent and Azure and overall two Bars Gules.''<ref>[http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ch-be335.html Flags of the World.com] accessed 5 August 2014</ref>
 ==Demographics==
+[[File:Schüpbach (komunumo Signau) 058.jpg|thumb|House in Schüpbach]]
-Signau has a population (as of {{Swiss populations date|CH-BE}}) of {{Swiss populations|CH-BE|0907}}.{{Swiss populations ref|CH-BE}}  {{as of|2007}}, 3.6% of the population was made up of foreign nationals.  Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -3.7%.  Most of the population ({{as of|2000|lc=on}}) speaks German  (95.2%), with Albanian being second most common ( 1.8%) and French being third ( 0.6%).
+[[File:Signau, Krämerhaus.jpg|thumb|The historic Krämerhaus in Signau]]
+Signau has a population ({{as of|{{Swiss populations YM|CH-BE}}|lc=on}}) of {{Swiss populations|CH-BE|0907}}.{{Swiss populations ref|CH-BE}}  {{as of|2012}}, 4.7% of the population are resident foreign nationals.  Between the last 2 years (2010-2012) the population changed at a rate of -0.1%.  Migration accounted for -2.8%, while births and deaths accounted for -0.1%.<ref name=SFSO>[http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/en/index/regionen/02/key.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office] accessed 5 August 2014</ref>
+Most of the population ({{as of|2000|lc=on}}) speaks [[German language|German]] (2,741 or 95.2%) as their first language, [[Albanian language|Albanian]] is the second most common (53 or 1.8%) and [[French language|French]] is the third (16 or 0.6%).  There are 3 people who speak [[Italian language|Italian]].<ref name=STAT2000/>
+{{as of|2008}}, the population was 50.6% male and 49.4% female.  The population was made up of 1,320 Swiss men (48.0% of the population) and 70 (2.5%) non-Swiss men.  There were 1,314 Swiss women (47.8%) and 45 (1.6%) non-Swiss women.<ref name=BE_Stat>[http://www.fin.be.ch/de/index/finanzen/finanzen/publikationen/wohnbevoelkerung.html Statistical office of the Canton of Bern] {{de icon}} accessed 4 January 2012</ref>  Of the population in the municipality, 1,213 or about 42.1% were born in Signau and lived there in 2000.  There were 1,151 or 40.0% who were born in the same canton, while 207 or 7.2% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 161 or 5.6% were born outside of Switzerland.<ref name=STAT2000/>
+{{as of|2012}}, children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 22.0% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 59.2% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18.9%.<ref name=SFSO/>
+{{as of|2000}}, there were 1,272 people who were single and never married in the municipality.  There were 1,347 married individuals, 196 widows or widowers and 63 individuals who are divorced.<ref name=STAT2000>[http://www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch/Database/German_40%20-%20Eidgen%C3%B6ssische%20Volksz%C3%A4hlung/40.3%20-%202000/40.3%20-%202000.asp?lang=1&prod=40&secprod=3&openChild=true STAT-TAB Datenwürfel für Thema 40.3 - 2000]  {{de icon}} accessed 2 February 2011 </ref>
+{{as of|2010}}, there were 333 households that consist of only one person and 102 households with five or more people.<ref>[http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/01/04/blank/key/haushaltsgroesse.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Haushaltsgrösse] {{de icon}} accessed 8 May 2013</ref>  {{as of|2000|alt=In 2000}}, a total of 1,041 apartments (91.5% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 47 apartments (4.1%) were seasonally occupied and 50 apartments (4.4%) were empty.<ref name=Housing>[http://www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch/Database/German_09%20-%20Bau-%20und%20Wohnungswesen/09.2%20-%20Geb%C3%A4ude%20und%20Wohnungen/09.2%20-%20Geb%C3%A4ude%20und%20Wohnungen.asp?lang=1&prod=09&secprod=2&openChild=true Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB - Datenwürfel für Thema 09.2 - Gebäude und Wohnungen] {{de icon}} accessed 28 January 2011</ref>  {{as of|2012}}, the construction rate of new housing units was 1.1 new units per 1000 residents.<ref name=SFSO/>  The vacancy rate for the municipality, {{as of|2013|alt=in 2013}}, was 2.8%.  In 2012, single family homes made up 29.0% of the total housing in the municipality.<ref>[http://www.atlas.bfs.admin.ch Statistischer Atlas der Schweiz - Anteil Einfamilienhäuser am gesamten Gebäudebestand, 2012] accessed 5 August 2014</ref>
+The historical population is given in the following chart:<ref name=HDS>{{HDS|517|Signau}}</ref><ref>[http://www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch/Database/German_40%20-%20Eidgen%C3%B6ssische%20Volksz%C3%A4hlung/40.4%20-%201850-2000/40.4%20-%201850-2000.asp?lang=1&prod=40&secprod=4&openChild=true Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB Bevölkerungsentwicklung nach Region, 1850-2000] {{de icon}} accessed 29 January 2011</ref><ref>[http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/news/04/01.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Ständige Wohnbevölkerung in Privathaushalten nach Gemeinde und Haushaltsgrösse] {{de icon}} accessed 12 August 2013</ref>
+<timeline>
+Colors=
+  id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9)
+  id:darkgrey  value:gray(0.8)
+ImageSize  = width: auto height:200 barincrement:45
+PlotArea   = top:20 left:40 bottom:20 right:35
+AlignBars  = justify
+DateFormat = x.y
+Period     = from:0 till:3000
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+ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:120 start:0
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+  color:yellowgreen width: 35   mark:(line,white) align:center
+  bar:1764 from:start till:1325 text:"1,325"
+  bar:1850 from:start till:2750 text:"2,750"
+  bar:1860 from:start till:2851 text:"2,851"
+  bar:1870 from:start till:2979 text:"2,979"
+  bar:1880 from:start till:2892 text:"2,892"
+  bar:1888 from:start till:2844 text:"2,844"
+  bar:1900 from:start till:2862 text:"2,862"
+  bar:1910 from:start till:2749 text:"2,749"
+  bar:1920 from:start till:2752 text:"2,752"
+  bar:1930 from:start till:2650 text:"2,650"
+  bar:1941 from:start till:2644 text:"2,644"
+  bar:1950 from:start till:2708 text:"2,708"
+  bar:1960 from:start till:2555 text:"2,555"
+  bar:1970 from:start till:2642 text:"2,642"
+  bar:1980 from:start till:2606 text:"2,606"
+  bar:1990 from:start till:2676 text:"2,676"
+  bar:2000 from:start till:2878 text:"2,878"
+  bar:2010 from:start till:2699 text:"2,699"
+</timeline>
+==Economy==
+{{as of|2011|In 2011}}, Signau had an unemployment rate of 1.47%.  {{as of|2011}}, there were a total of 1,042 people employed in the municipality.  Of these, there were 325 people employed in the [[Primary sector of the economy|primary economic sector]] and about 116 businesses involved in this sector.  336 people were employed in the [[Secondary sector of the economy|secondary sector]] and there were 48 businesses in this sector.  381 people were employed in the [[Tertiary sector of the economy|tertiary sector]], with 95 businesses in this sector.<ref name=SFSO/>  There were 1,482 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 41.2% of the workforce.
