Attalens
Origin of the name Attalens
Attalens appears in 867 as « Haltningum », in a gift by King Lothair II.[1]
Founding of Attalens
The village has been occupied since the early Middle Ages: a Merovingian cemetery was laid out in the ruins of a villa. In the 11th century Attalens was an allodial estate of the abbey of Saint-Maurice, which granted it in 1068 to Eldegarde, wife of its advocate Othon de Blonay, and their son Vaucher. The lordship then passed to the Oron family, and its history is bound up with that of the nearby castle of Bossonnens. Attalens is also an old parish, which in 1453 joined seven communities. The municipality now includes the villages of Tatroz and Vuarat and the hamlets of Corcelles and Rombuet. Tatroz was among the lands acquired by Amédée d'Oron, lord of Bossonnens.[1][2][3][4][5]
History of Attalens
6th-8th centuries. A Merovingian cemetery is laid out in the ruins of a villa.[1]
867. King Lothair II gives away « Haltningum ». It is the first mention of the village.[1]
1068. On 19 July the abbey of Saint-Maurice grants Attalens and its church to Eldegarde, wife of Othon de Blonay, and their son Vaucher.[1][2][3]
1166 (or 1167). The parish is mentioned for the first time.[1][2]
Late 12th or early 13th century. Attalens castle is built.[1]
1306-1307. By his will of 21 December 1306 Amédée d'Oron installs his son Rodolphe at Attalens castle. At his death in 1307 the lordships of Attalens and Bossonnens are separated.[3][4]
1374-1375. Sold to the counts of Savoy after its branch died out, the lordship of Attalens is granted as a fief to Aymon de Bossonnens, and the two lordships are reunited.[3][4]
1453. On 4 October the old parish church, below the castle, is consecrated. The parish then has about 80 households in seven communities: Attalens, Bossonnens, Granges, Remaufens, Jongny, Maracon and La Rougève.[1][2]
1475-1476. In November 1475 a Fribourg contingent seizes the village and burns it. The Peace of Fribourg returns it to the duke of Savoy in 1476.[1]
1523-1531. Duke Charles III sells the castle to the chapter of Lausanne in 1523, then hands his right of repurchase to Charles de Challant, who becomes lord of Attalens in 1531.[1]
1536. In February, during the conquest of Vaud, the Fribourg forces occupy Attalens. Jongny, Maracon and La Rougève leave the parish.[1][2]
1556-1558. Fribourg buys Attalens back from the Challant, then sells it again two years later.[1]
1615-1618. Fribourg buys the lordship back for good and makes it a bailiwick, to which it moves the seat of that of Bossonnens. The two bailiwicks are merged in 1618.[1][4]
1798-1848. Attalens belongs to the district of Châtel-Saint-Denis, then from 1848 to that of the Veveyse.[1]
1804. The State sells the castle to the municipality.[1]
1860. Abbé Louis-Auguste Robadey, parish priest from 1840 to 1867, has the church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption built between the castle and the hamlet of Corcelles.[1][2]
1882. The parish buys the castle to house the parish hospice, funded by a bequest from Abbé Robadey.[1][2]
1911. A large early medieval cemetery is discovered at the place called « en Réresse ».[2]
1968. The castle becomes private again. The hospice, now a nursing home, moves into new premises.[1]
Population of Attalens
Sources and references: [1][7]
| 1453 | 80 hearths (about) |
| 1811 | 618 |
| 1850 | 867 |
| 1900 | 1'198 |
| 1950 | 1'096 |
| 1960 | 1'023 |
| 1980 | 1'337 |
| 2000 | 2'252 |
| 2025 | 3'690 |
Historic sites in Attalens
Church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption. Built in 1860 at Abbé Robadey's initiative, it succeeds a Romanesque church dedicated to Mary. It is listed in the inventory of cultural property of national importance (category A). The priest's nephew, Pierre-Alexandre Robadey, had the presbytery built opposite.[1][2][6]
Castle. Castle of the lords of Oron, then the bailiff's residence, it belonged to the municipality from 1804 and housed the hospice from 1882 to 1968. It is now private and listed in the inventory of cultural property (category B).[1][6]
Tatroz and Vuarat. The municipality's two villages, with the hamlets of Corcelles and Rombuet. Tatroz and Vuarat were among the lands acquired by Amédée d'Oron. The municipality's highest point is Mont Vuarat, at 984 m.[4][5]
Remains in Attalens
Réresse cemetery. Found in 1911, the early medieval cemetery yielded a gilded brooch, probably of the 6th or 7th century, showing the Virgin, the Christ Child and the three Magi, with a Greek inscription. It is kept at the Museum of Art and History in Fribourg.[2]
Villa and Merovingian cemetery. The ruins of a villa received a Merovingian cemetery between the 6th and 8th centuries.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Attalens » (Jean-François Steiert, version du 02.05.2013)
- Unité pastorale St-Denis, paroisse d'Attalens, « Historique de la paroisse »
- Les vestiges de Bossonnens, « L'époque féodale »
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Bossonnens » (Marianne Rolle, version du 10.03.2011)
- Commune d'Attalens, « Aperçu géographique »
- Office fédéral de la protection de la population, « Révision Inventaire PBC 2021 : Liste cantonale Canton de FR » (état au 1.1.2026)
- Service de la statistique du canton de Fribourg (SStat), « Population des communes, de 1900 à 2025 » (T01-02-03), population résidante permanente au 31.12.2025
Other villages near Attalens
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