Mézières FR

FR is the abbreviation for the canton of Friborg in Switzerland and is used to avoid confusion with other entries of the name Mézières .

Mezieres
State :	Switzerland
Canton :	Freiburg (FR)
District :	Glane
BFS no. :	2087
Postal code :	1684
Coordinates :	560743  /  169 777 coordinates: 46 ° 40 '41 "  N , 6 ° 55' 32"  O ; CH1903:  560743  /  one hundred and sixty-nine thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven
Height :	760  m above sea level M.
Height range :	689–853 m above sea level M.
Area :	8.93  km²
Residents:	1045 (December 31, 2018)
Population density :	117 inhabitants per km²
Website:	www.mezieres-fr.ch
View of Mézères as seen from Villaz-Saint-Pierre
Location of the municipality

Mézières ( Friborg Patois Méjire ^{? / I} ) is a municipality in the Glane district in the canton of Friborg in Switzerland . Since January 1, 2004, the previously independent municipality of Berlens has also belonged to Mézières.

geography

Mézières lies at 760  m above sea level. M. , two kilometers south-southeast of the district capital Romont (air line). The farming village extends from a promising location on the western slope of the ridge between the Glâne and the Neirigue , above the plain of the Glâne south of Romont, in the higher Freiburg Central Plateau .

The 9.2 km² municipal area covers a section of the Molasse hill country in the Freiburg Central Plateau . In the west, the up to 1 km wide valley plain on the upper reaches of the Glâne belongs to Mézières. From here, the municipality extends eastward over the slope of Mézières on the wide ridges between the valleys of Glâne and Neirigue. This ridge is partially wooded in the ridge area and reaches Les Brévires at 851  m above sea level. M. the highest point of Mézières, south of it is the Champ Montanney ( 840  m above sea level ), north of the height La Croix ( 841  m above sea level ). To the northeast, the municipality extends over the height of Berlens to the course of the Neirigue and the Flur Fin du Muay . In 1997, 6% of the municipal area was accounted for by settlements, 13% for forests and woodlands and 81% for agriculture.

Mézières includes the village of Berlens ( 810  m above sea level ) on the northern roof of the ridge as well as some farm settlements and individual farms. Neighboring municipalities of Mézières are Romont , Villaz , Massonnens , Vuisternens-devant-Romont and Siviriez .

population

With 1045 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2018), Mézières is one of the smaller municipalities in the canton of Friborg. 94.8% of the residents are French-speaking, 1.9% Portuguese-speaking and 1.5% speak German (as of 2000). The population of Mézières was 453 in 1850, and 577 in 1900 (including Berlens). In the course of the 20th century the population fluctuated between 550 and 620 people. Only since 1980 (586 inhabitants) has there been significant population growth.

economy

Mézières was a predominantly agricultural village until the second half of the 20th century . Today who have dairy industry , the livestock and agriculture an important role in the employment structure of the population. Further jobs are available in local small businesses (including a sawmill) 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 community is very well developed in terms of traffic. It is on the main road from Romont to Bulle . On July 1, 1868, the railway line from Romont to Bulle was put into operation; the Mézières stop has now been closed. Mézières is connected to the public transport network by the Transports publics fribourgeois bus routes , which run from Romont to Palézieux-Gare or from Romont to Bulle.

history

The municipality of Mézières was settled very early, which can be proven by the remains of a Roman manor. The first written mention of the place took place in 1161 under the name Maseres . Later, the names de Maseriis (1179), Masieres (still in the 12th century), Maiseres (1228), Masseres , Maissiere (1251) and Mexieres (1453) appeared. The place name goes back to the Latin word maceriae , from which the old French maisière developed. Both words mean wall , especially ruined walls , and therefore denote the ruins of a building.

Old coat of arms of Mézières

Since the end of the 14th century, Mézières formed its own rule, but it was dependent on the Romont Castle and was under the suzerainty of the House of Savoy . After numerous changes of ownership, the estate came into the possession of the Diesbach von Freiburg family in 1756 . Berlens was also a small rule of its own.

When the Bernese conquered Vaud in 1536, the villages came under the rule of Friborg and were assigned to the Bailiwick of Romont. After the collapse of the Ancien Régime (1798), Mézières and Berlens belonged to the Romont district during the Helvetic and subsequent periods and were incorporated into the Glâne district in 1848. With effect from January 1, 2004, Berlens was incorporated into Mézières. With this merger, the new community received a new coat of arms.

Attractions

See also : List of cultural assets in Mézières FR

Château de Mezieres

The parish of Mézières is mentioned as early as 1228. The current Roman Catholic parish church of Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens was built between 1937 and 1939. Next to the church is the castle, whose origins go back to the 12th century. After it came into the possession of the Diesbach family, it was completely redesigned in the second half of the 18th century. The rectangular building has a polygonal stair tower and the arms of the Diesbach family above the portal; the interiors are decorated with various valuable wallpapers from the 18th century. The castle has housed the Musée du Papier Peint since October 2007 .

Web links

Commons : Mézières, Friborg  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website of the municipality of Mézières (French)
• Aerial views of the village
• Evelyne Maradan: Mézières FR. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
• Marianne Rolle: Berlens. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Permanent and non-permanent resident population by year, canton, district, municipality, population type and gender (permanent resident population). In: bfs. admin.ch . Federal Statistical Office (FSO), August 31, 2019, accessed on December 22, 2019 .