+{{as of|2008|alt=In 2008}} there were a total of 739 [[full-time equivalent]] jobs.  The number of jobs in the primary sector was 208, all of which were in agriculture.  The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 306 of which 209 or (68.3%) were in manufacturing, 6 or (2.0%) were in mining and 89 (29.1%) were in construction.  The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 225.  In the tertiary sector; 62 or 27.6% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 18 or 8.0% were in the movement and storage of goods, 30 or 13.3% were in a hotel or restaurant, 6 or 2.7% were in the information industry, 12 or 5.3% were the insurance or financial industry, 17 or 7.6% were technical professionals or scientists, 38 or 16.9% were in education and 13 or 5.8% were in health care.<ref>[http://www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch/Database/German_06%20-%20Industrie%20und%20Dienstleistungen/06.2%20-%20Unternehmen/06.2%20-%20Unternehmen.asp?lang=1&prod=06&secprod=2&openChild=true Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB Betriebszählung: Arbeitsstätten nach Gemeinde und NOGA 2008 (Abschnitte), Sektoren 1-3] {{de icon}} accessed 28 January 2011</ref>
+{{as of|2000|alt=In 2000}}, there were 340 workers who commuted into the municipality and 907 workers who commuted away.  The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 2.7 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering.  A total of 575 workers (62.8% of the 915 total workers in the municipality) both lived and worked in Signau.<ref name=commuter>[http://www.media-stat.admin.ch/stat/pendler/pop.php Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Statweb] {{de icon}} accessed 24 June 2010</ref>  Of the working population, 14.8% used public transportation to get to work, and 50.5% used a private car.<ref name=SFSO/>
+The local and cantonal tax rate in Signau is one of the lowest in the canton.  In 2012 the average local and cantonal tax rate on a married resident, with two children, of Signau making 150,000 [[CHF]] was 12.3%, while an unmarried resident's rate was 18.5%.<ref> [http://www.atlas.bfs.admin.ch Statistischer Atlas der Schweiz - Steuerbelastung, 2012 Politische Gemeinden] {{de icon}} accessed 4 August 2014</ref>  For comparison, the average rate for the entire canton in 2011, was 14.2% and 22.0%, while the nationwide average was 12.3% and 21.1% respectively.<ref>[http://www.estv2.admin.ch/d/dokumentation/zahlen_fakten/karten/sb-2011_rangliste/index-d.htm Swiss Federal Tax Administration - Grafische Darstellung der Steuerbelastung 2011 in den Kantonen] {{de icon}} {{fr icon}} accessed 17 June 2013</ref>
+In 2010 there were a total of 1,161 tax payers in the municipality.  Of that total, 268 made over 75,000 CHF per year.  There were 12 people who made between 15,000 and 20,000 per year.  The greatest number of workers, 332, made between 50,000 and 75,000 CHF per year.  The average income of the over 75,000 CHF group in Signau was 103,562 CHF, while the average across all of Switzerland was 131,244 CHF.<ref>[http://www.estv.admin.ch/dokumentation/00075/00076/00701/01362/index.html?lang=de Federal Tax Administration Report Direkte Bundessteuer - Natürliche Personen - Gemeinden - Steuerjahr 2010] {{de icon}} {{fr icon}} accessed 5 August 2014</ref>
+In 2011 a total of 1.5% of the population received direct financial assistance from the government.<ref>[http://www.atlas.bfs.admin.ch Statistischer Atlas der Schweiz - Bezüger/-innen von Sozialhilfeleistungen (Sozialhilfeempfänger/-innen), 2011] accessed 18 June 2013</ref>
+==Sights==
+The entire village of Signau is designated as part of the [[Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bevoelkerungsschutz.admin.ch/internet/bs/de/home/themen/kgs/kgs_inventar/a-objekte.html|title=Kantonsliste A-Objekte|year=2009|work=[http://www.bevoelkerungsschutz.admin.ch/internet/bs/de/home/themen/kgs/kgs_inventar.html KGS Inventar]|publisher=Federal Office of Civil Protection|language=German|accessdate=25 April 2011}}</ref>
+==Politics==
+In the 2011 [[Swiss federal election, 2011|federal election]] the most popular party was the [[Swiss People's Party|Swiss People's Party (SVP)]] which received 44.7% of the vote.  The next three most popular parties were the [[Conservative Democratic Party of Switzerland|Conservative Democratic Party (BDP)]] (18.2%), the [[Social Democratic Party of Switzerland|Social Democratic Party (SP)]] (11.2%) and the [[Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland|Evangelical People's Party (EVP)]] (6.1%).  In the federal election, a total of 1,048 votes were cast, and the [[voter turnout]] was 48.3%.<ref name=election_2011>[http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/17/02/blank/data/05/03.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office 2011 Election] {{de icon}} accessed 8 May 2012</ref>
+==Religion==
+[[File:Signau Kirche.jpg|thumb|Signau village church]]
