Berlens

State :

Switzerland

Canton :

Freiburg (FR)

District :

Glane

Municipality :

Mézières (FR)

Postal code :

1680

former BFS no. :

XXXX

Coordinates :

562628 / 172204 coordinates: 46 ° 42 '0 " N , 6 ° 57' 0" O ; CH1903: 562628 / 172204

Height :

810 m above sea level M.

Residents:

266 (2002)

map

Parish before the merger on January 1, 2004

Berlens ( Freiburger Patois Bèrlin ^?^/^I ) is a town and formerly an independent political municipality in the Glane district of the canton of Friborg in Switzerland . The former German name Berlingen is no longer used today. On January 1, 2004, Berlens was incorporated into Mézières .

geography

Berlens is 810 m above sea level. M. , three kilometers east of the district capital Romont (linear distance ). The village extends in a promising location on the northern roof of the ridge between the valleys of the Glâne in the west and the Neirigue in the east, in the Molasse hills of the Freiburg Central Plateau . The former community area was around 3.0 km². The area included the northern flank of the ridge, which is 851 m above sea level on Les Brévires . M. reached, and extended to the northeast into the lowlands of the Glâne and the stream of the Neirigue.

population

With 266 inhabitants (2002), Berlens was one of the small communities in the canton of Friborg before the merger. Especially since 1980 (125 inhabitants) the population has increased significantly. Several farm estates and individual farms belong to Berlens.

economy

Until the second half of the 20th century, Berlens was predominantly an agricultural village. Even today, dairy farming , animal husbandry and, to a lesser extent, arable farming play an important role in the income structure of the population. Some other jobs are available in local small businesses and in the service sector. In the last few decades the village has also developed into a residential community thanks to its attractive location. Many workers are therefore commuters who work mainly in the Romont and Freiburg regions.

traffic

The village is located off the main thoroughfares, but is easy to reach from Romont . The Postbus course that runs from Romont to Bulle connects Berlens to the public transport network.

history

Notre-Dame-de-l'Epine old church

The place was first mentioned in a document in 1176 under its current name. The spellings Bellens (1285) and Berlin (1577) also appeared later . The place name is derived from the Burgundian personal name Berila (diminutive of Bero ) and means with the suffix -ens as much as with the people of Berila .

Since the Middle Ages , Berlens has formed its own small lordship, whose castle was besieged by the Bernese in 1388. The Hauterive monastery also owned land in the municipality. When the Bernese conquered Vaud in 1536, Berlens came under the rule of Freiburg and was assigned to the Bailiwick of Romont. After the collapse of the Ancien Régime (1798), the village belonged to the Romont district during the Helvetic and the following period and was incorporated into the Glâne district in 1848. With effect from January 1, 2004, Berlens was incorporated into Mézières .

Attractions

The Church of Notre-Dame, which dates back to the 12th century in its core, became the famous pilgrimage site of Notre-Dame-de-l'Epine (Our Lady of the Thorn) in the 17th century. After a fire in 1661 the church was rebuilt. The new village church next to it was consecrated in 1963.

Web links

Marianne Rolle: Berlens. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .