Botterens
Origin of the name Botterens
The name « Botterens » is already written this way in 1227. German speakers once said « Botteringen ». No etymology has been proposed.[1][2]
Founding of Botterens
Botterens is a street village on the right bank of the former Sarine, now the Lac de la Gruyère. In the Middle Ages the village belonged to the lordship of Corbières, like Villarbeney. Agricultural at first, the municipality became industrial and residential in the 20th century. It has included Villarbeney since 2006.[1][2]
History of Botterens
1227. First mention of the village of Botterens.[1][2]
1553. Together with Villarbeney, Botterens became Fribourg territory and belonged to the bailiwick of Corbières.[1][2]
1779. On 12 March, a fire destroyed half the village.[1][2]
1871. Botterens left the parish of Broc and formed an independent parish with Villarbeney.[1]
1877. Excavations uncovered a Gallo-Roman cemetery.[1]
1878. The church of Saint-Claude was consecrated.[1]
1887. Botterens and Villarbeney were joined administratively.[2]
1898. The Broc chocolate factory was established and the population of Botterens grew.[1]
1946. A small meringue factory opened in the village.[1]
1971. The firm Mecaplast SA carried out plastic injection moulding there. Goat's cheese (tomme) production followed in 1981.[1]
1982. The new law on municipalities restored the independence of Botterens and Villarbeney.[2]
1989. The Entreprises électriques fribourgeoises and Energie-Ouest-Suisse built an interconnection substation there.[1]
2004. On 18 November, the Grand Council adopted the decree merging Botterens and Villarbeney.[3]
2006. On 1 January, the two municipalities merged under the name Botterens.[2][1]
Population of Botterens
Sources and references: [1][4]
| 1811 | 83 |
| 1850 | 107 |
| 1900 | 119 |
| 1920 | 213 |
| 1950 | 174 |
| 1960 | 158 |
| 2000 | 279 |
| 2025 | 748 |
Historic sites in Botterens
Church of Saint-Claude. The church of the parish of Botterens and Villarbeney was consecrated in 1878, seven years after the separation from Broc.[1]
Municipal administration. The administration of Botterens is at route de Villarbeney 11.[2]
Remains in Botterens
Gallo-Roman cemetery. A cemetery of the Gallo-Roman period was excavated at Botterens in 1877.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Botterens » (Marianne Rolle, version du 26.09.2016)
- Commune de Botterens, site officiel (« Histoire »)
- État de Fribourg, « Liste chronologique des fusions, divisions et changements de nom des communes » (RSF 141.1.2), législation fribourgeoise
- 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
Localities of the municipality with a page
Other villages near Botterens
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