Martigny-Combe
Encyclopedia
Martigny-Combe is a municipality
in the district of Martigny in the canton
of Valais
in Switzerland
.
The municipality is located in the Martigny district. The western boundary of the municipality is the Trient river and the eastern is the Dranse. It climbs from the Rhone
valley up to an elevation of 2700 m (8,858.3 ft). It lies at the intersection of two major, international transportation routes, the Great St. Bernard Pass
into Italy
and the Col de la Forclaz
into France
. It consists of the main village of La Croix along with the villages of Le Brocard, Le Borgeaud, Les Rappes, Le Fays and Ravoireand and the hamlets
of Plan-Cerisier, Le Perrey and La Crettaz.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Gules, a Lion rampant Argent holding a Mallet Or.
Most of the population speaks French
(1,625 or 93.9%) as their first language, German
is the second most common (34 or 2.0%) and Italian
is the third (25 or 1.4%). There is 1 person who speaks Romansh.
, the gender distribution of the population was 52.3% male and 47.7% female. The population was made up of 950 Swiss men (45.4% of the population) and 144 (6.9%) non-Swiss men. There were 907 Swiss women (43.4%) and 91 (4.3%) non-Swiss women.
Of the population in the municipality, 596 or about 34.4% were born in Martigny-Combe and lived there in 2000. There were 652 or 37.7% who were born in the same canton, while 244 or 14.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 198 or 11.4% were born outside of Switzerland.
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 23.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61.4% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 14.8%.
, there were 698 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 856 married individuals, 93 widows or widowers and 84 individuals who are divorced.
, there were 753 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.2 persons per household. There were 285 households that consist of only one person and 46 households with five or more people. , a total of 691 apartments (59.4% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 392 apartments (33.7%) were seasonally occupied and 81 apartments (7.0%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 3.8 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
the most popular party was the CVP
which received 39.65% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(20.43%), the SVP
(14.87%) and the SP
(14.78%). In the federal election, a total of 893 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 61.0%.
In the 2009 Conseil d'Etat/Staatsrat
election a total of 729 votes were cast, of which 49 or about 6.7% were invalid. The voter participation was 49.9%, which is similar to the cantonal average of 54.67%. In the 2007 Swiss Council of States election
election a total of 877 votes were cast, of which 62 or about 7.1% were invalid. The voter participation was 61.4%, which is similar to the cantonal average of 59.88%.
the total number of full-time equivalent
jobs was 289. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 49, of which 47 were in agriculture and 2 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 40 of which 9 or (22.5%) were in manufacturing and 29 (72.5%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 200. In the tertiary sector; 59 or 29.5% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 3 or 1.5% were in the movement and storage of goods, 62 or 31.0% were in a hotel or restaurant, 3 or 1.5% were in the information industry, 33 or 16.5% were technical professionals or scientists, 15 or 7.5% were in education and 6 or 3.0% were in health care.
, there were 80 workers who commuted into the municipality and 660 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 8.3 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 10.7% used public transportation to get to work, and 74.8% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there were 5 members of an Orthodox church
(or about 0.29% of the population), and there were 27 individuals (or about 1.56% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 4 (or about 0.23% of the population) who were Islam
ic. There were 2 individuals who belonged to another church. 125 (or about 7.22% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 50 individuals (or about 2.89% of the population) did not answer the question.
). Of the 205 who completed tertiary schooling, 54.1% were Swiss men, 30.7% were Swiss women, 8.8% were non-Swiss men and 6.3% were non-Swiss women.
, there was one student in Martigny-Combe who came from another municipality, while 155 residents attended schools outside the municipality.
Martigny-Combe is home to the Bibliothèque communale et scolaire de Martigny-Combe library. The library has 8,064 books or other media, and loaned out 9,878 items in the same year. It was open a total of 127 days with average of 12 hours per week during that year.
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the district of Martigny in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Valais
Valais
The Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps. The canton is one of the drier parts of Switzerland in its central Rhône valley...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
History
Martigny-Combe is first mentioned in 1841 as La Combe. In 1844 it was first mentioned as Martigny-Combe.Geography
Martigny-Combe has an area, , of 37.7 square kilometre. Of this area, 15.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 63.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 3.2% is settled (buildings or roads) and 17.9% is unproductive land.The municipality is located in the Martigny district. The western boundary of the municipality is the Trient river and the eastern is the Dranse. It climbs from the Rhone
Rhône
Rhone can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
valley up to an elevation of 2700 m (8,858.3 ft). It lies at the intersection of two major, international transportation routes, the Great St. Bernard Pass
Great St. Bernard Pass
Great St. Bernard Pass is the third highest road pass in Switzerland. It connects Martigny in the Canton of Valais in Switzerland to Aosta in Italy. It is the lowest pass lying on the ridge between the two highest summits of the Alps, Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa...
into Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and the Col de la Forclaz
Col de la Forclaz
Col de la Forclaz is a mountain pass in the Alps in the Canton of Valais in Switzerland. It connects Martigny at and Le Châtelard . The road from Martigny to the Col has an average gradient of 6% but in parts is more like 8%...
into France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It consists of the main village of La Croix along with the villages of Le Brocard, Le Borgeaud, Les Rappes, Le Fays and Ravoireand and the hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Plan-Cerisier, Le Perrey and La Crettaz.
