Arconciel
Origin of the name Arconciel
The name appears in 1082 in the phrase « castrum Arconciacum », which already refers to the castle. In German the place was once called « Ergenzach ». The meaning of the name is unexplained.[1]
Founding of Arconciel
The first Arconciel was a castle town built on the right bank of the Sarine. In 1082 Emperor Henry IV entrusted the castle and its estate to Cono of Oltingen, brother of Bishop Burchard of Lausanne. Cono built the fortress of Illens opposite, so that the river crossing was held from both banks. The lordship of Arconciel-Illens then passed to the knight Ulrich, of the Glâne family, and later to the counts of Neuchâtel and their Aarberg branch. The present village grew up on a terrace above the medieval town. It lives from livestock, cheese making and gravel pits. Arconciel is now part of the municipality of Bois-d'Amont (merger of 2021).[1][2]
History of Arconciel
7200-4850 BC. Groups of hunter-gatherer-fishers follow one another in the La Souche rock shelter, in a bend of the Sarine. They leave tools, knapping waste and more than half a million bone remains.[1][5]
Late Bronze Age. A Rixheim-type sword from the beginning of this period was found in the area.[1]
1st-4th century. A Roman villa stands at Es Nés, and a cemetery develops at Pré de l'Arche.[1]
550-670. Early medieval inhabitants bury their dead on a knoll at Es Nés, north of the villa. The 2002 excavations uncovered 164 graves there.[1][3]
1082. Emperor Henry IV hands the « castrum Arconciacum » and its estate to Cono of Oltingen.[1][2]
1148. A parish priest is recorded. The church of Saint-Jacques dates back to the 12th century.[1]
1251. Ulrich of Aarberg recognises the overlordship of Peter II of Savoy over the town and its fief.[2]
1271. The town receives a charter of liberties modelled on the Handfeste of Fribourg.[1][2]
1292. The lordship is sold to a burgher of Fribourg, which halts the town's growth.[2]
1377. The castle and the houses of the town are in ruins.[2]
Mid-15th century. Already decaying, the town is abandoned. Its dressed stones go into country churches and buildings in the city of Fribourg.[6]
1475. During the Burgundian Wars, Bern and Fribourg storm the estate of Illens-Arconciel, which until then had formed a single lordship.[2]
1484. Arconciel is attached to the Old Lands of Fribourg (or already in 1475).[1][2]
1558. After a fire the church is rebuilt.[1]
1784-1789. A further rebuilding gives the church of Saint-Jacques its present form.[1]
1798-1848. The municipality belongs to the district of La Roche, then to that of Fribourg from 1803.[1]
1835. The Tuffière bridge spans the Sarine.[1]
1975. A zoning plan opens the way to residential growth.[1]
2020. On 9 February Arconciel approves the merger by 317 votes to 52.[7]
2021. On 1 January Arconciel, Ependes and Senèdes form the municipality of Bois-d'Amont.[1][7]
Population of Arconciel
Sources and references: [1]
| 1811 | 259 |
| 1850 | 285 |
| 1900 | 392 |
| 1950 | 378 |
| 1970 | 326 |
| 2000 | 656 |
| 2010 | 771 |
| 2020 | 1'044 |
Historic sites in Arconciel
Ruins of the town and castle. On the molasse spur you can still see the troughs cut into the rock that carried the houses, three standing sections of building and fragments of masonry. The Arconciacum association looks after their conservation.[1][6]
Church of Saint-Jacques. Founded in the 12th century, rebuilt in 1558 after a fire, it was reconstructed from 1784 to 1789.[1]
Tuffière bridge. Built in 1835 over the Sarine.[1]
Bois-d'Amont administration. The seat of the merged municipality is in Arconciel, place de l'Arche 1.[8][9]
Remains in Arconciel
La Souche rock shelter. Used between 7200 and 4850 BC by the last hunter-gatherer-fishers of the region, it has yielded tools and more than half a million bone remains, studied in the Cahiers d'Archéologie fribourgeoise.[1][5]
Es Nés villa and Pré de l'Arche cemetery. A Roman villa stood at Es Nés. The Pré de l'Arche cemetery was used from the 1st to the 4th century.[1]
Es Nés cemetery. Excavated in 2002, it covers more than 1'000 m² and holds 164 graves dated between 550 and 670. About a quarter contained objects, among them the grave of an 8-year-old child with a belt set, a knife and a seax.[1][3]
Town forge. The 2024 excavations uncovered a forge in the middle of the town, with pottery, iron arrowheads and pieces of chain mail.[4]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Arconciel (commune) » (Marianne Rolle, version du 10.06.2021)
- Association Arconciacum, « Histoire » du bourg castral d'Arconciel
- Association Arconciacum, « Médiéval » (bourg castral et cimetière d'Es Nés)
- Association Arconciacum, page d'accueil (fouilles de 2024)
- Service archéologique de l'État de Fribourg, « Cahiers d'Archéologie fribourgeoise 22/2020 » (Arconciel/La Souche)
- Fribourg Région, « Arconciacum » (bourg médiéval d'Arconciel)
- Conseil d'État du canton de Fribourg, message 2019-DIAF-37 accompagnant le projet de décret relatif à la fusion des communes d'Arconciel, Ependes et Senèdes (10.03.2020)
- Convention de fusion des communes d'Arconciel, Ependes et Senèdes (commune de Bois-d'Amont)
- Commune de Bois-d'Amont, page d'accueil
Other villages near Arconciel
Missing information, or do you have a source? Suggest a correction or addition. Every submission is checked before it's published.
Suggest a change