Coligny, Ain

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Coordinates: 46°22′59″N 5°20′46″E / 46.3830555556, 5.34611111111

Commune of Coligny
Location
Coligny, Ain (France)
Coligny, Ain
Administration
Country France
Region Rhône-Alpes
Department Ain
Arrondissement Bourg-en-Bresse
Canton Coligny
Intercommunality Coligny
Mayor Jean Bernadac
(2001-2008)
Statistics
Elevation 293 m (avg.)
Land area¹ 16.87 km²
Population²
(1999)		 1,114
 - Density 66.0/km² (1999)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code 01108/ 01270
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once.
France

Coligny is a commune in the department of Ain in eastern France.

[edit] Celtic background

Coligny is famed for its Celtic lunisolar calendar, the "Coligny calendar". The calendar, which dates from the 2nd century, has been key in the understanding of the knowledge of astronomy among the Gauls, and also supplied interesting iformation about their language (e.g., their names for months and the words for "lucky" and "unlucky"). It is written in the Latin alphabet and it represents a five-year cycle composed of three years having twelve lunar months and two years (the first and third) having thirteen lunar months.

At the end of the 19th century a bronze statue was discovered in the town and has been christened the Dieu de Coligny (God of Coligny).

[edit] Miscellaneous

Coligny was the birthplace of Joseph Darnand (1897-1945), a French pro-Nazi traitor and leader of the Vichy French Milice.

[edit] External links

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