Saignelégier

Geschichte

Saignelégier is a municipality in the canton of Jura in Switzerland. It is the seat of the district of Franches-Montagnes. On 1 January 2009, the formerly independent municipalities of Goumois and Les Pommerats merged into Saignelégier.The bog and nature preserve around étang de la Gruère is located in the municipality. It is also the home of noted brewery Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes.HistorySaignelégier is first mentioned in 1294 as Saignelegier. The municipality was formerly known by its German name Sankt Leodegar, however, that name is no longer used.During the Middle Ages the village of Saignelégier was part of the diocese of Basel. During the 15th century, Saignelégier began to grow into an important regional town. A chapel was built and a yearly market started in 1428. Around the same time, the pastor of Montfaucon, the head of the main parish of the Franches-Montagnes region, moved to Saignelégier. In 1629 it became an independent parish.In 1691, it became the seat of the Bishop's bailiff over the surrounding area. The bailiff's castle was built around the end of the 17th century. After the French invasion (1793–1813), Saignelégier was the capital of the canton in the Département of Mont-Terrible and then in the Département of Haut-Rhin. Following the collapse of Napoleonic France, in 1815 it became part of the Canton of Bern, where it remained until the founding of the Canton of Jura in 1978.