Alterswil
Origin of the name Alterswil
Alterswil appears in 1148 as «Alterihcwilere» and in 1228 as «Vilar Altri». The name is thought to mean the farm of a man called Alther or Altarich.[1][2][3]
Founding of Alterswil
Alterswil is a street village surrounded by about ten hamlets, among them Heimberg, Wengliswil and Zitterli, 10 km east of Fribourg. It is thought to be an Alemannic foundation of the 8th and 9th centuries, not a Roman one as was once believed. In the 12th century the Cluniac priory of Rüeggisberg held property and rights here, while the lordship belonged to the knights of Maggenberg and, after they died out, to the Fribourg family Velga. The village formed the Juchschrot of the great parish of Tafers, in the Old Territories of Fribourg. Alterswil is now part of the municipality of Tafers (merger of 1 January 2021).[1][3]
History of Alterswil
Bronze Age. The oldest finds in the area date from this period.[1]
1148. By this date at the latest, the priory of Rüeggisberg holds property and rights in Alterswil. The chapel of St Nicholas is probably older.[1]
12th century. The knights of Maggenberg hold the lordship, and the counts of Thierstein also have possessions.[1]
1228. A priory dependent on Rüeggisberg is mentioned.[1]
Late 13th century. Ober-Maggenberg castle is built.[1]
1386. Bernese troops set the village on fire.[1]
1442. The counts of Thierstein sell their fiefs to the town of Fribourg.[1]
1445. Alterswil belongs to the parish of Tafers and to the Aupanner of the Old Territories.[1]
1486. On 30 March the chapter of St Vincent in Bern, which had absorbed Rüeggisberg in 1484, sells its rights in Alterswil to Fribourg.[1]
1726. A chaplaincy is founded.[2][3]
18th century. Straw plaiting becomes an important trade, above all in the first half of the century.[1]
1832. The Juchschrot becomes the political municipality of Alterswil.[1][3]
19th century. The village has up to four mills and three sawmills.[1]
1848. A Protestant school opens. It runs until 1977.[1]
1894. The chaplaincy, made a rectory separate from Tafers in 1885, becomes a parish.[1][3]
1990. 67 % of the working population work outside the municipality, after a sharp decline in farming.[1]
1999. The Protestants of Alterswil join the Protestant parish of St. Antoni.[2][3]
2016. In December the council decides to take part in the merger study of Tafers and St. Antoni.[4]
2019. On 19 May Alterswil accepts the merger agreement by 574 votes to 439.[4]
2021. On 1 January Alterswil becomes a village of the municipality of Tafers.[1][4]
Population of Alterswil
Sources and references: [1]
| 1831 | 973 |
| 1850 | 1'002 |
| 1900 | 1'365 |
| 1950 | 1'613 |
| 1970 | 1'532 |
| 2000 | 1'881 |
| 2010 | 1'929 |
| 2020 | 2'045 |
Remains in Alterswil
Heimberg villa. Remains of a Roman villa have been found at Heimberg.[1]
Ober-Maggenberg. Of the castle built towards the end of the 13th century, remains of the keep survive.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Alterswil » (Jean-François Steiert, version du 10.06.2021)
- Commune de Tafers, « Geschichte der Gemeinde und der Ortsteile »
- Commune de Tafers, « Geschichte der Gemeinde und der Ortsteile » (brochure PDF)
- Conseil d'État du canton de Fribourg, message 2019-DIAF-5 accompagnant le projet de décret relatif à la fusion des communes d'Alterswil, de St. Antoni et de Tafers (12.11.2019)
Other villages near Alterswil
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