Barberêche
Origin of the name Barberêche
The village appears in 1154 as « Barbereschi ». Its old German name is Bärfischen. The name remains unexplained.[1]
Founding of Barberêche
Barberêche (Bärfischen) extends along the west shore of Lake Schiffenen and includes the hamlets of Pensier, Villaret, Breilles, Grimoine, Grand-Vivy and Petit-Vivy. The first known lord is Peter von Mettlen, who died in 1332, a vassal of the counts of Thierstein. The lordship then passed to the Mossu family in the 15th century, to François d'Arsent and Pierre Falck, and later to the Praroman and Estavayer-Molondin families. The church of St Maurice is the centre of the parish. In 2000, 22 % of the inhabitants were German-speaking. Barberêche is now part of the municipality of Courtepin (merger of 2017).[1][3]
History of Barberêche
11th-12th century. The church of St Maurice is built.[1]
1153. First record of the lords of Vivier, who also hold property in the parishes of Gurmels and Barberêche.[2]
1154. First written record of the village, as « Barbereschi ». A Rudolf of Barberêche is mentioned until 1198.[1]
1293. With Conrad the lords of Vivier die out, and their property passes to the lords of Pont and then to the counts of Thierstein. Grand-Vivy is already in ruins, and the castle of Petit-Vivy has shortly before replaced it as the seat of the lordship.[2]
1378. Nicolas de Vuippens of Fribourg buys the lordship of Petit-Vivy, separated from that of Grand-Vivy before 1363.[2]
1442. Barberêche joins Fribourg's Old Territories, in the Hospital banner.[1]
1466. Petit-Vivy passes to the Praroman family.[2]
Early 16th century. The castle of Barberêche is built on the site of a medieval fortress.[1]
1519. Pierre Falck holds the lordship, which passes the same year to the Praroman family. They keep it until 1662.[1]
1616. Anne de Praroman has a late Gothic manor house with a stair tower built at Grand-Vivy, on the site of the old castle.[2]
1662. The lordship falls to the Estavayer-Molondin family, who keep it until 1799.[1]
1731. Barberêche builds its first school.[1]
1785-1786. The church of St Maurice is enlarged.[1]
1798-1848. Barberêche belongs to the district of Fribourg, from 1831 to the German district, before passing to the Lake district.[1]
1836. The de Zurich family acquires the castle and keeps it until 1988.[1]
1898. The Murten-Fribourg line opens a station at Pensier.[1]
1962-1963. The Schiffenen dam is built.[1]
1976. The Institut Saint-Dominique, a boarding school with secondary classes, closes.[1]
2015. On 27 September Barberêche approves the merger with Courtepin, Villarepos and Wallenried by 155 votes to 92.[3]
2017. Barberêche becomes part of the new municipality of Courtepin on 1 January.[3]
Population of Barberêche
Sources and references: [1][3]
| 1850 | 389 |
| 1900 | 507 |
| 1950 | 590 |
| 2000 | 551 |
| 2014 | 515 |
Historic sites in Barberêche
Barberêche castle. Built in the early 16th century on the site of a medieval fortress and restored in the 19th century, it belonged to the de Zurich family from 1836 to 1988. The former Praroman manor, later the castle of Alexis de Zurich, and its landscape garden are cultural properties of national importance.[1][4]
Church of St Maurice. Built in the 11th-12th centuries, enlarged in 1785-1786 and altered at the end of the 19th century. Together with the presbytery and the inn, it is listed as a cultural property of regional importance.[1][4]
Petit-Vivy castle. A triangular castle with tower, curtain wall, ditch, living quarters and guardhouse, a rare surviving example of a small castle. It is a cultural property of national importance.[2][4]
Grand-Vivy manor. Built in 1616 for Anne de Praroman, renovated around 1865 in the Gothic Revival style and given an English garden, it passed by inheritance to the Maillardoz family in 1905. The manor and its chapel of St Anne are cultural properties of national importance.[2][4]
Pensier. A hamlet of Barberêche that received a station on the Murten-Fribourg line in 1898.[1]
Remains in Barberêche
Hallstatt cemetery. A cemetery of the early Iron Age has been identified in the area.[1]
Roman villas. Two Roman villas once stood on the territory of Barberêche.[1]
Grand-Vivy castle. The castle of the lords of Vivier was already a ruin in 1293. The manor of 1616 was built on its site.[2]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Barberêche » (Marianne Rolle, version du 15.09.2009)
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Vivy, Grand- et Petit- » (Hermann Schöpfer, version du 13.08.2013)
- Conseil d'État du canton de Fribourg, message 2015-DIAF-100 du 10 novembre 2015 sur la fusion des communes de Barberêche, Courtepin, Villarepos et Wallenried (version allemande)
- Office fédéral de la protection de la population, « Révision Inventaire PBC 2021 : liste cantonale, canton de FR » (état au 1.1.2026)
Other villages near Barberêche
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