Coat of arms
The blazonBlazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
of the municipal coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is Gules, a Lion rampant Argent holding a Mallet Or.
Demographics
Martigny-Combe has a population of . , 11.4% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (2000–2010 ) the population has changed at a rate of 30.1%. It has changed at a rate of 20.4% due to migration and at a rate of 1.6% due to births and deaths.Most of the population speaks French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
(1,625 or 93.9%) as their first language, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
is the second most common (34 or 2.0%) and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
is the third (25 or 1.4%). There is 1 person who speaks Romansh.
, the gender distribution of the population was 52.3% male and 47.7% female. The population was made up of 950 Swiss men (45.4% of the population) and 144 (6.9%) non-Swiss men. There were 907 Swiss women (43.4%) and 91 (4.3%) non-Swiss women.
Of the population in the municipality, 596 or about 34.4% were born in Martigny-Combe and lived there in 2000. There were 652 or 37.7% who were born in the same canton, while 244 or 14.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 198 or 11.4% were born outside of Switzerland.
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 23.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61.4% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 14.8%.
, there were 698 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 856 married individuals, 93 widows or widowers and 84 individuals who are divorced.
, there were 753 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.2 persons per household. There were 285 households that consist of only one person and 46 households with five or more people. , a total of 691 apartments (59.4% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 392 apartments (33.7%) were seasonally occupied and 81 apartments (7.0%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 3.8 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Sights
The entire area of Plan Cerisier is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage SitesInventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
The Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage.-Sites of national importance:-Types:...
Politics
In the 2007 federal electionSwiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...
the most popular party was the CVP
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
which received 39.65% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....
(20.43%), the SVP
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
(14.87%) and the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(14.78%). In the federal election, a total of 893 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was 61.0%.
In the 2009 Conseil d'Etat/Staatsrat
Conseil d'Etat (Switzerland)
In Switzerland, Conseil d'Etat is the name of the council constituting the cantonal government of French-speaking cantons. It is not to be confused with the Conseil des États which is a chamber of the Swiss parliament....
election a total of 729 votes were cast, of which 49 or about 6.7% were invalid. The voter participation was 49.9%, which is similar to the cantonal average of 54.67%. In the 2007 Swiss Council of States election
Swiss Council of States election, 2007
Elections were held to the Council of States of Switzerland in October and November 2007 as part of the 2007 federal election. All 46 members of the Council of States were elected from all cantons of Switzerland. The first round was held on 21 October...
election a total of 877 votes were cast, of which 62 or about 7.1% were invalid. The voter participation was 61.4%, which is similar to the cantonal average of 59.88%.
Economy
, Martigny-Combe had an unemployment rate of 4.8%. , there were 93 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 27 businesses involved in this sector. 42 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 17 businesses in this sector. 236 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 41 businesses in this sector. There were 845 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 40.5% of the workforce.the total number of full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
jobs was 289. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 49, of which 47 were in agriculture and 2 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 40 of which 9 or (22.5%) were in manufacturing and 29 (72.5%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 200. In the tertiary sector; 59 or 29.5% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 3 or 1.5% were in the movement and storage of goods, 62 or 31.0% were in a hotel or restaurant, 3 or 1.5% were in the information industry, 33 or 16.5% were technical professionals or scientists, 15 or 7.5% were in education and 6 or 3.0% were in health care.
, there were 80 workers who commuted into the municipality and 660 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 8.3 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 10.7% used public transportation to get to work, and 74.8% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 1,410 or 81.5% were Roman Catholic, while 121 or 7.0% belonged to the Swiss Reformed ChurchSwiss Reformed Church
The Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zürich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel , Bern , St...
. Of the rest of the population, there were 5 members of an Orthodox church
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
(or about 0.29% of the population), and there were 27 individuals (or about 1.56% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 4 (or about 0.23% of the population) who were Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic. There were 2 individuals who belonged to another church. 125 (or about 7.22% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
or atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, and 50 individuals (or about 2.89% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Martigny-Combe about 653 or (37.7%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 205 or (11.8%) have completed additional higher education (either university or a FachhochschuleFachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
). Of the 205 who completed tertiary schooling, 54.1% were Swiss men, 30.7% were Swiss women, 8.8% were non-Swiss men and 6.3% were non-Swiss women.
, there was one student in Martigny-Combe who came from another municipality, while 155 residents attended schools outside the municipality.
Martigny-Combe is home to the Bibliothèque communale et scolaire de Martigny-Combe library. The library has 8,064 books or other media, and loaned out 9,878 items in the same year. It was open a total of 127 days with average of 12 hours per week during that year.