+From the {{as of|2000|alt=2000 census}}, 2,226 or 77.3% belonged to the [[Swiss Reformed Church]], while 110 or 3.8% were [[Roman Catholic]].  Of the rest of the population, there were 21 [[Orthodox Christianity|members of an Orthodox church]] (or about 0.73% of the population), and there were 206 individuals (or about 7.16% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church.  There were 85 (or about 2.95% of the population) who were [[Muslim]].  There was 1 person who was [[Buddhism|Buddhist]], 11 individuals who were [[Hinduism|Hindu]] and 7 individuals who belonged to another church.  90 (or about 3.13% of the population) belonged to no church, are [[Agnosticism|agnostic]] or [[Atheism|atheist]], and 121 individuals (or about 4.20% of the population) did not answer the question.<ref name=STAT2000/>
+==Education==
+In Signau about 56.7% of the population have completed non-mandatory [[Education in Switzerland#Secondary|upper secondary education]], and 13.8% have completed additional higher education (either [[List of universities in Switzerland|university]] or a ''[[Fachhochschule]]'').<ref name=SFSO/>  Of the 231 who had completed some form of tertiary schooling listed in the census, 72.7% were Swiss men, 22.1% were Swiss women, 3.9% were non-Swiss men.<ref name=STAT2000/>
+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 the lower Secondary students may attend additional schooling or they may enter an [[apprenticeship]].<ref>{{Cite report |title=Kantonale Schulstrukturen in der Schweiz und im Fürstentum Liechtenstein / Structures Scolaires Cantonales en Suisse et Dans la Principauté du Liechtenstein |url= http://edudoc.ch/record/35128/files/Schulsystem_alle.pdf |author= EDK/CDIP/IDES |year= 2010 |accessdate= 24 June 2010 }}</ref>
+During the 2012-13 school year, there were a total of 393 students attending classes in Signau.  There were a total of 59 students in the German language kindergarten classes in the municipality.  Of the kindergarten students, 6.8% were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 8.5% have a different mother language than the classroom language.  The municipality's primary school had 160 students in German language classes.  Of the primary students, 6.3% were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 10.6% have a different mother language than the classroom language.  During the same year, the lower secondary school had a total of 174 students.  There were 0.6% who were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 4.0% have a different mother language than the classroom language.<ref name=School>[http://www.erz.be.ch/erz/de/index/direktion/organisation/generalsekretariat/statistik/schul-_und_gemeindetabellen.html Datei der Gemeinde- und Schultabellen]{{de icon}} accessed 23 July 2014</ref>
-In the 2007 election the most popular party was the [[Swiss People's Party|SVP]] which received 50.1% of the vote.  The next three most popular parties were the [[Social Democratic Party of Switzerland|SPS]] (13.3%), the [[Free Democratic Party of Switzerland|FDP]] (9.1%) and the [[Christian Social Party (Switzerland)|CSP]] (8.7%).
+{{as of|2000|In 2000}}, there were a total of 398 students attending any school in the municipality.  Of those, 300 both lived and attended school in the municipality, while 98 students came from another municipality.  During the same year, 103 residents attended schools outside the municipality.<ref name=commuter/>
-The age distribution of the population ({{as of|2000|lc=on}}) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 27% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 58.7% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 14.3%.  In Signau about 70.5% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory [[Education in Switzerland#Secondary|upper secondary education]] or additional higher education (either university or a ''[[Fachhochschule]]'').
-Signau has an unemployment rate of 0.62%.  {{as of|2005}}, there were 371 people employed in the [[Primary sector of the economy|primary economic sector]] and about 127 businesses involved in this sector.  291 people are employed in the [[Secondary sector of the economy|secondary sector]] and there are 40 businesses in this sector.  332 people are employed in the [[Tertiary sector of the economy|tertiary sector]], with 60 businesses in this sector.<ref name=SFSO>[http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/en/index/regionen/02/key.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office] accessed 15-Jul-2009</ref>
+Signau is home to the ''Bibliothek Signau'' library.  The library has ({{as of|2008|lc=on}}) 10,068 books or other media, and loaned out 26,221 items in the same year.  It was open a total of 165 days with average of 9 hours per week during that year.<ref>[http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/16/02/02/data.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office, list of libraries] {{de icon}} accessed 14 May 2010</ref>
 ==References==
 {{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
+{{commonscat}}
 {{Municipalities of the administrative district of Emmental}}